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Spare tire winch

The jury is still out as to whether it's a good idea or not, but the spare tire on a 60 is located under the back of the truck. It's attached to a winch on a crossmember below the fuel tank. In areas where corrosion is prevalent, this can lead to a seized winch - not something you want to discover when out on the road or out on the trails.

If your winch isn't working properly, many people have had luck with soaking it in WD40 or a similar product overnight, or over a few days. If the tire still doesn't budge, then you can either drop the crossmember or cut the chain. Dropping the crossmember can be tricky (the tire doesn't give you much room), but it may allow you to keep the chain intact.

I chose to cut the chain, and then drop the crossmember. My winch was in good shape (that is, it still looked like a winch), but it was rusted solid. So I unbolted it from the crossmember, drilled out the two rivets that hold the covering on, and tried to take it apart.

I took the e-clip off the back and tried to hammer the pin through, but as far as I could tell, it's not meant to disassemble. So instead, I got some liquid rust remover (containing phosphoric acid - nasty stuff but effective), and drenched the thing a few times. Eventually I managed to clean it out and get it working again.

Then I got a new e-clip, and a small spring from my local hardware store. As far as I could tell, I looks like it's designed to use a spring on one side. Then I started packing it with grease, and reassembling it all.

To keep it working, I'll lubricate it and lower it regularly: I'll try for once a month, and definitely before long trips or off-roading.

If you can't get your winch working, or if it's rusted into an indistinct blob, you can try replacing it with with one scavanged from a 4Runner or similar vehicle. Apparently a 4Runner winch will bolt in with minor modification (it takes three bolts instead of four?). Some people prefer to relocate the spare all together, to a rear or interior carrier, or the roof.