So, when I bought this truck, the spare tire cable was hanging down without the bar that holds the tire attached. I figured that somebody had forgotten to raise it up at some point in time. I took the assembly apart and found that the cable was wrapped partway around the spool the wrong direction, and that there was no saving it. So, I bought a used one and put it on. Works smoothly. In fact as I was raising the tire the first time, I thought it might work too smoothly. After it was raised all the way, the tire came back down about a half inch. Seemed strange, but it seemed to stay put, so I figured I would deal with getting it to stay against the frame later. Well, after running a couple errands, I pulled back in the noticed that the tire was almost on the ground! That's not good. Raised it back up again and then pulled and swung it around a bit. Didn't take long for it to start coming back down.

Did some searching and it sounds like this is one of several weaknesses these things have. The others seem to be getting stuck in the up position and getting stuck in the down position. I know every vehicle has its flaws, but man, I sure seem to have hit the mother lode in this truck. Not quite a lemon, since the problems seem prevalent, but damn!

So, I guess I'll be trying to figure out a different way to secure the spare. I do want it under the bed, as I don't want to lose bed space to it. I don't want it hanging off the back of the truck, since using the bed would mean moving the tire out of the way. So, it has to go under. Do other manufacturers have these problems? Almost makes me want to go back to the 3 foot long bar that clamped the tire to the frame. It wasn't fun to get the spare out, but it never failed me, either!

Dave

 

On my old 98 I took the assembly off and made a bracket that bolted in its place. I used a long 1/2" bolt in the middle.....drilled out then dropped bolt down and welded the head to the bracket. I had a plate of steel with a large hole in it that fit over the bolt. You would stick the tire on, then the plate, then a nut, then tighten it down. I used 2 nuts to make sure all stayed put. It was kind of a PITA to lift the tire up, get the plate on an d a nut. But it worked well and looked like the OEM one from the back. I kept the bolt and nuts well greased so when the time came it would come off.

 

In the 12 years I have owned my truck the spare has never been down and no flat tires. But that's just some luck.
The Tow hitch side mounting plates rusted out so had to remove the spare for replacement hitch.
You guessed it the assembly was non operative so I cut the cable.
I decided not to remount the spare as the tire and rim are beyond usefulness.
Run without because I could have never used the spare before even if needed under those conditions.
Decided a bottle of Green Slime has just a good a chance of success in a flat tire scenario.
I understand some new cars do not come with any spare and rely on the same procedure.
You would be surprised at the weight reduction without a spare.
And the Tow hitch weight if you don't need one.
The suspension height was designed to accommodate these weights.
Without them the height is nearly 2 inches higher and some 100 plus bounds lighter.
It makes a difference in fuel mileage and with ome loss in front end Caster alignment.
Now couple this with a pair of black top of the line Monroe Senatrac shocks and wow what a different in feel and control. You would not believe it's the same truck.
I had used the yellow level Monroes and even Rancho 5000s that never cam close to this great feel and handling.
Good luck.

 

Well, that's not an option. I refuse to go without the spare. I drive mostly in town, and have AAA. But, about twice a month, I drive from Wichita to KC. We hit a deer a few years back and cell coverage is sketchy in some areas anyway, but when we did get ahold of a tow company and the highway patrol, it took an hour for KHP to arrive and another almost half-hour for the wrecker to get there. I'm not going to sit on the side of the road that long for lack of a spare. And I don't use the green slime stuff. When I fix tires, I don't want to have to get all up in hazmat gear. Fix it right or don't fix it at all.

Dave

 

Good enough.
That's your call.
I run the Pocono Mountains on 80 and 380. There are lots of deer and other animals that cross the roads all the time and long stretched of woods.
Good luck.

 

Sounds like you just had some bad luck with the carrier. When I got mine the cable had been cut. My cousin said he had to cut it, he could not get the spare to lower, cable had frozen up, and he just kept it in the bed with a cable lock on it.
I found a used one on e-bay for $60 shipped and it works just fine. I did grease it up very well before I put the spare on it, and am about due to lower it (plan on lowering the spare every 6 months or so to check it and make sure the cable is not locked up).

 

good thinking, next time (3rd) time mine breaks I am keeping it off. I have Rancho RSX's now and love them also. I like the weight on the rear since mine is so light...no idea if the bed was always plastic/fiberglass but both sides are now after repair.