SuperDave Posted January 20, 2014 Report Share Posted January 20, 2014 I'm surprised I've not seen a post about removing the spare tire from our Beloved Silverado SS trucks before.... My SS is a 2003, 11 years old now with a whopping 47K on the odometer. Today I tried to lower my spare to use while I send my painted wheel to the repair shop for some paint work. Oh to my surprise the hurdles one must jump over and hoops to jump through to get the spare down... lol.... But after all the crap my tire would not budge! I'm not talking about the secondary latch BS.... I'm saying the winch would not lower the tire at all, NONE. Has anyone had this happen to them? I shoved the rod through the bumper until I felt it hit home and felt some resistance to turning, put the handle on the end and turned it to the left about 20 revolutions, and nothing. So I turned it to the right and nothing. I'm befuddled. Can anyone help me with this? Arrgghhhh..... Stupid GM engineers..... ! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chawkins6789 Posted January 20, 2014 Report Share Posted January 20, 2014 The winch will seize up if not lowered and lubed once in a while. I usually do it before any major trip and at minimum once a year Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JF-03-SS Posted January 20, 2014 Report Share Posted January 20, 2014 Not totally sure how it works but I think you have to use the jack to push up in the piece in the middle to 'unlock' it to allow it to come down. I figured mine out with a saw-zall......problem fixed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SuperDave Posted January 20, 2014 Author Report Share Posted January 20, 2014 It's hard to lube it if it won't come down... and I tried the jack on top of the wheel chocks deal to relieve the pressure from the secondary latch, but like I said in the initial post... it won't budge at all. It's supposed to lower down until the safety latch catches it and the cable will be loose. My Winch is not moving. At all.... no matter which way I turn it. My truck is garage kept, and rarely driven in harsh weather... not even rain really... the underside is immaculate and the spare has never been down before. There is no corrosion on the winch or any of the frame members under it. I don't believe it is frozen up... I think it's a mechanical failure of a poorly designed or cheaply built spare carrier. I guess it's a good thing in the past 11 years I've never needed my spare! Now to figure out how to get it down without ruining it or taking a torch to it! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Downeast Johnny Posted January 20, 2014 Report Share Posted January 20, 2014 Sounds like I better go check mine out. I've never had to mess with it and just never thought to check it out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jovanny Posted January 20, 2014 Report Share Posted January 20, 2014 Sounds like I better go check mine out. I've never had to mess with it and just never thought to check it out. X2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blown 346 Posted January 20, 2014 Report Share Posted January 20, 2014 Mine did this once too. I had to wiggle the tire a bit as the cable was loose and working, the actual spring loaded metal stop that holds the tire up was hung up. Never had it happen again. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aldofashow Posted January 21, 2014 Report Share Posted January 21, 2014 I was trying to get mine out when I put new axle seals in the rear diff and swapped the cover out with a moser and I was like if this thing won't come out on a lift then how am I suppose to get it out on the side of the road with a flat so the spare and whole setup came out. If I need my spare ill just have it delivered buy my brother or bring it in the bed on long trips. It was the first time the spare had been lowered since it was put in when the truck was built so gone with the anchor Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Black Beast Posted January 21, 2014 Report Share Posted January 21, 2014 I might just take mine off... Im running 22's anyway. Not sure how much the spare would help anyway. Maybe save myself a little weight. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BLOWN SS/T Posted January 21, 2014 Report Share Posted January 21, 2014 I took mine out when I lowered it. It's heavy, and I remember having trouble with it. I either had the move it around or use the jack. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aldofashow Posted January 21, 2014 Report Share Posted January 21, 2014 I'm guessing around 80lbs but I didn't weigh it just comparing it to the 50lb bags I lift at work Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Harbor_SS'n-it Posted January 21, 2014 Report Share Posted January 21, 2014 Same thing here....tried to drop my spare tire because I like to make sure it has enough air in it in case of emergencies. Wouldn't budge so now i'm in the same boat as most of you guys. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bouch252 Posted January 21, 2014 Report Share Posted January 21, 2014 Mine is jammed up too. May have to break out the cordless sawzall Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blown 346 Posted January 21, 2014 Report Share Posted January 21, 2014 Loosen the cable a few turns, put your hand over the spare and make sure the cable has some slack in it. If not pull down on it a little. Then you will have to wiggle the spare back and forth a bit and it will come free. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
catdaddy300 Posted January 21, 2014 Report Share Posted January 21, 2014 Happened to me like 3 years ago. I did a post about that hellashious trip i and my quest to get my spare tire down. Cliff notes version of the story a cutting wheel and anger got my spare tire down. Now it hangs out in the bed of my truck!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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