As I mentioned in a post yesterday, I am working on constructing steel brackets to bolt to the frame of my 2007 F250 Superduty. They are to provide extra support to the legs of my ladder rack, which often gets used to haul some very heavy loads.

I wanted to use the bolts that hold the rear bumper to the frame as part of the mounting system. I decided that it would make access to the bumper bracket bolts more convenient if I removed the spare tire, which was suspended beneath the truck bed supported by a winch mechanism.

I took the silly little spare tire lock key device and stuck it on the end of the long rod, and fished the rod in through a hole in the rear bumper, then a second hole in the back of the truck bed, aiming for the lock mechanism which Is almost impossible to see. I fished around in there, and thought maybe I felt it engage. Hmmm... been a while since I did this... which way do I turn the crank? Seems like I should go CCW... but I tried it gently both ways. Then I heard a distressing little click, and then the ephemeral feeling of possible engagement was gone. I pulled the rod back out, and sho' nuff, no key attached.

So, I spent about the next four hours staring at the situation, aiming flashlights into obscure passages, poking around above the tire with various bits of wire and magnets, trying to find the little cylindrical key and knock it out of there. I tried unbolting the whole winch mechanism from the frame, with a socket on a long extension, but the angle was wrong to connect solidly with the bolts.

Finally I decided to go in the house and call to see if I could just buy another spare tire key. Neither of the two parts stores in the nearest town had it or could get it. Both told me I'd have to go to Ford.

I called the nearest Ford dealer (30 mi away) and they wanted my VIN. Found that, called back, and they told me they could order me a new key for only $245. For a little cylinder about the size of a 9/16" deep well socket. I said, "Thanks but no thanks."

So, I put a couple of jacks under the tire, and attacked the end of the support cable with my trusty sawzall. A few minutes later the tire was on the floor, and now it's in the bed of the truck, waiting for me to make a rack to mount it there in a vertical position.

Then, I discovered the offending spare tire key, laying on the floor a few feet away from the truck. I don't know if it was there the whole time, or if it fell there when the tire came down.

Once the tire was out of there, I could actually see the lock/crank mechanism. I stuck the key and rod back in the holes, engaged the winch, and it turned easy as pie. I cranked the cable all the way out, and ascertained that there was still plenty of cable to reach the ground. I reinstalled the tire support crosspiece and spring and put three cable clamps on the protruding end of the cable. I think I could now get away with stowing the tire again... but ya know what? I think it will live on the rack in the truck bed, where I don't have to spend half a day cussing to get at it.

I guess I should be thankful that this lovely little learning experience happened with my truck parked in my shop, with tools at hand, instead of a hundred miles from home, in a snow drift alongside a lonely country road, at midnight.