I have a 2005 Dakota Club Cab and I tried to lower the spare tire the other day to change a tire and it woundn't drop down. I cranked the winch and the cable end lowered down fine, but there's a "hook system" type thing that only lowers the tire a few inches then locks it in place. Probably there to keep the tire from falling off if the cable fails in transit. But it makes it almost impossible to lower the tire, I had to litterally reach in between the frame and tire and squeeze the device to lower the tire. This is my third Dakota (87, 92) and the first one with this device and problem, has anyone else had this problem.

 

I don't think it's a problem but as you said a safety feature cuz my 05 came with a similar deviceithad no spare at the time but when i put one in i had to squeeze it to getit to stay

 

Same here. I think it is just some kind of safety device that gets corroded over time and stops working. After I got mine down finally, I lubricated the heck out of it. Have not tried it since.

 

I got nothing of the sorts

 

heres ur solution: take the safety device out lol
mine doesn't have anything like that but i do have a 2nd gen, i removed the entire pulley system to grind it and get rid of rust then coated it in bed liner so it wouldn't transfer rust to my steelie

 

I took mine to the dealer and said WTF you all can't even make a decent spare tire drop system right? They got mine to release up on the lift and lubed the mechanisms. I'm sure when I need to drop the spare in the rain on the side of the road its going to work just fine. NOT

 

Yeah its normal....When I changed tire sized, and put a bigger spare in, the tire shop was STUMPED how to get the tire down, I had to come into the garage to show them.... It's a smart feature, but I feel like if I ever need my spare and its pouring rain in the dark, I am gonna curse that little thing.

 

Yea, I feel lucky. I took mine out this weekend to install air horns, and I would have been f**cked if it had been a rainy dark night. I actually had to lay under the vehicle, push up on the tire with one hand and my knees, and squeeze the mechinizim with some channel locks! I guess it has never been used.