Spare Tire Mechanism lowering tool

[professor229]

Good morning... Will try to be brief... I needed to remove the back bumper to paint the Ranger (sometime in mid March) and as usual, found some more damage but nothing too severe.... At the same time, I wanted to check the spare tire and it was decent but I also want to make sure the lowering mechanism works.... So I watched a You Tube video and the process is almost exactly the same as the two Chevy trucks I owned... one had the tool (crank) that slid into the mechanism to lower the spare and the other Chevy did not have that tool..... so I made one.... and it wasn't that hard... Now, I looked behind the seat, found the jack and the lug nut wrench but the two extensions that slide in to turn the mechanism were missing..... Now, I know I can go to the junk yard, but honestly, have the materials left over from the Chevy fabrication of these to make one for the Ranger.... but what I need to know is if the end that slides into the mechanism simply a "blade like" end that you find on a screwdriver? I looked at pictures on the google search and this appears to be the case but I thought I would ask someone who has actually seen/used one to lower a spare..... Any help on what the business end of this extension should look like?

 

[superj]

ruh roh. i need to check my truck. i never thought about how that system works

 

[professor229]

Actually... the mechanisms are sealed very well.... at least on the two Chevys they were and I was impressed at how well they worked.... I did remove both of them and repainted them because that is just the way I do things..... I also got to thinking that perhaps the people who used these extensions last on the Ranger, maybe did what a lot of people do, and instead of putting them back correctly and neatly in the little storage area, they simply slid them under one of the seats so I will take a look this afternoon..... maybe they are there? I also bought the truck from my neighbor so I can ask him too if they have them sitting on the shelf in his garage or something... but the Ranger had been mistreated quite badly so I am not expecting much.... I also researched how to remove the spare tire without using the mechanism but let's just say if I am on the road in Minnesota in the winter time and need to use the spare, I don't want alternative methods to test out..... I looked at several images on Google at the aftermarket kits they sell..... and see the end is not a blade but more of a peg...... I might just have to find a Ranger owner and take a quick peek at the end.... or just buy a kit.... but first things first.... and I will search under the seats....

 

[superj]

oh, i wonder if it is that square that slides over or into the part under the truck? like maybe you can use one of the other pieces to fit onto or into it.

 

[professor229]

Pretty sure this is the final end that slides into the mechanism (attached) ... and then you will notice that there is a square end that two more extensions fit into to make the whole thing reach... but the flatter blade at the bottom end of the attachment is what actually slides into a slot and then the two extensions make it reach and your handle for your lug nut wrench is what is used to "crank" the whole tool down by turning it counterclockwise I would guess? Everyone should try one of these to make sure you know how to use one before you need to use on... they are really well designed and simple to use.. The problem is always putting things back the way you found them and that does NOT have to be done on the side of the road.... I have also seen some people that did not lower the spare tire to the ground and then tried to muscle it off the hook on the rim..... always an adventure....