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Need a spare tire rod...any ideas?

c3k

c3k

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Folks,

I want a sturdy piece of metal to raise and lower my spare, not the three (four?) piece Rube Goldberg contraption sitting under the front passenger seat.

What works? What do people use? (I'll store it either in the bed or under the rear seat, next to my breaker bar.)

Thanks!
 
I use a 13mm 3/8" drive socket, must be a 12 point, a 6 point will not fit. Then several extentions, usually use a cordless drill instead of the ratchet
 
Scram1500 said:
I use a 13mm 3/8" drive socket, must be a 12 point, a 6 point will not fit. Then several extentions, usually use a cordless drill instead of the ratchet
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That sounds like so much work.
I just use the tool it came with. For the actual wheels I use an M18 mid torque with a thin walled plastic coated 21MM. For putting them back on I have a 130ftlbs torque bar.
 
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The included jack is a joke. That multi piece rod broke the first time I used it. Fortunately I had some gaff tape to patch it together just good enough to lower the spare but the jack itself was not up to the task. The rod is so flimsy you can't count on it to turn the jack screw. I wasn't far from home so had my wife come get me so I could get home to get my floor jack.
 
FYRSTIX said:
The included jack is a joke. That multi piece rod broke the first time I used it. Fortunately I had some gaff tape to patch it together just good enough to lower the spare but the jack itself was not up to the task. The rod is so flimsy you can't count on it to turn the jack screw. I wasn't far from home so had my wife come get me so I could get home to get my floor jack.
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This is my thought. Thankfully, unlike you, I have not had to test it in actual field conditions. I've got a high-lift bottle jack and some wood pieces that I keep in the bed in case I need to jack up the truck. I also have a 24" breaker bar and 22mm socket for the lugs.

(FWIW, the lowering mechanism for some other vehicles with the same style of a spare tucked up under the frame is far simpler and easier to use. The cable/winch is common. However, if RAM had placed the winch at the bumper, and then routed the cable over to the lift point, it would be easy to use the lug wrench to raise and lower the tire, instead of a multi-link specialty tool being needed.)

My assumption is that my wife will get a flat in the dark of night on a side road in the pouring rain. The tools provided by RAM are the minimum that are capable of performing the task.
 
My 1999 and 2000 Dakotas both had the same winch system and tools. Have never had any issues with them. Not sure why they would break unless not used properly. As far as the jack, it does the job, I have had to use mine once, in an uneven gravel parking lot, and it did the job. It's for limited emergency use, not frequent use. And is designed to fit in a small space to not take away storage. I don't know of any vehicle that doesn't use a similar style jack.
 
HSKR R/T said:
My 1999 and 2000 Dakotas both had the same winch system and tools. Have never had any issues with them. Not sure why they would break unless not used properly.
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I said nothing about breaking. I just want something simpler than what is currently on board. A bar is pretty easy to store. Heck, I could strap it to my cargo rack.

As I mentioned, other vehicles with the cable and winch spare have the winch located so you can see and touch the rotating lug that controls the winch. That makes it FAR easier to operate with any set of tools, even the just the lug wrench. (No need for extension pieces fit to multiple bars.)

I'm trying to make my life, and that of my wife, easier in the event I get a flat.

HSKR R/T said:
As far as the jack, it does the job, I have had to use mine once, in an uneven gravel parking lot, and it did the job. It's for limited emergency use, not frequent use. And is designed to fit in a small space to not take away storage. I don't know of any vehicle that doesn't use a similar style jack.
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I've used scissor lifts before, as well. Many times. Yep...they "do the job", as you say. (Not that this is why I started this thread.) That is why I have a bottle jack in my tool kit that I keep in my bed. (And some chunks of 2x wood.) Every one of my vehicles comes equipped with a scissors lift. Yet, I use my floor jack to lift my vehicles for maintenance. I wonder why I'd use a floor jack if the scissors lift "does the job"? Oh...right: other tools do a BETTER JOB and DO IT MORE EASILY.

You're good. Got it.

Meantime, if someone else has a good idea for something they've used to make it easier to lower the spare, let me know.

Thanks!
 
c3k said:
I said nothing about breaking. I just want something simpler than what is currently on board. A bar is pretty easy to store. Heck, I could strap it to my cargo rack.

As I mentioned, other vehicles with the cable and winch spare have the winch located so you can see and touch the rotating lug that controls the winch. That makes it FAR easier to operate with any set of tools, even the just the lug wrench. (No need for extension pieces fit to multiple bars.)

I'm trying to make my life, and that of my wife, easier in the event I get a flat.



I've used scissor lifts before, as well. Many times. Yep...they "do the job", as you say. (Not that this is why I started this thread.) That is why I have a bottle jack in my tool kit that I keep in my bed. (And some chunks of 2x wood.) Every one of my vehicles comes equipped with a scissors lift. Yet, I use my floor jack to lift my vehicles for maintenance. I wonder why I'd use a floor jack if the scissors lift "does the job"? Oh...right: other tools do a BETTER JOB and DO IT MORE EASILY.

You're good. Got it.

Meantime, if someone else has a good idea for something they've used to make it easier to lower the spare, let me know.

Thanks!
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Other vehicles that have the rotating lug next to bumper usually have a pre-instslled bar that reaches to the winch. The issue with those are, if you drive off-road, or in winter where they salt the roads, dirt and corrosion render them almost useless after a few years. I've had to crawl under other vehicles to disconnect the connecting bar so I could lower the spare with channel locks.

I'm not saying there aren't better options, especially for jacks when just doing routine maintenance. I use fla floor jack and jack stands at home as well. And in my Dakota I carry a small 1.5 ton hydraulic "floor" jack and collapsible 4-way lug wrench, with a ratcheting strap to hold it against tailgate. Mainly because I replaced the rear underseat storage where factory jack and tools were stored with a sub box. I also carry a collapsible 4-way lug wrench in my Ram strapped in, under the seat, with the factory jack and tools.

Bottle jacks, especially those big enough for our trucks, aren't the lightest things around. And depending on the person, aren't the most intuitive to use without practice.

Just be happy we get a spare tires and emergency use tools to be able to get back on the road. Many new vehicles just come with a can of fixaflat and a small 12v compressor that would take 45 minutes to inflate a tire, and that's if the tire can even be inflated.
 
1 long extension and a 12pt 13mm socket. Get a locking extension to hold the socket on.
 
c3k said:
Meantime, if someone else has a good idea for something they've used to make it easier to lower the spare, let me know.
Click to expand...
Not trying to be rude, but I really don't understand the problem lowing or raising the spare.
It's easier then actually changing the wheel or jacking the truck up.

You talked about the multiple connections, but you could just leave them connected and like put it under the rear seat if you really wanted?

Could I ask what\how you are using the tool?
The pieces just connect together (if it doesn't fit just flip it over) and the last piece fits sideways and you just slid it in the hole, then rotate it with 2 hands and down the wheel comes flying down.
I struggle more with the plastic cap and getting the bottom connector\holder thingy lifted up, then sideways to pass through the center of the wheel once it is lowered.


Sounds like you might be better off buying an AAA subscription for your wife instead. I'm not sure how much easier it could be. Maybe just putting the spare tire in the bed of the truck or getting a TRX style spare tire mount for the bed?
 
With the winch set back, it makes it a little harder to steal the spare. I've had one stolen. I'm glad it isn't real easy. I have had to use a spare before also, and I had no problem with the system that is used.
 
You can buy a one-piece rod, like what tire shops use. Or like a friend did, he cut the socket off of his three-piece and welded it onto a piece of r-bar
 
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