SPARE TIRE STORAGE

Does anybody out there know why Toyota wants the spare tire stored with the valve stem facing up?? Not easy to check air pressure on it.

 

Flip it around and call it good.

 

This is what I did. So far so good.

 

I'm gonna do it tomorrow. Just spoke to the stealership: "never had anybody ask."

 

Maybe so that the risk of it getting ripped off is reduced if you drag it across something offroad?

 

That is a possibility - I'll take measurements before and after just to see what changes. Thanks for the input.

 

I assume it’s because of rim offset and the winch end/hub hook. If the valve stem is pointed down you might not have enough cable to fully lower the winch as well.

 

I thought of that and I have extra chain and a grinder or "French" links to extend to the correct length.
I can always go back if needed. ***Necessity is the mother
of invention.**

 

Soooo...I was thinking last night and came up with this thought: why deal with the spare, why not deal with the lousy lowering mechanism; it's inconvenient, flimsy when used and frustrating.

The following is what I came up with:





It was made with all spare parts laying around the shop.

** a threaded eye hook, ground down and sized to the same dimension as the OEM. (Grind threads to press fit into 3/8" square tubing.) I put a roll pin through the tube and threads of the eye hook. Just in case it wants to freely rotate (visible when you zoom in.)

** length of 1/2" (1/2" OD 3/8"ID) square tubing. It just fits a 3/8" drive socket.

**an old or cheap 3/8" socket drive or drive handle.
** one roll pin or nail or cotter key or???

- It will stay in the truck. Ya don't have to put it together....
- it fits the OEM jack.
-You can operate it AND watch the spare tire seat into its cavity. Or just stand there and crank till its tight.

It's not fancy, but wait till its sanded, primed, painted and pin striped.

 

need battery operated ratchet now ala Milwaukee M12

 

....yeah BluTooth....