Chev truck"s spare tire

In my 03 truck, I did finally get the spare out. Today in my 05 we had to get it out with a cutting torch. I have also read about some falling out. Does anyone have an idea or solution as to where or how to store the spare? Most people around here simply through them in the back of the pick-up bed.

The place where the tire is stored is OK it’s just the hardware (that little winch that pulls the tire up) and the long shaft used to turn it that could use a upgrade. Many trucks come into the shop when people can’t get the spare down. This is a common problem that could use some attention.

I agree.

The cable should be stainless or even a nylon, something that won’t rust. Same goes for the crank rod and gear.

A heavy duty plastic set-up would last longer than the cheap junk on these vehicles today.

A totally water repellent lube is needed too.

I bought my 95 F350 without a spare. Over time I added a spare. For my trip to Texas two weeks ago, I added a front mount receiver hitch with spare tire mount. I should have done this years ago, but didn’t realize that front mount receivers were being engineered and sold. I added a security cable and lock and a locking hitch pin.

The only inconvenience is that I must remove the spare each time I need to get to the hood latch to raise the hood.

If I have trouble with my 02 F350 and its spare tire carrier, I would do the same here, rather than mess with the cable arrangement that it has.

The owner is supposed to periodically check the spare tire pressure. I take this time to partially lower the spare and spritz the hardware with lubricant. It takes all of 10 minutes to do and so I don’t see what the big deal is. I’d rather not pay for the gear to be made of unobtainium at some high cost to every consumer because some people can’t take the time to do routine checks.

Many minivans store their spare tire in the same place, and it seems to work just fine. Trucks, for some reason, are more difficult when it comes to extracting the spare tire. With the 2002 Sienna it is simply a matter of turning a bolt that rests under the carpet.

Minivans store a donot spare whereas trucks have a full size spare and the weight makes a problem for some.

The 2002 Sienna I mentioned has a full-sized spare.

That’s good. Then Toyota built it right too. Unlike the GM vans I’ve HAD.

I had a '93 Ford Explorer and’95 Ford Windstar, both with a spare stored under the rear with crank system. The problem I had was that the spare tire’s rim would corrode and mesh with the metal piece which held up the tire. You would have the hit the tire with a sledge hammer to separate the two. I used a piece of plastic, like a funnel that I slit, to keep the two metal pieces apart. I wrote Ford and suggested this inexpensive solution but never heard back. I had my winter tires removed last week and heard a discussion about the very same problem discussed above on a guys Chevy truck. Sales manager related a story about having seen a spare fall out from underneath a vehicle, catch and lift both rear wheels off the ground, and yet the woman driver continued on her merry way.

I have a Chevy truck with the underneath full size spare crank storage. I crawled under my truck one day to work on it, and the tire is gone, the wire had snapped. I have no clue if it fell off while driving or was stolen. Huge PITA. Had to buy another rim and tire plus replace the whole crank assembly. The crank is a “Dealer Only” part which costs $150+. I found a used one cheap online.