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Getting the spare down

btfarm

btfarm

America First!
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I was doing some work in the rear bumper area. While I was at it I tried to crank the spare down. I can turn the winch all day but the spare ain't planning to go anywhere, anytime soon. Guess I should have tried that more often...
Any tricks to dropping it?
 
Tire stuck to the black gunk (undercoat) on the frame xmember?

First thought is a blunted pry bar being careful to not let the air out of the tire....;)
 
Removing spare tire on Duramax

You have to make sure that the female squared end goes in and attaches to the male squared end (tire side). I had the same problem, and finally realized that I had it in backwards. :eek:
Should drop straight down.
 
worst case scenario is the cable is bound up inside its little spool. SOL if that's the case. Had this happen on the trailblazer. Ended up using an angle grinder and cutting the bracket off that goes through the hub hole.
 
Not sure if you can see on your model the actual input of the winch. But like mentioned make sure its turning.

Only crank it a few revs and make sure the tire/wheel breaks free of the sticktion. If it doesn't break loose under its own weight kick it etc. Don't uncrank the winch too far before making sure it drops or it can unwind and birdnest then tangle inside.
 
Your truck is new enough to have a saftey latch on the spare tire holder. You sometimes need to crank the winch in the up direction first, to release the latch, before lowering the spare. There were a few instances of the cables rusting out and breaking on older trucks and dropping the spare out going down the highway.
 
they didn't start the safety latch till they switched body styles if i remember. but that is a very good point. i bet the cable is just rusted and hung up. proabably end up getting a new tire hoist. if you fo coar the new cable in water proof grease to prevent this
 
Nope, these trucks definitely got the safety latch in 06-ish. I got to mess with one in the cold and snow at work one night, believe me it was a PAIN.
 
Not on all models though. My '09 patrol truck didn't have any kind of safety latch. Got a flat in the mountains once and I just cranked the spare down just like on my '05. It was the work truck package so maybe it only comes when you upgrade to LS or LT packages

On edit: reread the posts, maybe I'm not understanding what this safety latch is?
 
On some it's "latched" on others it rolls right down. It's luck of the draw as far as I'm aware. Or they changed the design on the new ones...
 
My '04 has the safety latch. Check your owner’s manual to see if yours does. It might not be apparent that the latch is there unless you run into a situation where you try to lower the spare and it does not come down. The owner’s manual has the procedure to release the latch.
 
NVW said:
At your age Mike, I would have thought you knew more about the male and female ends?:D
Click to expand...
Touche my friend...:hihi:

Dad's 05 LLY said:
On some it's "latched" on others it rolls right down. It's luck of the draw as far as I'm aware. Or they changed the design on the new ones...
Click to expand...
Last time I had it down I don't recall anything resembling a latch. It just cranked down.
I haven't had time to mess with it just yet.
 
my buddies 05 half ton had the safety latch. his wouldnt drop, so he called me over. After reading the book, afaik, if all is working right, it should behave like a GMT400, and just lower. If it malfunctions though, the "release" directions are more like destroy directions. it showed how to make a little tower out of the wheel chocks, and jack till you hear a pop. go to your local GM dealer as soon as possible to obtain a replacement carrier. my buddy paid way too much for the truck, but got a warranty through the used car jockey, and at least got a new carrier out of the deal.
 
So I've got better things to have running through my mind, but curiosity is killing me now. What does security latch exactly look like? I just rotated the tires on my 05 the other day and aside from the cable running down to the funky contraption that goes through the hub of the spare there is nothing else that would keep the spare up if the cable broke. I didn't exactly do an inspection of the system when I needed the spare on my 09, but I do remember the cable/funky looking end being the exact same setup as my 05.

Must be a touch of OCD or something, but I just have to know now :D :D
 
Mine didn't have a Safety Latch.

But if it's Stuck, and you have everything Loose & Unlocked, get out the Best BFH you got and start Swinging at the Tire. :)

Most likely, it's just Stuck to the Wax Coating on the Frame.
 
To be fair, the truck I was working on was a half ton, but it was definitely an 06. Interesting....
 
Amazing how well mine works when I put the right end of the crank rod in there...:eek: :D

I read the manual about the latch mechanism that 'may or may not work' according to them and couldn't make heads or tails of it. :dunno:

The winch and crank deal works fine so I'm good.
 
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