avalanche spare tire carrier mod

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If any of you with gm trucks have not removed your spare, you may be in for a surprise.

My spare would lower only about 4 inches and the cable would drop but the tire would not drop down. Gm has a hook on a lever as a secondary retainer to the cable hoist. The hook does not always release and you will have to remove the license plate and either use a really long screwdriver and a hammer to release the tire or buy gm's release tool. Add some rust and it ain't coming down when you need it.

I modified mine so that you can always get the tire down. I notched the retainer ring, so it still will retain the hook on the cable, but you can spin the tire and the hook will clear the notch for the tire to drop. When you load the spare, just index the hook on the cable with some white paint on the tread and make sure it does not line up with the notch when the hoist is tight. That way the tire is still held in if the cable fails.




 
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I own a 2005 Avalanche and should do a dry run on on this just in case. I’ve never even looked at my jack or tool kit but shouldn’t the release tool be in the kit?
 
Originally Posted By: gman2304
I own a 2005 Avalanche and should do a dry run on on this just in case. I’ve never even looked at my jack or tool kit but shouldn’t the release tool be in the kit?


The kit contains a tire iron and square tube that will be used to winch down the tire. The problem is when the winch lowers but the carrier hook remains on the lip. i had to use my long serpentine belt wrench to knock it in. No about of shaking or wiggling would let the tire drop.

This is the gm tool for stuck tires. A super long screw driver is less.

https://www.amazon.com/STUCK-SPARE-TIRE-RELEASE-THX-805/dp/B00YTNFGG2

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My 02 does not have that setup when I heard the horror stories of other owners unable to lower their spares.
 
No hijack here...just another spare tire lowering caveat...this time for Fords

I had a Ford where the spare's hanger was a chain. Cranking the gearbox lowered the chain which had a round plate which went through the wheel's center hole.

Rust would form and fuse links of the chain solidly. This stopped the chain from running.

A little banging would free it up. Then I lubed it up well.

Regarding the OP: What was the mod? Isn't indexing the hook so it goes through its notch the way it works in the first place?
 
Originally Posted By: Kira

Regarding the OP: What was the mod? Isn't indexing the hook so it goes through its notch the way it works in the first place?


There was no notch, I created the notch with a jigsaw.
 
Mine was so corroded nothing but cutting the cable and starting over worked. So I gave up and had the dealer install a new one while I was there for another issue. First thing I did when I got home was test. There was no secondary lock! So if the dealer is doing that, there must be a TSB somewhere. Because they replaced, I don't have a part number. If you want I'm working from home today, I can drop the wheel and take a couple pics of it. Wasn't that expensive.
 
Got a new spare from the pullit yard. Installed it and checked it. When i spin it around the notch works perfectly.
 
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