all this talk of how difficult it is to take the spare tire down does not give one confidence about their ability to change the tire if they ever had a flat on the road. doesn't apply to me though I have one of the swing away tire carriers.

 

lol....yeah if you can't get the tire down & out; you can't use it. The tools for mine were missing when I bought my truck & I had to fab something up sight unseen out of a fireplace poker. When I asked here for pictures of what the tool looked like people responded like I was insane or just plain stupid.....nope; just unaware of what I needed to make since I'd never seen one before.


[sarcasm mode] Yep, YT can be so helpful sometimes.[/sarcasm mode]

 

If the tire is dry rotted and already a lost cause, just stab a hole in it just watch your self as air pressure is pretty powerful force, the spare tire hanger might be a lost cause and then again maybe some pb blaster and grease and it could come alive again. when I got my 4runner it had a cut hanger and I replaced it with one from the junkyard, works like a charm. The other option is take a piece of plate and tap a hole for a 1/2 bolt, then make a "Y" out of some round stock and weld a bolt on the bottom leg of the "Y", or cut threads in the round stock with a die. So you bolt the plate to the frame of the truck in the same general location as the current hanger, hold the tire up, and put the "Y" though the center and screw it in. Then pick up a cable style master lock, for say a gun (free at court houses in VA), and lock one of the upper legs of the "Y" to a lug nut hole in the rim. The lock will keep the tire from coming lose, and maybe deter a thief, because we all know locks are just to keep honest people honest. WOW this post really grew so about the length, hope it helps