I'm looking for a crank-up spare tire holder similar to those used on modern trucks, and my wife's 2008 Toyota Highlander. I want to install it on the existing custom made trailer hitch support on my '52 GMC 3/4 ton truck. The mechanism would need to mount on top of existing hardware, so its mounting surface would need to be under the mechanism, not over or to one side.
Anyone know of a vehicle having such a device?
Maybe this drawing would better describe what I need. I've found a few that either mounted hanging from above or the side. I need one that sits on the mounting surface.
'57 GMC 102, Original 347 V8, HydraMatic, 3.08 rear gear, added A/C, disk front brakes, HEI, AFB carb, '98 Honda Black Currant paint. T-boned and totaled 10/12 '52 GMC 152 Stake Bed, Original 228, SM420, added A/C, HEI, disk front brakes, '67 Chev 3.55 rear gear. Gets used as a real truck.
Bill - Perhaps this replacement spare tire hoist would work for what you need? Yeah, it's designed for a Ferd, but seems to fit your basic drawing design and specs. Picture is from the linked evilbay ad.
~ Dan 1951 Chevy 3 window 3100 Follow this story in the DITY Gallery "My Grandpa Carl's Truck and How it Became Mine" 1966 Chevelle (Wife's Hot Rod) | 2013 Chevy Silverado (Current daily driver) US Army MSG Retired (1977-1998) | Com Fac Maint Lead Tech Retired (1998-2021)
'57 GMC 102, Original 347 V8, HydraMatic, 3.08 rear gear, added A/C, disk front brakes, HEI, AFB carb, '98 Honda Black Currant paint. T-boned and totaled 10/12 '52 GMC 152 Stake Bed, Original 228, SM420, added A/C, HEI, disk front brakes, '67 Chev 3.55 rear gear. Gets used as a real truck.
I used a cable assembly from a late model GM truck. I gave $10.00 for it from a wrecking yard. Of course I mounted it differently but the concept is the same.
~ Craig 1958 Viking 4400 "The Book of Thor" Read the story in the DITY 1960 Chevrolet C10 "A Family Heirloom" Follow the story in the DITY Gallery '59 Apache 31, 327 V8 (0.030 over), Muncie M20 4 Speed, GM 10 Bolt Rear... long term project (30 years and counting)
If you don't like driving yourTruck, you won't drive yourTruck..| Living life in the SLOW lane
Bill - I'm interested to see what you have when installed.
~ Dan 1951 Chevy 3 window 3100 Follow this story in the DITY Gallery "My Grandpa Carl's Truck and How it Became Mine" 1966 Chevelle (Wife's Hot Rod) | 2013 Chevy Silverado (Current daily driver) US Army MSG Retired (1977-1998) | Com Fac Maint Lead Tech Retired (1998-2021)
In the early 70s, there was an aftermarket company that made just that. My dad had one installed on his new 73 Dodge truck. On the bedside behind the rear wheel on the passenger side was a rubber surround with a "key" slot that released and lowered the spare on a cable that could the be dragged clear of the truck and removed from the cable. It also had a nut that you cranked with tire tool or 4 way to raise it back up. Seems like it was literally called "Spare tire caddy".
Bill, that tire winch is set up to use the jack handle to crank it up. The L shaped lug wrench attaches on the end of the two rods snapped together with the spoon end inserted into the winch slot. You might hit up a junkyard for the jack rods from a Ford to adapt to your setup. You might not need both pieces, but I would get them anyway.
Kevin 1951 Chevy 3100 work truck Follow this saga in Project Journal Photos 1929 Ford pickup restored from the ground up. | 1929 Ford Special Coupe (First car) Busting rust since the mid-60's If you're smart enough to take it apart, you darn well better be smart enough to put it back together.
I'm planning a trip to the auto part recycler to look for that combination jack handle and spare tire crank. I'm waiting for the mechanism to arrive (Wednesday) so I can take it with me to make sure the handle fits.
'57 GMC 102, Original 347 V8, HydraMatic, 3.08 rear gear, added A/C, disk front brakes, HEI, AFB carb, '98 Honda Black Currant paint. T-boned and totaled 10/12 '52 GMC 152 Stake Bed, Original 228, SM420, added A/C, HEI, disk front brakes, '67 Chev 3.55 rear gear. Gets used as a real truck.
D'oh! I was supposed to check out those mechanisms in my Silverado and my boy's Pilot... I didn't forget, but I only remembered when I was unable to go out and look.
Delivery now not until Friday, so I worked up a couple of drawings. No dimensions, just a rough idea.
Thoughts?
'57 GMC 102, Original 347 V8, HydraMatic, 3.08 rear gear, added A/C, disk front brakes, HEI, AFB carb, '98 Honda Black Currant paint. T-boned and totaled 10/12 '52 GMC 152 Stake Bed, Original 228, SM420, added A/C, HEI, disk front brakes, '67 Chev 3.55 rear gear. Gets used as a real truck.
Bill, I'd probably run the mounting plate all the way across both crossmembers so that you can get the cable for the spare exactly centered between the two crossmembers.
Kevin 1951 Chevy 3100 work truck Follow this saga in Project Journal Photos 1929 Ford pickup restored from the ground up. | 1929 Ford Special Coupe (First car) Busting rust since the mid-60's If you're smart enough to take it apart, you darn well better be smart enough to put it back together.
Crossmember A is only about 1" tall, relatively thin and is mounted to the bottom frame rail. Its purpose is to create a horizontal surface, along with crossmember B, for the stock spare tire to be pushed up against when it is stowed. So crossmember A would need to be extended vertically in order to keep the crank mechanism vertical. I plan that the plate that the crank mechanism will mount on will be made of 1/4" steel and should have no trouble with bending.
'57 GMC 102, Original 347 V8, HydraMatic, 3.08 rear gear, added A/C, disk front brakes, HEI, AFB carb, '98 Honda Black Currant paint. T-boned and totaled 10/12 '52 GMC 152 Stake Bed, Original 228, SM420, added A/C, HEI, disk front brakes, '67 Chev 3.55 rear gear. Gets used as a real truck.
Bill, have you gotten the winch yet? I'm wondering if you mount it on top of crossmember B there will be room below the bed for the crank shaft to extend thru, or if it will be higher than the bottom the bed. I guess if so, you could use the bottom flange of crossmember B to mount it, or maybe somewhere between the two crossmember heights. Like you said, 1/4" steel shouldn't be too hard to bend. You might wind up with an upside down U with legs extending down to each crossmember.
Kevin 1951 Chevy 3100 work truck Follow this saga in Project Journal Photos 1929 Ford pickup restored from the ground up. | 1929 Ford Special Coupe (First car) Busting rust since the mid-60's If you're smart enough to take it apart, you darn well better be smart enough to put it back together.
Back in the day, I used the crank up spare tire winch from a '70s Toyota pickup, and it was/is strong enough that it's still holding the spare tire up on my bus-an 8.25-20" unit at that. I even made a hole in the bumper, and fashioned a crank for it out of 3/8" pipe and fittings so it may be easily raised and lowered from outside the rig.
Of course, that was back when '70s Toyota pickups (along with '70s everything else) were commonly rusting in half from SLC salted roads, so there were lots of 'em in the wrecking yards.
I have a similar setup under my 56. Remember the modern vehicles like modern trucks and SUV have the shaft and hole offset to the right of the license plate in the bumper normally. This means the winch is actually mounted at a angle to the crossmember and not square. Since My hitch does not go to the crossmember mine is mounted square on side of crossmember. This makes the shaft and alignment for the winch crank to be right behind the license plate in bumper. Fine with me it hides it nicely and removing two screws to get to it behind plate is easy enough if and when I need to.
I think I have space. My GMC is a 3/4 ton with a stake bed. That bed sits on top of a 2x6 board on either side that sits on top of the frame rails.
I do have a recently installed high intensity LED backup lamp that I installed under the rear lip of the bed that may need to be moved off center.
Estimated delivery of the crank mechanism is now Saturday, so it'll be next week (at least) before I get to go trolling at the junkyard for a handle.
Last edited by Bill Hanlon; 10/15/20252:24 AM.
'57 GMC 102, Original 347 V8, HydraMatic, 3.08 rear gear, added A/C, disk front brakes, HEI, AFB carb, '98 Honda Black Currant paint. T-boned and totaled 10/12 '52 GMC 152 Stake Bed, Original 228, SM420, added A/C, HEI, disk front brakes, '67 Chev 3.55 rear gear. Gets used as a real truck.
The 1955 Chevrolet Cameo introduced IMO the proper way to store a spare tire--in it's own fiberglass compartment accessed through a drop-down section of the rear bumper. The license plate section between the rear bumperettes was accessed by turning the two bolt heads a quarter turn and the section would drop down on a piano hinge. The base of the jack was used to tighten against the tire to keep it from bouncing and sliding around. This concept was introduced with the 1955-8 Cameo and never used again. What a novel concept in that a clean spare tire was easily accessed without crawling under the vehicle on the side of the road to do battle with rusty bolts.
Crank mechanism arrived yesterday and I had some time this morning to figure out how to mount it.
Picture below is taken from behind the hitch receiver. The mechanism is just held on with a C clamp for measuring, etc, so it will be about 1/4" higher than in the picture once the new mounting plate is installed. But there is at least 2" of clearance over the top. I've decided to clock the mechanism about 15 degrees CCW looking down from the top to keep the crank handle away from my backup light (in the top center of the picture).
Now I need to find a piece of steel plate 1/4" thick (or maybe 3/16") 6"x10.5", cut a slot in it for the cable and talk my neighbor into welding it onto the existing hitch mount.
And make a trip to the junkyard to find a crank handle.
'57 GMC 102, Original 347 V8, HydraMatic, 3.08 rear gear, added A/C, disk front brakes, HEI, AFB carb, '98 Honda Black Currant paint. T-boned and totaled 10/12 '52 GMC 152 Stake Bed, Original 228, SM420, added A/C, HEI, disk front brakes, '67 Chev 3.55 rear gear. Gets used as a real truck.
That looks like it'll work out nicely. You may want to consider a loop to hold the cranking shaft back at the rear of the bed. That would make cranking easier without having to steady the cranking end.
Kevin 1951 Chevy 3100 work truck Follow this saga in Project Journal Photos 1929 Ford pickup restored from the ground up. | 1929 Ford Special Coupe (First car) Busting rust since the mid-60's If you're smart enough to take it apart, you darn well better be smart enough to put it back together.
You may want to consider a loop to hold the cranking shaft back at the rear of the bed.
On the list, but I need the handle 1st.
'57 GMC 102, Original 347 V8, HydraMatic, 3.08 rear gear, added A/C, disk front brakes, HEI, AFB carb, '98 Honda Black Currant paint. T-boned and totaled 10/12 '52 GMC 152 Stake Bed, Original 228, SM420, added A/C, HEI, disk front brakes, '67 Chev 3.55 rear gear. Gets used as a real truck.
