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Spare tire mount

Goatman

Goatman

NAXJA Forum User
NAXJA Member
Location
Bakersfield, CA
I'm trying to figure out what I'm missing to hold up my spare tire under the bed. The crank and cable is there, but I'm sure there is something else that goes under the tire to hold it up. I don't have another MJ around to look underneath and see what I'm missing. Any info is appreciated.
 
Its just a small catch at the end of the cable, I would take a pic, but mine broke off and disappeared years ago.
 
Yep, there is just a cupped piece that slips into the center hole of the wheel then centers its self as you crank the winch up. Just pull it up tight to the bottom the frame. You probably already know this but you use the stock jack handle to crank it with. Its a nice system but I'm always worried it would work free on the highway or something.
 
Well, I have that. What keeps the cable from unreeling? Or is there something else that holds the tire in?
 
I believe that there is a bar that goes underneath the tire and attaches to the frame. At least I think I saw a picture of this on Comanche Club. I'll try looking for the pic. I just crank mine up and put a ratchet strap around the frame as added security.

IMAG0504-1.jpg
 
Goatman said:
Well, I have that. What keeps the cable from unreeling? Or is there something else that holds the tire in?
Click to expand...

I can't speak for the MJ but on my old Courier the tire winch was ratcheting, in order to lower it you had to push in to release the ratchet. I'd imagine the MJ is the same as that seems to be pretty universal for small trucks.
 
I like Johnny's idea, I'll try that. I don't know why I didn't think to look underneath it last weekend. :)

I wondered about the winch mechanism ratcheting somehow, but if you wind it up the cable unrolls all by itself with no weight on it.
 
You can crank it up nice and tight, and it just stays in place. Somehow. For a while. But over time, the tire will slowly drop. So the straps are a good way to keep the tire from doing that.

I couldn't find a picture of the bar I mentioned before.
 
My DD which is a 1993 Toyota pickup have the same thing holding the spare tire. It do not have a ratchet or anything special as far as I can see. I just crank it up tight and it stays there. To get it down, one have to crank it all the way down. Even when it is not tight, (only half way up) it do not move/fall down. One simply have a spare tire under there swinging back and forth with the momentum of the vehicle.
 
Nope, nothing from the factory to "secure" the spare any more than simply winching up the cable tight using the OEM lug wrench. I've bought and fixed or parted out quite a few MJ's and some have had the original spare still snugly tucked away up in place. Others have had broken cables or mechanisms.

But yeah, anything else that could be engineered/fabbed up to make it more secure is never a bad idea.
 
My '71 F250 has a simple cross bar that is hinged on one end and held on with a bolt the same size as a lug nut on the other. You could have something like that fabbed as a secondary quite easily, I'm sure. I know a shop in Bako that is qualified to do that but I hear one of the owners is a real crotchity old man.
 
Ours hasn't either even during a roll over and dragging it out of the creek to recover it. If your tire hanger is not holding the tire up then you have something wrong with it.
 
I got the MJ with no spare tire. I haven't put the spare up there yet because I didn't know if the cable was all that held it or if there was something else. Didn't want to have it fall out while I'm driving down the road. Looks like I'll crank up the spare and see what happens.

Thanks everyone.
 
I left the factory spare from my 91 somewhere between Massachusetts and Pennsylvania on i84. Really wish I knew where, or maybe I don't. It took the last inch or two of the cable and the crossbar thing with it when it left.

Other MJ still has the factory spare up there, horribly rusted, dry rotted, and probably flat.

I think they just crank up against the frame, never had any issues aside from when that cable broke and it left without me even realizing it. I did manage to fit an almost bald 32" BFG MT up there, the stock cover on my swapped 8.25 scuffed the tread when the rear leafs compressed and I decided I should start carrying it in the bed instead. A 31 would fit no problems.
 
Holy hell that is a clean (well, rot free) MJ.
 
The bed was mint no dents no rust then the second time out i layed it into a tree on the passenger side lol
 
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