Spare Tire Holder/Lift

[Driver_WT]

I have a 53 Chev 3100 with 1993 S10 frame. Gas tank is the S10 gas tank on the driver's side in the middle of the truck (front to back). I have room under the rear of the bed for a spare tire. What is the best mount/holder/lift to get for this application?

Thanks.

Wade

[mr48chev]

There are some trucks out there and I can't at the moment tell which ones that have a cable/chain setup that runs up to a shaft that runs in from the back of the bed, you put the piece that holds the rim though the center hole and crank it up into place. A hole lot easier than trying to wrestle the stock setup. You might have to stick your head under the backs of trucks at the wrecking yard and find something that will work.

[mr48chev]

I went out and looked under the 92 Dodge Dakota suspension donor I have out here and it has a simple cable setup to lift the spare using the jack handle. It only takes 4 bolts to take it off and the actual mechanism can be further removed from the main bracket.

[Driver_WT]

OK, thanks. I did a bit more research and it looks like one for a 1989 Toyota 4Runner has a winch with a chain instead of a cable. The only problem is that in my part of the world, the used ones will be rusty and probably seized. And new ones are more than $200.

I will keep looking.

[joedoh]

Originally Posted by Driver_WT

I have a 53 Chev 3100 with 1993 S10 frame. Gas tank is the S10 gas tank on the driver's side in the middle of the truck (front to back). I have room under the rear of the bed for a spare tire. What is the best mount/holder/lift to get for this application?

Thanks.

Wade

the s10 came with a cable/crank down holder. if yours is missing, and as long as you havent changed that crossmember by cutting it out or otherwise, you can just pick up another. you will need the extension piece that clips into the crank assembly and lets you use the tire iron.

I dont tend to use them because the tire is really visible from the back, but if you are running a bumper you can make an apron or if you arent running a bumper you can add a rollpan that keeps it from view.

as an alternative, you can put a side mounted spare on the bed, thats a good look. it sticks a little higher on a shortbed to keep off the fender, but it still looks nice. the 53 actually had an option for a nice strong side mount and a dimpled fender!

[dsraven]

don't know what you are running for srop but beware that a big drop equals no room for a jack to get under the truck and then a spare tire is hard to get out from under when the truck is kinda sorta sitting on a jack. do you wanna stick YOUR head under there and hope th truck doesn't fall on you while you wiggle and jiggle stuff a tire holder?
just a thought, fender mount ain't so bad maybe.stock truck height, different scenario.

[Driver_WT]

Originally Posted by dsraven

don't know what you are running for srop but beware that a big drop equals no room for a jack to get under the truck and then a spare tire is hard to get out from under when the truck is kinda sorta sitting on a jack. do you wanna stick YOUR head under there and hope th truck doesn't fall on you while you wiggle and jiggle stuff a tire holder?
just a thought, fender mount ain't so bad maybe.stock truck height, different scenario.

3" drop in the rear

[dsraven]

i'm talking room to get a jack under the truck when it has a flat tire on the road somewhere not very convenient.
with a 3" drop, and the right jack, you should be ok depending on the tire sidewall height you're running. tall sidewall equals less room under truck with a flat tire.

[MiraclePieCo]

A can of Fix-a-Flat takes lots less room than a spare tire. And it also inflates, which beats the heck out of finding your spare has only 15 lbs of air - an all-too-common malady for tires that don't get used much. One big reason most auto makers are eliminating spare tires in new vehicles:

https://www.usatoday.com/story/money...res/777871001/

I've fixed at least four flats with Fix-a-Flat. Hard to believe it's so simple: just hook it on your valve stem and two minutes later you're on the road. It worked so well I never bothered to follow up with a "real" repair.

For tires too damaged for Fix-a-Flat, I call my insurance company's roadside assistance hotline and they bring me a new tire. Never had to resort to that however.

[mr48chev]

You can't always depend on flat fix to take care of the hole. I ran over a piece of scrap iron in West Texas that not only put a thumb size hole in the tire it made an exit hole in the top of the rear fender.

As far as jacks go, I carried a small bottle jack that I could lift the truck high enough so that I could get the truck high enough to get the actual lift it off the ground jack under it for a long time. I carried a small trolley jack for a long time until someone stole it out of the back of the truck.

The S-10 or Dakota or what not cable or chain spare holders don't take a lot of fumbling around under the truck like the old spare racks. you stick what ever you use to crank it in from the back which is usually the handle for the stock jack and crank the tire down or crank it up. on the one I have there is a plate that slips though the center hole of the wheel with a simple motion and it is designed to center on the hole by it's self.

[dsraven]

i'm with both parties on this one. sure, keep a can of fix a flat but a spare tire to me is a must have. too much distance between towns where I plan to drive through mountain passes and the cost of having a tow truck bring me a tire. for me, if it is a small hole I could use the fix a flat. for the non repairable hole I need a spare tire. if you have the s10 frame simply bolt up the stock spare tire bracket, stick a wheel/tire under there that is the same diameter as what the rear wheels will be on the final fitting of the truck and keep the stock jack and wheel wrench somewhere. some of the stock screw jacks have an extra little J shaped arrangement on them to grab the rear axle when it sits low so the jack won't fit under the axle, maybe try to find one of those. the other alternative is a scissor style jack that gets right down to a couple inches tall when at the lowest. if you had a long handle that jack could be operated from further back so you can attach the long handle and then push the jack with the handle to get it under the axle and crank the jack. if the truck sits really low and you gotta use the spare you will just have to deal with accessing the tire when the time comes. the stock s10 tire holder has the cable so the tire lets down and can be dragged rearward some so you don't have to get under the truck while it is sitting precariously on a jack. with no spare a bad flat could be an ordeal. not the end of the world but costly if a tow operator has to bring a wheel/tire outta some town in the middle of nowhere. as an example, I had to purchase windshield washer fluid in the middle of the roger's pass section of the trans Canada highway. it was $6 for a gallon sized jug. I would have normally paid under $2 in Calgary for the same jug/brand. can't imagine what a wheel tire combo would be along with the delivery charge, call out charge and double overtime charge to install it on a weekend, or a tow to the nearest tire shop.
just my thoughts, dunno how that relates to your area. if you plan to drive just in the city or close in to the city then it's a different scenario.

[MARTINSR]

I finally put a spare on my trailer (made from my dad's 55 F100 bed) after many years of pulling it all over without one! And I am damn glad I have, can't believe I pulled that sucker all over without it, geez. But I used a cable drop down thingie off a Toyota pickup. I got the tool to drop it tucked up in the frame under the bed held on with a big wing nut that I made so it can be loosened easily.

It was a piece of cake and I will probably be doing the same thing on my truck.

Brian

[57tailgater]

I replaced the one on our '03 GMC Envoy which would is a cable type that looks like it could be adapted pretty easily. I will say the spare it was carrying had a steel rim and with the years of exposure to elements kept it from holding air. So the can of fix-a-flat would be a good back-up. I plan on using an original drop down one on my '57 to carry a full size spare.

[mr48chev]

A can of fix a flat is always a handy thing to have in the kit bag for the truck. Back years ago in the late 70's early 80's when my best friend and his wife and daughter and Im my wife and kids traveled to rod runs a lot he always counted on me to have the spare along that also fit his roadster. He didn't even carry a jack as I had that too. the last few years I carried a skinny spare that came with a car my dad had had. Only thing I kept off that car before I sold it to the wrecking yard. It has gotten me to the closest Les Schwab store a couple of times.

[MARTINSR]

Originally Posted by mr48chev

A can of fix a flat is always a handy thing to have in the kit bag for the truck. Back years ago in the late 70's early 80's when my best friend and his wife and daughter and Im my wife and kids traveled to rod runs a lot he always counted on me to have the spare along that also fit his roadster. He didn't even carry a jack as I had that too. the last few years I carried a skinny spare that came with a car my dad had had. Only thing I kept off that car before I sold it to the wrecking yard. It has gotten me to the closest Les Schwab store a couple of times.

I do have to say, last year on a vacation up to Oregon I walked out of my hotel room to see the tire flat on my mini van. I had tossed in the back one of those compressors that come with cars these days that don't carry a spare like a Nissan Leaf. It has a flat repair "Slime" like stuff to put in too, but I just used it to fill the tire then drove a mile or so to the Les Schwab for them to repair it. That little sucker did come in handy.

Brian

[jackson]

i just built a wheel tub in the floor behind my seat fits like a glove