klhansen, The threaded rod is just a precaution. I ran over a spare once that came off.
LOL! I understand, I ripped the spare out of my 72 K10 once out gathering firewood. That had the swing style bar under the back of the bed. Had to go back and throw the spare on top of the load.
@Puffie40, those front mount spares were all the rage back in the late '70's up here in Alaska. I refused to use one. A mild bumper tap would tear up the grille at a minimum, or even puncture the radiator from the rack bending as the tire took the hit.
