Spare Tire Carrier

My spare tire on my 1998 Tacoma 4x4 has recently been ripped off! Ordered a new spare tire carrier for it. Can anyone tell me how to replace it? I read somewhere, that the bed of the truck has to be lifted. Is this true? Can I just remove the cross-member in which the carrier attaches to?

 

If yer simply replacing the cable assembly
You shouldn't need remove the cross member to do that.

The cable assembly is simply held on with four bolts/nuts.
And the assembly drops out the bottom when the bolts/nuts are removed.

It may be a tight fit to get a wrench on the upper bolt heads.
But I can't remember how much access room is available when stock.
I have a 1" body lift... so mine has plenty of room under the bed
for access to both bolts and nuts.

try first loosening the lower bolts...
maybe the upper bolts are captured !? (tho' probably not)

If you can't get a wrench on the upper...
then the bed would need be loosened and lifted slightly
to afford more room.

But you'll have to go look at that to know more.

if instead of being stolen...
the spare fell off by itself
It could be covered in a TSB related to rust/corrosion/failure
of the cable or even cross member.

Just sayin' if yours might have fallen off
rather then, was stolen.

 

TacoDell is right, I had to do the same thing, just get an open ended wrench in there. Spray the crap out of it with WD-40. I didn't and stripped a bolt head. Had to loosen the bed and lift it a tad to put a 2x4 there so I could get the bolt out with pliers. Not hard at all if you don't strip the bolt

 

x2 on the TSB....http://www.usatoday.com/story/driveon/2012/11/21/toyota-tacoma-recall-spare-fire/1720449/

Got my letter a few weeks back, I have already removed all that otherwise I would of brought mine in for a new one. Might as well at least stop by the dealer...

 

Thanks for the replies guys. I will take another look, but from what i observed was that the nut(s) is part of the cross-member, so i would have to lift the bed of the truck in order to remove the bolt. With regards to this subject matter, can anyone suggest a locking system for the spare tire? I do not want to use a chain because I have heard that the chain can also be cut.

 

No you don't need to lift the bed at all