I had the wire in my spare tire winch shred and get all mangled inside. It would not go up or down. Finally got it down, took it all apart and need to find a new wire for mine!

 

Here is what you have under the bed.
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btw a 9/16 socket, a few extentions and a few solid taps with a hammer. then either use a ratchet or i use my 18v drill with a socket adapter. by far the easiest way to get the tire down and cheapest.

 

It cost me nothing to pop out the offending "keyed lock".
Now,I use the jack rod just like every other vehicle does.
JL

 

First thing I do is drop the spare and either put it on a rear tire carrier or coated cable it into the bed to a roof rack etc.

you've never been nut deep in mud or a river bed and got a flat I guess, or you'd get that spare out from under the truck where it will do you no good.

solid dirt roads and pavement it'd be fine under there I guess.

this was a great first post.

 

Do you really need a lock for the spare? Do they get ripped off a lot? That type of lock could get you in more trouble than it is worth.

 

I know this is an old thread and I stumbled on it while looking for something else. The alternative I used to replace the key may have been covered already but for what it is worth here is my story.

I discovered shortly after buying my 2002 F-250 that it did not have the key to lower the spare tire. There was only one local dealer that had a full set of keys and they were in the middle of a labour disruption. They told me to contact McGard, the manufacturer of the locks, directly. I called McGard and the people there said to take a small piece of styrofoam from a coffee cup and glue it to a piece of dowel or rod and push it into the tube and up against the lock. This gives you an impression of the lock. I then mailed it to McGard and they sent me a new key. The whole process took about a week and a half before I got the key and that was shipping it across the border to me in Canada as well. Can't remember exactly what the cost was but it was not outrageous.

Of course this does you no good if you are sitting at the side of the road and need to get the spare down in a hurry but it is another source for the key.

 

DKF, you are the reason people steal spare tires. They are hoping to find yours!!

 

Many thanks...I'll try that.

 

I bought my 2005 F250 a month ago and the spare tire key was not in the truck. I took it to the Ford dealership and went through their keys and dropped the tire. Went home and disassembled the tire holder and removed the key. Now I can just use the extension.. If someone wants my spare, they are gonna get it.

 

Must use a 6 point 9/16" socket, not a 12 point socket. Took 2 hours to figure that out.

 

I just tried it with both and didn't have any luck. My sledge's handle is broke in half, so I'll have to dig out another one and try another day.

Are yall using chrome or impact sockets?

 

i removed mine with the spare in place. remove the plastic tube(twist and pull), and remove the lock with a pair of pliers.

 

This forum is great. The '03 I just bought didn't come with a spare. So I picked one up and went to mount it under the truck. Turns out the truck didn't come with the key for the spare either. So I jumped on here and found out everything I needed to do to address the situation. 10 minutes later, I had the spare mounted under the truck. Awesome. Sure, it's not locked. But it wasn't exactly locked laying in the bed, either. And, I can just take the lock down to the local ford dealer and get a key if I ever feel the need for more security.

FTE rocks!

 

I tried what you said. It's a CHRAFTSMAN 6 point socket. I lowered the tire and pryed out the lock. took about 10 minutes. Thank you very much

rick27
2003 f250 sc 5.4 auto od, xlt fx4 rancho rebound, 70,000 miles