What is this thing?

Dropped my spare tire in prep for a bigger one and found this sitting on the hanger. Any idea what it is or where it goes? I looked around the hanger and nothing seemed to be missing. Looks like a suction cup with some funky hardware.

 

Spare tire lock. It doesn’t work. I tried it and it fell out too.

 

Ohh I could use something like that preferably aftermarket. Thanks!

 

It goes in where the end of the stick goes to remove the spare tire. It’s a product that mcgard sells and also the dealer sells. It’s keyed like wheel locks.

 

Hmmm. Learned something new today, ha.

 

If you run an expensive alloy wheel for a spare (one that's worth protecting), this lock is often useless, because you can just reach through the wheel spokes and turn the winch crank by hand or with pliers.

 

LOL that it just fell off. There was a thread a week or two back where the guy tried to get his spare off on the trail, discovered that same doodad locking the wheel to the tray, couldn't find the key for it, and so forth. So they do work sometimes.

 

They do work and they do not usually come out without disassembling the entire spare wheel hoist mechanism. Otherwise yeah, there'd be no point to them. Ask me how I found out. Whoever tried theirs and it fell out, didn't insert it correctly.

 

This is why you also put a good quality lock on the chain.

I have all the slack pulled out of the chain and wrapped around the tire "mount" thing. You ain't hand cranking shit.

Two layers of security > one.

 

That’s the suction cup the holds your spare under the bed.

 

I really need to do both of those. After taking care of the squeak from the rear wheel wells, this is the only remaining annoying noise.

 

Steampunk nipple pasties

 

I think I installed mine correctly (remember using a hammer to seat that cone thing), and 4 years later found it just resting on the spare tire rim. That was after me f-ing around for 15-mins with the winch tool and key trying to get the spare down...wasn't until I got underneath to see that part loose on the spare. Sucks that it happened to me when I actually got a flat.

 

It's a dent puller, pulls any dent out with ease.