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Spare Tire Carrier

8K views 8 replies 7 participants last post by  starspangled6.0 
#1 ·
anybody have any ideas to getting a spare tire carrier unstuck? i bought my truck with the spare in the bed, i finally tried to put it underneath, and can't get the damn thing to come down. any ideas would be great!
 
#6 ·
Once you know the trick, it isn't hard. I got mine unstuck.

First, look at this video on YouTube to see the secondary interlock...



Then:

1. Support the spare tire with TWO jacks. One on each side of the tire. I used my floor jack and the truck's bottle jack. You want access to the cable mechanism.

2. Crank down the cable until it grabs on the secondary interlock.

3. From under the truck (I found that sliding in from the passenger side was best for me), you should be able to access the lower half of the secondary interlock. Spray with some penetrating oil or something. Go have a drink of water and let it sit.

4. Now grab the secondary interlock with some channel locks and squeeze one size in. Don't just squeeze both sides at the same time as that won't do anything. Get your pliers on the edge of the lock and squeeze the smaller side. You can squeeze the other direction as well to engage the interlock even more. That helps to break up any rust, etc.

5. If you did it right, you can wiggle it around and the secondary interlock will be unstuck. At this point, I cranked the cable back up, removed the two jacks, and lowered the tire using the crank.

6. Take the spare off the carrier, lube the interlock properly, lube the cable, etc.

7. Check the air pressure, etc. and crank it back up. You are done.
 
#9 ·
Here's a super-easy way to fix this problem (I found out the hard way when I had a flat last winter :( ):

There are bolts that hold the tire and tire holder onto the bottom of the bed. Take those off, and the whole contraption will drop come off. Soak the wire and holder in your favorite oil (I used penetrating oil), and it should be as good as new.
 
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