Thread: Modifications & 'How to' Guides

Hi mate,
Could you please post close up pictures of that spare wheel carrier. I would like to make one when we get our Tig. It would save me and others the time.

Great posts! Thanks.

Hi Transporter,

Attached a few images that I had on my PC. I saw that I did not take any clear pictures of the mechanism and how it attaches the spare wheel to the cycle rack - which is an off-the-shelf Thule 970 Express - but I'll get round to it over the week-end.

Not to discourage you, but I attached the parts list to give you an idea of the magnitude of the excercise. The bottom line is that unless you can do the machining yourself - which is what I did, using an industrial milling machine and lathe at work after hours - it is going to be horribly expensive. The main part has to laser cut, for which a minimum set-up cost is payable, adding to the cost.

The existence of the parts list was the outcome of a feasibility study to see whether I could make and sell these things as a hobby, but the amount of work per unit is of such a nature that by the third one, you'll be completely fed-up with the process. Prices are in ZAR, at the time - 18 months ago.

So it was one of those obsessive things you only do for yourself, in the vein of "I'll get this thing to work, if its the LAST thing I do".

But if you decide to try anyway, I have discovered a few shortcuts during the process which I don't mind sharing with you.


The above detail is key to the modification to convert the fixed mechanism to one that folds down, and is the "before" picture.

This image illustrates how the installation leans forward in order to get th CG as close as possible to the hitch. The new clamping feet is also visible, as is the "driver awareness" black rod sticking up above the wheel.

Spare_Wheel_Carrier_Shopping.doc - ImageHost.org

Nice work! Love custom fab jobs!

In response to some PM requests for more details on the Spare Wheel Carrier with a view to home manufacture, this summary describes HOW to remove the wheel from the rack in order to swop it with a flat, as it is not quite as straightforward as opening the boot, removing the floor, undoing a wing-bolt and then lifting the spare wheel out.

This should give readers an idea of whether they could be bothered with a device like this. Depending on the interest level, this will be followed by a post describing WHAT has to be done in order to convert the cycle rack into a spare wheel carrier, in order to give a further indication of whether a project like this is within readers' capabilities or perhaps that of someone they know.

HOW this WHAT is to be done, with background as to WHY, will probably be done by way of PMs, as those not mechanically inclined will be bored stiff once the talking gets down to pitches, threads, tolerances, machinery, materials etc, as it inevitably will do in this section.

In sequence, the images below apply:

Disconnect the lightboard then Unlock and remove the padlock

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Undo the latch and close the arms, then lift the rack off the hitch. Depending on where you are, the wheel may be quite dirty, so if you have one, get your teen-age son to do this. Next place the assembly number plate down on a covered surface to prevent scratches to the number plate light. Remove indicated bolt fully. The lightboard will drop away from the wheel onto the (covered) ground.

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Lift and flip the wheel over, then Unscrew the two wheel nuts and spacer and lift the wheel off the rack.

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You now have one full size spare wheel ready for fitment. Simple enough, or not?

Originally Posted by jcubed

......This should give readers an idea of whether they could be bothered with a device like this....

jcubed sounds like making the rack is a big job, well done.

I can see its main application as being a specific offroad trip or the like as it would seem a hassle dropping the spare wheel carrier down each time for regular unloading of the boot (eg for the weekly shopping etc) or am I missing something with the way it works?

It is a good idea to have an external full sized spare.
It also allows you to drop the floor in the boot giving you even more boot room (of which some find limiting) as well as the extra functionality of having the full sized spare.

I would hate to be caught out in the sand and only have a space-saver to rely on.

Does it impede the rear hatch opening much?
I would probably end up just putting the spare in a caged cargo hold on the roof racks to allow easy access to the rear of the car.

Hi last two posters,

Jimbomort, my description above is to get the wheel off the car for fitment in case of a flat.

For day-to-day use, it's no more effort to flip it down than opening a door. There is no unlocking or disconnecting to be done. Reaching over the spare wheel from the rear, the black plastic handle visible in some of the images is lifted - it has a finger-operated latch which automatically locks when closed, but which upon pressing, releases - which opens the hitch clamp partially, allowing the rack to fold back to the position illustrated in the original post article. With a bit of practise, it is a one-handed - left - operation. Pushing it back requires two hands, though. When folded down, the hatch swings by easily with space to spare.

Team_v, the angle to which the spare wheel folds back, is determined by the length of a slot machined in the clamping feet, and has been made to measure for the Tiguan. On a VW Caddy towbar, due to the rear door being much taller than that of the Tiguan, it does not fold back far enough to allow the door to swing by. However, it would be a simple process to extend the slot - you need a milling machine, and it will take longer to clamp the part in the vice and put the cutter in the collet than it would take to do the job - so that it would be suitable for ANY car. In the lowered position it can also be swung side-ways, giving wider access when loading, although I've never had the need to do this for holiday packing.

And you are right, without the extra space under the floor, there is just no way all the luggage would go in. Mainly because my sons and I can stick to the rule of ONE bag per person, but SWAMBO is still learning how not to pack for 4 seasons .

I'll take/post some side-views to illustrate both explanations above.

Hi Guys,

Herewith the explanation as to how the gadget works around town.

Lever Up, shows the tensioning arm in unlatched position. Folding Down is about halfway to the endstop. Your elbow is pressed against the indicator (black) rod stabilizing the rack laterally, feeding it lower in a controlled manner, as otherwise gravity is rather abrupt.

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Hatch Clearance shows the closest the lip of the hatch gets to the rack. So in hindsight, the slot could have been shorter. Swung Out shows maximum access. Yes, it swings both ways ...

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Hope this clears up the questions.