Spare tire ratchet tool

Hoginedgewood · September 27

So i remember in the past having a ratchet tool for removing the lugs and lowering the spare, I carry a truck camper and what I have wont easily lower the spare, can't remember what year I'm thinking of and wondering if parts are interchangeable to upgrade to the older system.

64BAwagon · September 27

The lug wrench has a square in the handle that the 2 tubes fasten to for the spare hoist. No ratchet any more.

Hoginedgewood · September 28

I'm try To figure what years had the ratchet and what the pipes look like and if it interchanges with my truck

revrnd · September 28

I've had a pickup of each generation including a C/K square body, but don't ever recall a ratchet type tool for the spare.

kickass audio · September 28

I think my dads old 97 tahoe had a ratcheting style. I only noticed it one time in the past.

If it wasn't for how the rods that go down the tube and engage with the hoist for your spare are setup with a male end that goes into the small square socket of the wrench i'd say you could get an adapter for a impact gun and just spin it off with that.

Maybe if you wanted, get a 12 point socket that fits the end of the stick and buy your own ratcheting wrench and use that if you wanted. Just be careful when you raise up the spare with the 12 point socket on the end of the extension sticks, you are barely catching the edge of the rod and you don't need to warp the stick. I'd use the wrench just to get it up and down but use the OEM handle just to break the line loose or snug it up the last little bit when raising/lowering the spare.

I personally have a 1/2" breaker bar in my truck that is a lot better to manage for breaking the lugs loose than the factory wrench. It's not a ratcheting style but it is perfect for me and i'm happy with it. A cheap harbor freight ratcheting wrench would work great and I think a 12 point socket for the rod and a normal 6 point socket for the lugs would be your best solution.

Pryme · September 28

12 hours ago, kickass audio said:

I think my dads old 97 tahoe had a ratcheting style. I only noticed it one time in the past.

If it wasn't for how the rods that go down the tube and engage with the hoist for your spare are setup with a male end that goes into the small square socket of the wrench i'd say you could get an adapter for a impact gun and just spin it off with that.

Maybe if you wanted, get a 12 point socket that fits the end of the stick and buy your own ratcheting wrench and use that if you wanted. Just be careful when you raise up the spare with the 12 point socket on the end of the extension sticks, you are barely catching the edge of the rod and you don't need to warp the stick. I'd use the wrench just to get it up and down but use the OEM handle just to break the line loose or snug it up the last little bit when raising/lowering the spare.

I personally have a 1/2" breaker bar in my truck that is a lot better to manage for breaking the lugs loose than the factory wrench. It's not a ratcheting style but it is perfect for me and i'm happy with it. A cheap harbor freight ratcheting wrench would work great and I think a 12 point socket for the rod and a normal 6 point socket for the lugs would be your best solution.

I’ve always kept a cross style speed lug wrench in my trucks but I’ve had it since my last half ton. Might be a bit tougher with the HD if I need it. Not near as much leverage as a breaker bar. Might need to swap them out plus the breaker is easier to stow.

skorpyd · September 28

I don't remember a ratcheting tool either, but I can see where if a camper overhangs in the back it would be a pain to use the existing tool. One of the best things I have in my truck now at all times is a Milwaukee 1/2" drive cordless impact tool and a set of metric and SAE sockets, it will take the lugnuts on and off of anything in seconds. If I had a camper still I would rig up some sort of adapter for the spare tire carriage system.