Newbie Q - is the chain suppose to hang so low

[doru]

Hi all,

I was under the truck today doing a practice spare change. It was a good idea as it is a lot more involved that I'm used to with cars.

I noticed that the chain suspending the spare is hanging low, below the spare level. Is that how it is supposed to be or do I need to do something with the chain? It looks to me the chain will swing a lot and eventually get a lot of rust. Should it be stored above the wheel? If yes how so it does not scratch the wheel? I have matching alloy spare so not cheap.

Thanks

 

[Sinister]

Hi all,

I was under the truck today doing a practice spare change. It was a good idea as it is a lot more involved that I'm used to with cars.

I noticed that the chain suspending the spare is hanging low, below the spare level. Is that how it is supposed to be or do I need to do something with the chain? It looks to me the chain will swing a lot and eventually get a lot of rust. Should it be stored above the wheel? If yes how so it does not scratch the wheel? I have matching alloy spare so not cheap.
View attachment 2815075
Thanks

Yea that’s normal. I zip tied mine up so it doesn’t swing around and you don’t see it.

 

[kwelhand]

Yea that’s normal. I zip tied mine up so it doesn’t swing around and you don’t see it.

Excellent idea!

 

[lx200inAR]

Just looking at the picture, you could probably devise some sort of wire hook that comes down through one of the wheel stud holes that you could hook the chain to. That way you wouldn't have to cut a zip tie every time you take off your spare.

 

[scottm]

I haven't looked at my spare yet, was supposed to get a new tire today, but Discount only ordered four of the five I paid for. I'm thinking about how I might protect my spare rim from the massive corrosion all my Toyota spare rims suffered. That chain is going to beat the cr@p out of the rim, WTF? It will have to be tied up somehow.

 

[lx200inAR]

I haven't looked at my spare yet, was supposed to get a new tire today, but Discount only ordered four of the five I paid for. I'm thinking about how I might protect my spare rim from the massive corrosion all my Toyota spare rims suffered. That chain is going to beat the cr@p out of the rim, WTF? It will have to be tied up somehow.

Considering the amount of dust/dirt/mud that gets in that area when off pavement, that chain is the least of your concerns. But probably still a good idea to secure it Maybe just a stiff wire around the spring with a hook/loop in it to secure the chain..although, make sure it doesn't make it impossible to get the wheel hook through the hub hole.

 

[scottm]

Considering the amount of dust/dirt/mud that gets in that area when off pavement, that chain is the least of your concerns. But probably still a good idea to secure it Maybe just a stiff wire around the spring with a hook/loop in it to secure the chain..although, make sure it doesn't make it impossible to get the wheel hook through the hub hole.

I was starting to look for a coating for the rim, maybe Plastidip, but that chain would beat through any coating, especially when mixed with grit, sand, salt.

My 80s, 100, 4R, all would have benefited from some kind of additional coating on the spare rim, and some coating inside the other rims. Every Toyota I've owned or experienced suffered embarrassing wheel corrosion early in life.

 

[bloc]

The chain won’t hit anything. Spend some time behind a 200 on a rocky trail like imogene pass and you’ll see that yes, it will swing around, but it tends to stay low and not get far enough out to hit the wheel.

Just make sure the loop of extra chain is down through the hub hole and not the gap between wheel spokes. Lying there on the finished surface to then drop down will destroy the paint/powder very quickly.

From a corrosion perspective your big concern should be the chain winch mechanism.

 

[scottm]

The chain won’t hit anything. Spend some time behind a 200 on a rocky trail like imogene pass and you’ll see that yes, it will swing around, but it tends to stay low and not get far enough out to hit the wheel.

Just make sure the loop of extra chain is down through the hub hole and not the gap between wheel spokes. Lying there on the finished surface to then drop down will destroy the paint/powder very quickly.

From a corrosion perspective your big concern should be the chain winch mechanism.

Thanks. I've never had a chain winch fail, but haven't really used them much either. I'm planning to look at ways to protect or at least lube the winch. I didn't have much luck on previous Toyota trucks, but planning to keep this one much longer.

 

[1MOA]

leave it. nothing like crawling under a vehicle on the side on the interstate to change a flat in the rain or snow as traffic whizzes by trying to cut if off when you need it fast.

 

[scottm]

leave it. nothing like crawling under a vehicle on the side on the interstate to change a flat in the rain or snow as traffic whizzes by trying to cut if off when you need it fast.

I've seen zipties used for consistent breakaway applications. I don't know if small zipties would work here, breakaway with a turn of the crank, and pieces of ziptie not jamb the crank...? But if it doesn't beat up the wheel, I'd be fixing a problem that doesn't exist.

 

[Sinister]

The Med zips ties break pretty easy. It takes 2 seconds to break it. I’ve done this with all my Toyotas without any issues with wear or difficulty deploying the spare. The chain doesn’t smack around underneath. I may, just maybe have a tiny case of the OCD and don’t wanna look at it.

 

[doru]

Great ideas! I'll get under and see which one I like best when actually doing it. Thanks!