DIY Spare Tire Tool (1st Gen)

For those who never had the factory tools or (like me) accidentally discarded the factory tools after upgrading your hydraulic pump and/or wheel lug kit. After driving around for a year without the ability to lower my spare tire (Big Yikes), I decided to just make my own tool!

I based everything on a 3/8th drive socket wrench since I already had one on hand.
All parts were sourced from my local Ace Hardware store.
My DIY tool requires:

• 3/8" x 3" eye bolt (8.25mm thick, 42.25mm wide) with machined threads
• (3x) 9/16" nuts, which are threaded onto the eye bolt
• 9/16" extended hex socket (mine is 3.5" long)
• 20" (minimum) extension bar

First, I threaded the three nuts onto the eyebolt with Gorilla Glue. After 24 hours, I then slid that assembly into the extended socket with more Gorilla Glue. Remember that the tool needs to operate both clockwise and counterclockwise, so without the glue, the nuts will only naturally lock in one direction. You don't necessarily need to glue the eyebolt assembly into the socket, but this reduces the total parts of the "tool" from 3 to 2 (less things to fall apart while in use).

Depending on the condition of your tailgate and plastic bumper guard, it might not be possible to pass the socket (the widest part of the tool) through the hole under the tailgate. If so, simply use one arm to pass the eye bolt assembly under the bumper and connect it to your extension bar from the inside edge of your bumper.

Hope this is helpful! You can obviously buy a replacement spare tool kit, but I figured that for roughly the same price you will obtain useful tools (like the extension bar) and can make use of an existing socket wrench if you have one. For what it's worth, the socket wrench makes this task 10x easier than the factory tools.

 

Nice idea. I’m looking for a set too and might take this route. Where do you store it?