Any mods to ease lowering the spare tire?

The pvc in the post says sanitation pipe and has Spanish label on it since the poster is in Puerto Rico.
How does that compare to US Schedule 40 etc.

 

I've never seen this mod in person, I just had it tagged as I'd thought about doing it myself. The pipe is just a guide to allow you to line up the crank parts, as long as the hook part fits through it, it should work. Schedule 40 is far heavier than you'd need as just a guide, it's just easier to find in any big box hardware store.

 

As long as the schedule 40 smaller inside diameter is wide enough for the head to go in.
I have the lock that requires a key on mine. Does it still work the same?

 

I have no idea what what lock you're talking about, my spare tire hoist is stock from the factory. The rod has a hook/loop that fits in a notch in the hoist assembly. I've never even seen that PVC mod I linked in real life, I just remembered I had it tagged the thread when the OP asked about an easier way to use his. Sorry, no idea what to tell you.

 

I've had the little piece of plastic tubing on my truck for a couple of years now - used the guide a few times during maintenance and it works well. Weighs less than a pound so gas mileage won't be an issue. The only hassle I had, was the stem side down aluminum wheel doesn't fit the lift quite right - until shined up with a hammer and grinder.

 

A 14" piece of 1 1/2" schedule 40 will have to be cut in half and joined back together with a 1 1/2" coupling due to being too heavy duty to get in place.

 

That plastic pipe looks like a great idea but I wonder if it would trap mud and dirt. Could really suck to try and lower your spare.

If I was out somewheres and had to get to my spare I'd be "slightly" frustrated to have to remove the tube to get to the spare. I'd be fighting the urge to chuck the thing in the Great Outdoors and we all know how bad littering is.

 

It is made by McGard and is a port installed option that the dealer put on all the trucks where I got mine. A key like piece goes on the end of the hook to engage the lock.

 

My 2014 Taco has the spare tire lock "feature." I found it to be a PITA; the "key" was difficult to put on the hook and often came off. I drilled a hole through one of the extension bars and the key, then bolted them together. Works like a charm, especially with the PCV pipe guide mod.

 

GM tire hoist are really bad when they work. When they break ( and they do a lot ) they usually require some cutting and a lot of manual labor.

Phuck GM and their products.

 

I’m contemplating a power window motor to my keyed spare hoist gear leaving the “key” part permanently in place. With a decent bracket that blocks access from the back the old fashioned way.

Obviously if it failed it would be quite the frustrating item to fix but if done right and perhaps secured with a security torx bolt it might offer improved theft prevention as well as convenience when working.

Of course this is ridiculous overkill, but I have switches on my Switch-Pros doing nothing right now. Seems like any reversible screw type motor with auto shutoff would work for this. I’m not sure if the window motor is strong enough though.

 

Yes. Yes it is.

Wont work too long unless its waterproof / submersible.

 

That is one harsh environment under there.

 

You're right....ridiculous overkill haha. Would be an extremely slick feature but I think I've taken the spare down three times in 185k miles and one of those times was when I was moving a larger tire to it.

It's not THAT bad. The spare basically surrounds the hoist so it doesn't see too much action. The PVC idea someone else posted on the first page is a good one. I agree it COULD get some mud in it but let's be honest, it would be VERY easy to clean. If you get the truck muddy you know you have areas to clean before it dries into concrete so just add that to the list.

 

My initial thought was a rock light to help locate the point of engagement. My truck has the locking piece which adds a little to the time / hassle. I also have 5 alloy wheels w TPMS and am doing 5 wheel rotation so I will drop the spare regularly.

Aligning and positioning it isn’t so bad though as everyone says. A shop tool would be a nice compromise but one with the key for the security stuff is a tricky find.

 

Have you looked at the power window motors yet? They're not very big. It may work a couple of times but you'd have to do some crazy gearing to lift 60#s of tire and wheel. It'd be a lot easier to just toss a cheap cordless drill in your truck and chuck the rod in that if you really don't want to crank the tire up and down.

For as infrequently as I raise and lower mine I can't imagine wanting to put much more thought into it or make it more complicated but that's just me.


On a side note, I need to find a used hoist for my cousin's T100 that he inherited since the cable is broken and the pieces are missing. No idea why my uncle never bothered to fix it.

 

You know, my concern is mostly about ease/convenience when at/near the house, not on the road. The tools are great for dealing with something out in the middle of nowhere. I just don't like getting them out from under the seat, putting them together, fumbling around trying to hit the spot, and then rotating a lug wrench. Seems like a power option would be slick, like power up/down on a horse trailer. Window motor might not be the ticket but I'd imagine sourcing a properly beefy part wouldn't be too hard.

 

Did mine,and it works like a charm.

 

ive used a cordless impact before, the rod goes right into the end of a 3/8s adaptor lmao