spare tire carrier
spare tire mech
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Fleet Mechanic
Joined: Jun 2002
Posts: 1,986
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From: maryland
spare tire mech
anyone have trouble with the cable mech for the sprae tire? i used mine once and its shot. i put it down and used the spare went to piut the spare back up and the cable is frayed and wont go back up. i tried everything i could think of. since its a sealed box i guess the whole thing needs replacing!
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Joined: Nov 2004
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Spare Tire
Wish i could help you but i have my own problems with my tire carrier
mine is stuck in the up position and i cant get it down for nothing
Brand new tire i cant even get at the housing where i can cut the cable
anyone have any recomendations
mine is stuck in the up position and i cant get it down for nothing
Brand new tire i cant even get at the housing where i can cut the cable
anyone have any recomendations
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Fleet Mechanic
Joined: Jun 2002
Posts: 1,986
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From: maryland
at the end of the cable is the t bar holding the tire up. there is a plug in the center tying the cable to it, see if you can drill the plug out or bend or cut 1 part of the t to free the tire.
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Joined: Nov 2004
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Actually from what i been reading it is a common problem on the Ford trucks
I haven't had time to get at mine and to be honest its going to be a while
this particular truck has a snow plow and a tailgate salt spreader on it and its loaded i cant get at the spare tire till i get rid of the salt in the spreader so i can disconect it from the hitch
I haven't had time to get at mine and to be honest its going to be a while
this particular truck has a snow plow and a tailgate salt spreader on it and its loaded i cant get at the spare tire till i get rid of the salt in the spreader so i can disconect it from the hitch
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Originally Posted by sdpj
get some wire cutters, thats what i did.
and then buy a new one and install it myslef i cant believe Ford wont do something about it its a very common problem so obviously its a manufacture defect
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Elder User
Joined: Jan 2003
Posts: 828
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From: Baltimore
GWilkers....I had that exact same problem with the spare tire winch on my Econoline van. I used it one time to drop the tire when I had a flat. I then very carefully winched the cable back up. When we took the van to a tire shop, they guy there fixed the flat and then tried to put the spare back up under the van. The cable came out of the winch ok but when he tried to wind it back up, it would only go a little bit. When we pulled the cable back out, it was frayed and kinked.
I took the winch apart and found that if the crank is wound in the wrong direction as the tire is raised, the winch will be ruined. There is a plastic stop that prevents the winch from being wound in the wrong direction. But, it is very easy to break the plastic stop and then it is easy to wind in the wrong direction. Because of the way the cable path is laid out in the winch, winding in the wrong direction causes the cable to get kinked and pinched.
After seeing the inside of this winch, I can say that you must be very careful to raise the tire by cranking the winch in the opposite direction that you used to lower the tire. Don't count on that piece of plastic stopping the wrong crank rotation.
I took the winch apart and found that if the crank is wound in the wrong direction as the tire is raised, the winch will be ruined. There is a plastic stop that prevents the winch from being wound in the wrong direction. But, it is very easy to break the plastic stop and then it is easy to wind in the wrong direction. Because of the way the cable path is laid out in the winch, winding in the wrong direction causes the cable to get kinked and pinched.
After seeing the inside of this winch, I can say that you must be very careful to raise the tire by cranking the winch in the opposite direction that you used to lower the tire. Don't count on that piece of plastic stopping the wrong crank rotation.
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Fleet Mechanic
Joined: Jun 2002
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From: maryland
thanks now i dont feel so bad. now to order a new one and hope its not too much $. i wont make that mistake again. why doesnt the manual say not to wind the cable up empty?!
this is causing major grief for me. i used a 2" tie down to secur the tire under truck (against wife recomendation) on sun. today the strap broke and dropped the tire onto road at 60 mph. tghankfully it didnt come all the way off it just dragged for a little but did pop the tire!
this is causing major grief for me. i used a 2" tie down to secur the tire under truck (against wife recomendation) on sun. today the strap broke and dropped the tire onto road at 60 mph. tghankfully it didnt come all the way off it just dragged for a little but did pop the tire!
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Originally Posted by Gwilkrrs
anyone have trouble with the cable mech for the sprae tire? i used mine once and its shot. i put it down and used the spare went to piut the spare back up and the cable is frayed and wont go back up. i tried everything i could think of. since its a sealed box i guess the whole thing needs replacing!
I had trouble on my 2001 SD. It's a sorry-*** cheesy mechanism, for sure. Luckily I was suspicious of it, and tried it in my driveway when the truck was 1 day old. It failed immediately.
Ford chuckled and fixed it under warranty.
Along with the interior lights. And the starter. And the manual tranny shift lever. And the tailgate. And the noisy front drive-shaft.
I'm growing weary of Ford trucks, especially the newer ones.
Lee Carkenord
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Joined: Nov 2004
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Originally Posted by fjlee
I had trouble on my 2001 SD. It's a sorry-*** cheesy mechanism, for sure. Luckily I was suspicious of it, and tried it in my driveway when the truck was 1 day old. It failed immediately.
Ford chuckled and fixed it under warranty.
Along with the interior lights. And the starter. And the manual tranny shift lever. And the tailgate. And the noisy front drive-shaft.
I'm growing weary of Ford trucks, especially the newer ones.
Lee Carkenord
Ford chuckled and fixed it under warranty.
Along with the interior lights. And the starter. And the manual tranny shift lever. And the tailgate. And the noisy front drive-shaft.
I'm growing weary of Ford trucks, especially the newer ones.
Lee Carkenord
i have always owned GMC vans but when it comes to the Pickups i have always stuck to FORDS
I had some night mares with my GMC vans i blew the motor in one driving it home from the dealer i am talking about a brand new truck 0 miles on it
Elder User
Joined: Jan 2003
Posts: 828
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From: Baltimore
You can wind up the cable "empty" but you gotta keep tension on it as you wind it. If you don't, it can come off of the spool and get kinked or smashed. Also, if it was wound up "empty", you should keep tension on it as you let it back down (for the same reason). The mechanism is a neat design but because Ford "cheaped out" by using plastic parts in some key positions, it's a junky production unit.
The real trick to longetivity of these winches is making sure you don't wind the crank the wrong way when drawing the cable back into the winch. And, always keep tension on the cable when cranking the winch.
The real trick to longetivity of these winches is making sure you don't wind the crank the wrong way when drawing the cable back into the winch. And, always keep tension on the cable when cranking the winch.
Senior User
Joined: Nov 2003
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From: Alberta, Canada
OK, so which it the correct direction to winch up, clockwise or anti?
I know last time I took the spare down I discovered I could keep winding the same way and it went back up again. I did it a few times, possibly in both directions, so now I dont know if its spooled backwards or not ! DOH!
I know last time I took the spare down I discovered I could keep winding the same way and it went back up again. I did it a few times, possibly in both directions, so now I dont know if its spooled backwards or not ! DOH!
Mountain Pass
Joined: Feb 2004
Posts: 150
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From: Supernatural BC
These winches are a pain. On my last truck I was heading up to the ski hill and hit a rather large pot hole. Looking in my mirrors at what I thought was dust? (wet roads and all) I see my spare at eye level spinning like a flipped nickle. Please stay on the road I say out loud, lucky for me it does. I have hunted for this tire before as a loose strap and other pot holes sent it flying. Rusty broken cable, replaced winch. Ready to do battle again. Watch out for those potholes.
Last edited by crummy trk; Nov 17, 2004 at 11:49 PM.