sreve

iTrader: (3)

So every time I try to take the spare down (about every other year) the Fn thing is stuck. They use a mixture of battery acid and beet juice on the roads here in winter that can make plastic rust. So two days ago I pretty well destroyed the hoist because the secondary latch was rusted solid, the tire came down a couple of inches and stopped. The new one from Amazon will be here tomorrow and I am thinking just cut the hook off of the secondary latch from the get go. Considering the tire will move a couple of inches before catching on the latch and it usually does not move it seems it would be safe, but I'm throwing this out there to see if anyone has done this and how it worked out for them.

skolman91

iTrader: (28)

I would do it if your set on keeping it, when u reel it up the small spring on the end is what keeps tension on it. The hook is just to keep it from falling off if the cable were to break is what i got out of it..

sreve

iTrader: (3)

Dorman made it easy for me. The replacement does not even have the latch.

SleeperZ71

Mine left me high and dry when I stopped at a rest area and ran over a massive shard of glass in the middle of the night. Couldn't get my spare off. Ended up having to borrow an angle grinder and massive extension cord and lucky there was power. Cutting out your spare tire in the middle of the night by the light of a cell phone is no fun... especially when it didn't release even an inch. Thought about replacing it, then remembered this ordeal and decided to just chain it with a lock in the back, problems solved, and free.lol