Spare tire safety cable removal *added photos of cable in later post *

Disclaimer: Links on this page pointing to Amazon, eBay and other sites may include affiliate code. If you click them and make a purchase, we may earn a small commission.

ToadSmasher2K1

Home Is Where You Make It
Supporting Member
Joined
Jun 27, 2015
Posts
3,510
Reaction score
9,670
Location
KC
Thanks. I guess my cable was not installed properly from the factory because it went through a small spoke of the wheel, not the center hole. It also was installed under the tire, not over the top. I’ll check my other truck shortly.
Did you buy it new?

Seems highly unlikely that it came that way from the factory, with the wheel upside down and cable wrong…
 
OP
OP
S

slimmytimmy

Full Access Member
Joined
Jan 6, 2023
Posts
146
Reaction score
123
Location
Albuquerque NM
Ok so the cable on my other truck does indeed go over the top of the tire and it would definitely go through the center and not need to be removed. The one in question had the normal cable running through the center, but the black safety cable was running through a spoke section and definitely had to be removed before I could get the tire out.

Thanks for the help figuring this out. Maybe people should check their spares just to make sure they’re not stranded with a stuck tire.
 

Old-Raptor-guy

FRF Addict
Joined
Jul 25, 2021
Posts
1,879
Reaction score
4,373
Location
USA
The cable that bolts to the frame/hitch is a safety cable so if the winch or winch cable fail the spare tire doesn't self eject from the vehicle and go through another vehicles windshield killing them.

It is attached to the metal T bracket that holds the spare in the first place. It doesn't come out of it.

Who ever did this at the tire shop is retarded.
 
OP
OP
S

slimmytimmy

Full Access Member
Joined
Jan 6, 2023
Posts
146
Reaction score
123
Location
Albuquerque NM
If you mount your spare(s) in the bed you don't have to deal with the winch BS
Definitely a bonus. I’m building a custom mount to hold my spare tires, gas jugs, jack and I’ll just keep fabbing it up until I like it. I have a Decked system so the bolt on parts that use the bed mounts won’t work. I’m integrating it into the whole bed and bracing it under the bed rails so it is rock solid. My back is really bad so I’m adding a large dripping fridge slide to help lift heavy stuff up from the tailgate height.
 
OP
OP
S

slimmytimmy

Full Access Member
Joined
Jan 6, 2023
Posts
146
Reaction score
123
Location
Albuquerque NM
Didn't you just say the tire installer f'd it up? It would have no bearing on how it looked like coming from Ford. It was the doink tire installer.
Yes I did say that. I was the one who pulled the original spare out when I needed it. At that time it had never been touched since it left the Ford lot. I had all of the problems with the cable before the tech reinstalled it. I had the tech reinstall it the same way I took it out because I figured if it came from the Ford Factory like that, it must’ve been correct. The tech and I thought it was possibly serving as a certain type of theft deterrent. I’m glad it’s all fixed up now. Now I’m moving the tires to the bed after finishing my mounting system.
 
Top