Alistair,

How will the hatch stand-up to that weight over the long haul?  It's beefier than a couple of bicycles handing off the hatch and all on the one side.

On 12-Jul-2015, at 21:33, Alistair Bell wrote:

> It is and I am using the tube over the strut method of keeping hatch up.
> 
> But, plan on buying stronger struts. My friend has a pair of 1200 N struts ( German vanagon supplier) that works like a charm with his wheel on hatch set up.
> 
> I think stock struts are 475 N, heavy duty maybe 700 N
> 
> Alistair
> 
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> 
>> On Jul 12, 2015, at 4:52 PM, Rob <vwrobb@gmail.com> wrote:
>> 
>> It looks like opening the rear hatch would be a bear with the spare tire on it.
>> 
>> Rob
>> vwrobb@gmail.com
>> 
>> 
>> 
>> At  7/12/2015 11:56 AM, Alistair Bell wrote:
>>> Trying out a ladder type carrier I made to replace the paulchen. The paulchen was over kill for carrying a spare and I really don't like how it didn't grab the hatch as well as I though it should. full disclosure, the paulchen was originally a eurovan version that I cut down to fit the shorter hatch of the vanagon. That might be why it didn't grab super securely. Mind you the angles all look pretty well the same as on the stock vanagon paulchen. But I digress, pic of the new rack here
>>> 
>>> https://shufti.wordpress.com/2015/07/12/vanagon-hatch-mounted-spare-tire-carrier/
>>> 
>>> I'll give a go unpainted, maybe I'll be modifying it. Then I'll paint black.
>>> 
>>> Alistair
>>