Tighten your spare

[michaelshin]

This morning I was backing out of my office and my 04 LC felt like it hit a log. First I thought my parking brake froze.
I get out and see that my spare is on the ground. The spare holding plate is still up in the air where it should be.
I don't know how the wheel worked itself out but imagining what the consequences would have been if it happened while driving on a highway is scary.
I thought I share this freak incidence.

 

[yotasavg]

Sketch! Very lucky timing indeed, glad it wasn't worse for you, or others...

 

[hoser]

I can see this happening if the spare tire wasn't seated properly. Maybe there is more to the story. The bracket in the background looks a bit bent and shows it was making contact with the spare tire just on one side. Could you have hit something causing the spare to bend the bracket and therefore loosening the tension on the cable?

 

[hkeller]

Maybe someone tried to steal it!

 

[michaelshin]

I doubt it about someone tampering it. In fact, I never had the spare down since the purchase.
I remounted the wheel at lunch time and as hoser mentioned, the bracket hits one side first and slips out even the wheel was centered. I held it square while turning the crank to seat it properly.

This weekend I will take a look at the bracket again. May be a little hammering will do the job.

 

[gaijin]

I doubt it about someone tampering it. In fact, I never had the spare down since the purchase.
I remounted the wheel at lunch time and as hoser mentioned, the bracket hits one side first and slips out even the wheel was centered. I held it square while turning the crank to seat it properly.

This weekend I will take a look at the bracket again. May be a little hammering will do the job.

Are you putting the long ear on the bracket through a lug nut hole on the wheel?

Are you mounting the wheel with the "shiny side" up?

Do you have aftermarket wheels?

If mounted correctly, there is no way the bracket can slip out of the wheel.

:whoops:

 

[AimCOtaco]

I suspect the usual suspects...

Just last week a buddy had 5 Duratracs installed locally. He smelled fire on his way home, looked under and found that the person who did the tires (we will not call him an installer, what we do call him is not PC or site friendly) had the spare cocked so badly that it was in contact with the exhaust and the tire was ruined. Time wise my buddy was already planning to go back to the shop so they could replace the wheel studs they broke and so they could re-mount the tires with the lettering in (they asked 3 times how he wanted it only to get it wrong).

Luckily my buddy and his hilux lived to tell the tail and the embarrassed shop got to give away a Duratrac complete with apologies.


...never underestimate the potential incompetence of a professional.


I agree that the bracket will not slip out, but rather operator error is involved, either the owner, the owners wife, the owners kid, the thief, or the tire guy.