OK, I never heard of any "key" to lower the spare tire. However, the nice people at Discount tire weren't able to swap my tire because I'm missing some "key". Anyone know something about this? How do I get a key for this and ELIMINATE the need for the key?

 

https://www.ford-trucks.com/forums/8...rks-great.html

here you go.. its fresh news and it works great

 

Easiest thing I've found is a 6-point - 9/16 deep socket. Use a really long extension, I use my 36". Hammer it on a bit, then just lower the spare down. Once the spare is down, you can remove the plastic tube that leads to the lock.
After the tube is out of the way you'll be able to see the socket still attached to the lock. Then I clamp some vise grips to the "lock" and remove it. You'll be left with a square hole that the under-hood tools will remove without a key. See the link that BigO posted above for a few pics.

 

AWESOME INFO!!! THANKS!!!