Spare Tire Assembly

[Tiny1987]

So after spending about 2 hours trying to lower the spare tire on the truck that apparently got stuck on the secondary latch, i decided to just unbolt it and lower the tire that way. in doing this i kind of destroyed the stock winch. i have no problem buying a new one but as i've seen online this is a common problem and i don't really want to buy a new one every time i get a flat. So i was wondering if there was an aftermarket winch setup for the spare tire that doesn't have the secondary latch. don't get me wrong its a good idea to have a fail safe incase of failure but i would appreciate one that worked properly. any ideas would be greatly appreciated thanks in advance

[Nick The Great]

I had a hell of a time this winter with mine. In fact I still have a good sized scar on my hand from the battle of Sawzall vs. Secondary Latch.

 

My spare is just laying in my bed now and the winch is in the garage! I cut the cable with my Sawzall, but I'm thinking to put the winch back up, without the secondary latch. My Dad thinks a bolt or lug welded in place would be a decent safety latch.

 

Keep us up to date when/if you find anything!

[Diesail]

I have had several of these winches and never had a problem myself but after reading online of all the problems others have I starting using my spare when doing my tire rotation. Even the the spare ends up back in the winch I figure it gives it some use and give me a chance to give it a shot of lube every now and then in hopes of it never letting me down on the side of the road.

[nickvrebel]

there is instructions in the owner's manual explaining the proper way to deal with a stock secondary latch.

[Nick The Great]

there is instructions in the owner's manual explaining the proper way to deal with a stock secondary latch.

 

That works all fine and dandy when you are testing it in a lab.

 

But give it a few wet, salty Northern winters, and see how well it works. I have mine laying on my workbench. It is a terrible design, and GM vehicles have suffered from this problem for WAY too long!

 

The engineer who designed this (and allowed it to stay in production) ranks somewhere on my list above Adolf Hitler but below Ghengis Kahn.

[05silvycrew]

I agree that the design is junk. it's pretty sweet when you want to pull the spare down and can't. I cut the cable, unbolted the winch and threw mine in a dumpster. my spare now rides in the bed so when I need it, I can actually have it.

 

if you absolutely need the cargo room and do most of your travels (like some people do) within 10 miles of where you live, just leave it in the garage and IF you ever need a spare, I'm sure there are a dozen people you could call that would give you a quick lift.

 

in 10 years of driving I've never had a flat, but now that I've said that, I'm sure I'll get one on the way home from work.

[TexasAl]

The owners manual does have directions on how to bring down the tire when the secondary latch engages, but that crap does not work. I spent 1.5 hours helping a neighbor to bring his spare down, and it just doesn't work like it says in the manual. I would personally hate to be stuck on the side of a Hwy, with cars driving 80+ mph while i am under the REAR end of the truck, trying to get this stupid tire down, all because of a bad design.