Underslung spare question

[adpsimpson]

Lord Lucan was kind enough to send me a bundle of goodies including an underslung spare wheel mechanism before Christmas. I got that fitted, but I'm not sure it's all good. As you tighten the spare wheel into place, with the long winding arm that comes through the rear bumper, the first thing the tyre hits as it's lifted up is the winding arm itself. So you can never fully tighten it into place, and it's left hanging a bit loose, bumping around a little, which doesn't seem right.

Should there be some sort of bracket for the wheel/tyre to tighten up against, to hold it in place? Or should it just hang with a few inches of slack in the chain?

If that's not clear (which it's probably not?!) I'll draw a wee diagram...

[stormforce]

the wheel should pull up tight to the underbody of the truck or the chasis cross member

[adpsimpson]

ok, thanks, that's what I thought it should do. Can you see how I could have mounted it wrong so that it wouldn't? Since the winding pole is getting in the way...

[lord_flashart]

Any chance of a picture of how you installed it?
It could save a lot of guessing.

[stormforce]

the winding pole shouldn't get in the way tho.Maybe the pole isn't sat in right.I know on the trucks ive had here there is a bracket the pole goes behind to stop getting in the way of the wheel as its going up or down

[adpsimpson]

I'll take a picture or two and post them in the morning

[adpsimpson]

Took me a day or two, but here's a picture. You can see where the winding pole comes through from the bumper (through the small welded-on bracket at the right of the picture) and into the chassis cross member, straight into the winding mechanism. It all looks right, but the wheel meets the winding pole, just inside the rubber flaps, before it meets the chassis.

[stormforce]

all the mechs i have had on the trucks here have all been over to the n/s and then a cable across to the centre where yours is now and then down for the wheel

[TonyN]

your missing two bars that bolt to the crossmember and the wheel locks up to them, they are shaped to 'hug' the spare wheel, like /-------\ shaped.

You can see the holes in the crossmember for them.

[adpsimpson]

your missing two bars that bolt to the crossmember and the wheel locks up to them, they are shaped to 'hug' the spare wheel, like /-------\ shaped.

You can see the holes in the crossmember for them.

Thanks Tony, that's what I suspected, especially when I saw the pictures (pics sometimes make things more clear than when you're lying underneath looking at the thing). Will try and hunt them down.

Richard, odd that there must be two different designs. Interesting.

[stormforce]

Thanks Tony, that's what I suspected, especially when I saw the pictures (pics sometimes make things more clear than when you're lying underneath looking at the thing). Will try and hunt them down.

Richard, odd that there must be two different designs. Interesting.

I'll try to get a pic of one i got here for you.Like i said the handle goes in at an angle towards the n/s.