Yep, it can be frustrating. Now is the time to brace it with a jack and remove the retainer and lube the threads with wheel bearing grease. My '96 can't put the spare underneath because it has Flowmaster 44's on it and they block it. What I did was get some threaded rod and a spare tire hold down handle from a Camaro. I bent the threaded rod and hooked it into a hole from where the tool box was bolted. I've got mine mounted in the bed right behind the driver.

 

I'm not sure if the cross member or clearance allows. You could buy a winch off a parts truck and try mounting it in place.

 

Now thats a good idea for now Thank You

 

Im thinking about how i can adapt something. I recall seeing some place where a guy made a slide in unit ,where as you undid a pin/lock and just slid out the spare.....it used some of those hood type hydraulic bars to let it up an down then slide it right out.....as soon as i get moved into my new house ill work on that stuff. right now im just fixing all the crap that the other people did to this truck mickey mouse crap
may have to run down to my local scrap yard and find a winch setup if i get real lucky it would be electric 12 volt....

 

When I got my truck the spare was just laying in the bed. That took up space for cargo and wasn't elegant. I got hold of the hold down hardware for an older Camaro. Other old cars will be similar. A piece of 1/4-20 all thread rod with a bend to hold it in place. Just find the hold down hardware in an old car and get some rod to match it.





Supporting it on the inner fender allows you to have it handy while still leaving most of the bed usable.

 

I was going to do that on my gmc but sold it.. i do not want the spare in the bed as it is a short bed so i need every inch of room...the is a hole in the bumper so im thinking i can retrofit some kinda winch wet up there. i have to find a winch first the figger out the details.. what ever i figger out it will be easy to get that spare down thats for sure. im not able to crawl around down on the ground to get that dam spare tire....

 

See if you can find a second gen truck. I do believe they have the winch. I am not sure, as I don't think I have ever had a spare tire.

 

The 2nd gen Rams as well as the 2nd gen Dakotas have a tire winch bolted under the frame below the bed.

 

i was looking at a web page where a guy had used an windshield wiper motor attached to a tire winch and had a button switch on the rear by the bumper. i might see if i can rig that up . i need a way to slide the darn thing out. i suppose i could aways just call my AAA to have them come out...

 

I don't have the money to have it made and it's beyond my fabrication skills, but I'd like to make a curved recess in the bed side and mount the tire there with a metal cover. I had a flat once and the truck was loaded with about 3000 pounds of roofing tabs. We like to never got the spare out from under it to change it.