Remounting the spare tire by yourself?

[Strorman Norm]

I thought that Ford has a road side assistance program that came with a new car or truck. I have one for my Bronco sport and Maverick

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[lakesinai]

Just bought a SAS Outer Banks and I installed the hitch as mine didn’t come with it. I had to take the spare off in order to lift the bumper slightly for everything to clear during installation. I was able to lft the spare down off the mount - but it’s definitely a 2 man job to lift the spare back up to the mount. (i’m 71 years old and my back ain’t great)

Other than the obvious answer of a 2 man job - does anyone have any tips if you’ve had a flat along the interstate or in the middle of no where to get the flat back on the mount if you’re by yourself? I don’t think I could even lift it into the back of the Bronco - let alone the mount.

Thanks!

I'm 73 and am limited by a heart aneurysm by how much weight I can deadlift. I have resorted to careful pre-planning and the use of levers & leverage. I highly recommend practicing in your driveway, as you have done, and assembling the levers, planks and wrenches that will help you avoid too much lifting. The effort required to turn lug nuts is alot as well!

That includes a bar or board that will help lever the new wheel up onto the axle. Investing in a quality dedicated wheel socket wrench will help with the stress of turning lug nuts, as will a cross lug wrench. Regarding recounting the spare, I recommend a two step operation. Since you have a hitch receiver, keep an extra 12" extender in your kit. Roll the tire onto the hitch, then lift into the bracket. Avoid lifting off the ground in one motion! I keep the Kuat Pivot on my car, and it serves as a platform. I have extra tools and jack for all this. Finally, I have an ARB pump in the car to help with reinflation after a repair, if I went that far. I expect that I'll get help next time I have a flat. I expect to keep driving on the sand till my end, but, for sure, older bodies wear out like cars!

 

[HoosierDaddy]

@Toccoa for the spare tire cover.

 

[TX-Dennis]

I lift mine onto the hitch ball first, then grab it closer to the bottom and lift it the rest of the way onto the mount. Makes it much easier (for me) than trying to lift it from the ground in one go.

Of course, if I was on the trail I would have removed the hitch for clearance. I can still carry it with me, though and reattach if needed. At 66 with back and shoulder issues I wouldn't want to lift a tire and wheel combo heavier than the stock Sasquatch that high.

 

[Toccoa]

@Toccoa for the spare tire cover.

 

[lakesinai]

@Toccoa for the spare tire cover.

A 32" cover on a 33" tire, once it's on, it's on, crooked or not!

 

[Pony4x4]

OP here:
Out of all the tips I think the one I like best is an extension off the 2” Hitch Reciever. I got a piece of square channel that has holes in it - 20 inches long. I slide it into the reciever on my Bronco and it’s 22” to the top of the Reciever -placing the 34” TIre treads against the extension - gives me about 13” of tire above the extension - then roll it up on top of the extension and lift from there. I also inserted 2 bolts with about 2” of threads extending out of the box channel so the tire treads can grab onto those while I’m rolling it up (so the tire doesn’t slip). As many have said - once it’s up in the air - you can lift it. It’s lifting it dead off the ground. From the number of ideas and commnets - it does kinda seem like this is an issue that quite a few people are dealing with. And if the back of your Bronco is full of gear - you can’t slide it into the back - it’s gotta go back on the carrier. Not sure what Ford could do about it. I had a Dodge Durango and that spare was mounted underneath and had a “cable drop” that you could crank up and down - maybe something similar to that?

The tip I liked the least was to hit the gym and change my diet. I didn’t know Arnold Schwarzenegger owned a Bronco and posted on here. LOL - thanks guys for all the ideas!

 

[Philvis77]

I got new tires this weekend for my '21 non-SAS Badlands. Same wheels, same tire size (33's), but different brand. I went from the stock KO2's to Falken Wildpeaks. Now the spare isnt fitting on the back. The bottom bolt isnt long enough, so I'm guessing the tire profile is wider than the KO2'e. This doesn't appear to be the bump stop issue I've read about. Anyone else have this issue or come across a solution? Thanks

 

[Demon4x4]

lol - about I month ago I dislocated my elbow after returning home from a trip to the Big Bends, whereupon my tire rotation was due. I set out to do it in the driveway. I was doing a five tire rotation with my 37s, and when I went to lift the new spare onto the tailgate, I went to rotate it slightly clockwise to get the lugs to match up, which put more weight on my right arm, at which point my elbow popped out. The tire then kind of off rolled off my arm to that side, and once the weight was released, my arm recoiled and the elbow popped back in.

Then I had to figure out how I was going to get the tire back on the tailgate with just my left hand, after pacing around in circles in the garage for a good half hour+ in pain. Managed to rotate the tire up on my knee with my left hand and lift with my knee enough to get it on there.

Still recovering from that one. lol

 

[Q1svt]

(i’m 71 years old and my back ain’t great)

Other than the obvious answer of a 2 man job - does anyone have any tips if you’ve had a flat along the interstate or in the middle of no where to get the flat back on the mount if you’re by yourself? I don’t think I could even lift it into the back of the Bronco - let alone the mount.

Thanks!

… well I haven’t tried it yet but have used the concept. I’m at the 4,000+ mileage and planning to try it at tire rotation.

I like straps like in the picture. You can wrap it over your back, shoulders then through the tire and either back through or around the tire.

This is to adjust the length of the strap. Straps have hand holds/holes that should allow you to hold them and tire at the same time…

That’s the plan until the test.

 

[Freebird32]

This is exactly why i got the Sasquatch edition, it came with a tire changer bigger & better than a trunk monkey

 

[Los]

getting old is a bitch but fun, just do what you can do and carry one of those belts before you lift

 

[EasternSierra]

This is exactly why i got the Sasquatch edition, it came with a tire changer bigger & better than a trunk monkey

Yeah, but you gotta have the MGV seats to handle the mud, dirt, and moisture on that guy.

 

[C6ZZGT]

Another great use for traction boards !

 

[etmccaus86]

Just bought a SAS Outer Banks and I installed the hitch as mine didn’t come with it. I had to take the spare off in order to lift the bumper slightly for everything to clear during installation. I was able to lft the spare down off the mount - but it’s definitely a 2 man job to lift the spare back up to the mount. (i’m 71 years old and my back ain’t great)

Other than the obvious answer of a 2 man job - does anyone have any tips if you’ve had a flat along the interstate or in the middle of no where to get the flat back on the mount if you’re by yourself? I don’t think I could even lift it into the back of the Bronco - let alone the mount.

Thanks!

I'm 30 years shy of you but my back is pretty wrecked, and my upper body strength fairly limited.
My trick at home is to grab a 5-gallon pail, flip it upside down, and put the tire on that. Splits the lifting in two, and at least tricks my mind into thinking the job is somewhat easier.

Not sure that's an effective strategy on the road, though, unless you've got room for a 5-gallon pail in your ride...

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