Attaching spare wheel to outside of trailer

[Lobster]

I want to fix my spare trailer wheel rigidly to the outside of my trailer. The wheel is a standard pressed steel item with 4 bolt holes. The side panels of the trailer are some form of composite board, about

3/8"; and my original plan had been to just bolt the wheel to the front panel using four 1000x10mm sleeved bolts, and large penny washers on either side of the trailer panel.

However, looking at it today it's clear that ain't going to work; although the boarding is reasonably strong the wheel's quite heavy and these bolts would need to take its weight. I'm thinking the four bolts need to be fixed together in some way to spread the load, ie a framework to offer up the wheel to. Maybe even an old axle?!

I can't help feeling I may be reinventing the wheel here(!) and am sure others must have done this before. Any thoughts?

An off-the-shelf solution would be ideal but all the brackets I can find seem to be this sort of thing:

which wouldn't work for me since I have an A-frame drawbar attached to the towing hitch.

Thanks for any advice David

[Mike G]

How about screwing a platform across the rear of the A frame for the wheel to rest on. Could be made from wood. Then use your bolts to hold it to the front panel. Even better, still using a platform, fit one fairly large plate on the inside of the box. A few inches square, say 3mm thick. Either glued or screwed so it doesn't fall off when the wheel is removed. A plate will spread the load better than 4 large washers. Could be made from a decent bit of plywood. Then use just one central screw to hold the wheel. You should be able to pick up a suitable large central 'washer' from a scrappy. Many cars use them to firmly hold the spare wheel in the boot. Mike.

[Neil McD.]

I have an A-frame drawbar attached to

Weld/bolt a piece of flat steel across the legs of the A-frame and stand the wheel on that, up against the front panel. One or two bolts through the wheel will hold it in position, and the weight is taken by the A-frame. If your wheel/tyre is big enough you might not even need the flat plate, the tyre can sit on the A-frame (I had a Mini wheel which would have fallen through the gap!)

[Lobster]

Yes, had considered that option but that would position the top of the wheel almost flush with the top of the trailer side, where it would interfere with the fitted cover tarp. So the lower edge of the wheel will hang below the base of the trailer by an inch or two.

Yes, the wheel falls through the gap in the A-frame!

David

[Mike G]

As my first suggestion is impractical due to it fouling the cover, you could use the same principle, but modify it by fitting a turret or spacer to hold the wheel away from the front panel. Again could be made from wood, glued to the front panel, with long wheel bolts going through the lot. Alternatively a local jobbing with a press brake might make a sheet steel 'turret' with flanges to fasten it to the front panel, with studs or a single central stud, welded to it for mounting the wheel. If you need longer bolts you might find it easier to buy a length of 10 or 12mm studding, cut it to length with a nut both ends. A trade 'Small Tools Supplier' should have it in stock. Another simpler alternative might be to mount the wheel flat on a plate welded or bolted to the top of the A frame. Mike.

[Andy Champ]

I'm not even sure it's worth carrying a trailer spare. Failures are pretty rare, you're still mobile if one happens so you can get it fixed (park trailer and drive flat away) and IAC you have to worry about bearing failures which are pretty common in trailers which tend to be left parked outside with little maintenance.

(Of course, you know what'll happen to me next time I use mine...)

Andy