spare tire dropping

[geotex1]

Because of the underbelly material and how the winch in mounted in a channel, a spring will not prevent loosening unless you do some additional modifications. Adding a clip is undoubtedly the easiest. I did this when I moved our original over and added a second winch (travel with two underslung spares). FWIW - I drilled the shaft so that I can use coupler locks as the pins after learning folks were having their spares stolen while camping in State Parks suffering ranger shortages from budget cuts.

 

[IBEW Sparky]

I had to use the spare this week while down in Va. due to a punctured RR tire. I had trouble getting the spare tire to drop all of the way down without it rewinding and starting to go back up. After hanging on the ttire while my buddy operated the crank we managed to get the wheel all of the way down. Next day at the campground while putting a new (Hercules) spare tire back on 1 had the same issue. It turns out that when the shop that put my 5 new tires on almost 2 years ago must have had too much slack in the cable and it jumped out of the groove and crossed over itself causing the problems. I had to keep heavy pressure on the cable as my buddy turned the crank until I got the cable completely untangled. Lesson learned... don't raise the cable without a fair amount of pressure on it at all times. After getting it untangled it works as it should again. ....
I'm thankful that I have the Good Sam Tire & Wheel protection plan as this is the second time in two years that I'll be reimbursed for the cost of a new tire and labor to install it.

 

[Grandesigner]

Because of the underbelly material and how the winch in mounted in a channel, a spring will not prevent loosening unless you do some additional modifications. Adding a clip is undoubtedly the easiest. I did this when I moved our original over and added a second winch (travel with two underslung spares). FWIW - I drilled the shaft so that I can use coupler locks as the pins after learning folks were having their spares stolen while camping in State Parks suffering ranger shortages from budget cuts.

Thanks for the heads up. Got any pix?

 

[geotex1]

Thanks for the heads up. Got any pix?

You mean of the Lippert winch in the hat channel they span the frame rails with? If so, I do not. Have had the underbelly down too many times now, but never photographed it. Not even when I changed things up to add the second winch and spare.

 

[powerscol]

Thanks for the heads up. Got any pix?

Here is one of my 220RK

 

[Grandesigner]

Sorry guys, I meant pix of the locking version of the keeper. But very good info anyway.

 

[Steven@147]

I pined our RV spare a long time ago after I found it hanging down. Now the winch cable on my truck broke and drop the tire right out from under the bed. Lucky the cable broke just as I started up from a stop light. I got out of the truck and picked up the wedge with a broken piece of cable still attached to it, put the tire in the bed and got out of the intersection. The lady behind me in a mini cooper looked shocked. Glad I was not driving 70mph on a road when it broke.

After looking at the broken cable it was caused by rust eating away at the cable strands and with the weight of the tire the cable just snapped.

 

[geotex1]

I pined our RV spare a long time ago after I found it hanging down. Now the winch cable on my truck broke and drop the tire right out from under the bed. Lucky the cable broke just as I started up from a stop light. I got out of the truck and picked up the wedge with a broken piece of cable still attached to it, put the tire in the bed and got out of the intersection. The lady behind me in a mini cooper looked shocked. Glad I was not driving 70mph on a road when it broke.

After looking at the broken cable it was caused by rust eating away at the cable strands and with the weight of the tire the cable just snapped.

Steve, when you get your new winch, use something like T9 on it every year to help control the corrosion. Clearly, FCA cut some costs with the quality of cables because my 2015 lives outside but my 2019 RAM hides in the garage. 2015 has twice the miles and then some compared to the 2019, and the 2019 has never seen the coast. However the 2019's spare winch cable had nearly 3/4 of the strands corroded through yet my 2015 is in great condition. I inspected both and replaced the 2019's winch this past January after friends lost the spare while towing their 5er and did a ton of damage to the trailer!

 

[dryfly]

I pined our RV spare a long time ago after I found it hanging down. Now the winch cable on my truck broke and drop the tire right out from under the bed. Lucky the cable broke just as I started up from a stop light. I got out of the truck and picked up the wedge with a broken piece of cable still attached to it, put the tire in the bed and got out of the intersection. The lady behind me in a mini cooper looked shocked. Glad I was not driving 70mph on a road when it broke.

After looking at the broken cable it was caused by rust eating away at the cable strands and with the weight of the tire the cable just snapped.

This is the kind of stuff that influenced me to put a chain on the spare of both my truck and the trailer. Also, a little bit of a security threat of theft. It's one thing to lose the tire like you did, another to lose it at 60 mph.

 

[geotex1]

This is the kind of stuff that influenced me to put a chain on the spare of both my truck and the trailer. Also, a little bit of a security threat of theft. It's one thing to lose the tire like you did, another to lose it at 60 mph.

You just gotta keep an eye on the locks on the chain. Cannot tell you how many folks have gone to unlock them to change a flat and they're corroded permanently closed!

 

[Steven@147]

Steve, when you get your new winch, use something like T9 on it every year to help control the corrosion. Clearly, FCA cut some costs with the quality of cables because my 2015 lives outside but my 2019 RAM hides in the garage. 2015 has twice the miles and then some compared to the 2019, and the 2019 has never seen the coast. However the 2019's spare winch cable had nearly 3/4 of the strands corroded through yet my 2015 is in great condition. I inspected both and replaced the 2019's winch this past January after friends lost the spare while towing their 5er and did a ton of damage to the trailer!

Yes I have some Boeshield T9 and I use it on our slide rack gear teeth as well as other places. Pretty good stuff.

 

[Steven@147]

You just gotta keep an eye on the locks on the chain. Cannot tell you how many folks have gone to unlock them to change a flat and they're corroded permanently closed!

I have locks on my companion base puck latches that I check regularly and use powdered graphite on them. I am usually checking all our our locks.
Remember the old short bed stepside pickups with the dimple on the rear fender for spare tire mounts?

 

[NSchilling]

We got to our campsite earlier this year and one of the other campers came over to let me know my spare was hanging. I had tightened it up right before our trip. This was only 250 miles into our trip. I used a ratchet strap to secure the tire and will make a more permanent modification this spring. I like several of the suggestions already mentioned.