Spare tire winch

[Barb and Alan]

I had a blowout a while back on my tow vehicle, a 2007 Silverado 2500HD but this applies to most GM and possibly other makes where the spare is mounted below and is hand cranked down to release it. The crank unit wouldn’t come down because a latch piece was rusted shut. The AAA guy said it was common but couldn’t get it to release so we ended up towing the truck to a tire shop and having AAA tow the trailer home. Fortunately we weren’t far.

Had the tire shop try to get the spare out and ended up telling them it was OK to just cut the winch cable. They agreed it was a common issue and told me there was an improved design available. It took me a day to order it and 10 minutes to install.

The moral is if you haven’t checked that you can get to your spare in a while especially if your area uses corrosive winter road treatments, then be sure you take a few minutes to do so. It would have saved me hours on the side of the road. If yours is stuck just cut the cable and replace the winch. I think it was under $30.

[Jann Todd]

Originally Posted by Deadhead517

I had a blowout a while back on my tow vehicle, a 2007 Silverado 2500HD but this applies to most GM and possibly other makes where the spare is mounted below and is hand cranked down to release it. The crank unit wouldn’t come down because a latch piece was rusted shut. The AAA guy said it was common but couldn’t get it to release so we ended up towing the truck to a tire shop and having AAA tow the trailer home. Fortunately we weren’t far.

Had the tire shop try to get the spare out and ended up telling them it was OK to just cut the winch cable. They agreed it was a common issue and told me there was an improved design available. It took me a day to order it and 10 minutes to install.

The moral is if you haven’t checked that you can get to your spare in a while especially if your area uses corrosive winter road treatments, then be sure you take a few minutes to do so. It would have saved me hours on the side of the road. If yours is stuck just cut the cable and replace the winch. I think it was under $30.

Great info for us GM owners or maybe others also. Just bought a 2016 Tahoe so will be checking on the spare. We got new tires and the tire people said the spare was ok but didn't take it down so we have no idea if the cable is rusty or not. Do you have any info on the type of replacement you used?

[Iowa Dave]

I encountered this problem years ago but was lucky and finally got the stuck cable to to release. Since then I have made it a practice to lore and raise the spare twice a year and while down I pull it out and hose the spare off thoroughly and check the inflation. I lubricate whatever I can get at with a liberal shot of Tri Flow which keeps me going for 6 months. I’ve only had one flat in the last 15 years but it was in February at 6 AM on a US highway at -8 degrees and dark. I was glad the tire came down easily that day. When finished I sat in the Dakota for a few minutes warming my hands. The deputy sheriff stopped to make sure I was ok. “Pretty cold out there for changing a tire” he said.
Iowa Dave

[minke]

You have to crank it down (and up) once in a while to measure the air pressure. On my '11 F-250 the lock protecting the spare was similar to wheel locks and I was always anxious that it would disconnect from the shaft deep in the bowels of the spare. It always worked. On my '17 F-350 the lock is on the access hole thru the bumper so no such anxieties.

[gordon2]

Originally Posted by minke

You have to crank it down (and up) once in a while to measure the air pressure. ...

no I dont.. it does not matter what the pressure is, because anytime I put a tire on a vehicle I use my portable compressor to make sure the tire is properly inflated.
I would hate to trust proper spare tire inflation to a check I did weeks or months ago.

As for the cable rusting.. thats more a problem for you poor folks in snow county It is in a perfect place to get destroyed by the road salt. IIRC my vehicle model even had a problem with the spare cable rusting so bad it broke. And down comes the spare, maybe on the highway

[Iowa Dave]

I find that periodic checks for inflation are adequate even though I have a portable compressor also. My tires have never been down by over a couple pounds on my Toyotas, Nissans, Dodge Dakotas, Ford Rangers etc.
In addition, washing and cleaning the tire and wheel, lubricating the mechanism and making a close inspection for rusty cable / corrosion are all parts of normal maintenance for this old man. I’ll take the cold, clear nostril freezing days of an Iowa winter over any place else. In fact I have for 70 plus years. Salt eats metal but it saves lives, I can get another vehicle.
Iowa Dave

[floyd]

On my new Ranger, the spare is in the same location but it no longer uses a cable. The lowering device has a chain instead with good sized links.
The design appears to be less prone to seizing or failure than the small cable which it replaces.

Snow and salt may not be the only factor in the failure of this device. The fact is that most trucks today are 4WD and many owners fancy themselves as off-road adventurers.
Mud and debris can promote obstruction and corrosion too.
Still , This should be a maintenance item added, like many other things to the list to promote the vehicle's longevity,