Sometime back someone here posted about checking your spare tire and puting a piece of wood between the tire and the frame or it would damage the sidewalls of your tire. Well good intentions paved the road to h*ll and I haven't gotten around to it till today and my truck is 10 months old now.

The side walls of my spare have impressions worn into them from the four frame contact points which make up only a small surface area. I put a couple pieces of wood 1x6x22"long between the tire and the frame. I think the best scenario would be a 28" diameter circle of 3/8" exterior plywood with a 5" hole in the center of it. So, don't delay, put a buffer of some kind between that spare and the frame.

I am getting ready to take off on a 3500 mile trip and since I have never owned a Screw before, I wanted to know about the spare tire, the jack, and the location used to jack up my truck if need be. Better to find out now than in the rain, snow, or mud. A prudent move if I don't say so myself. It is basic basic, but it's only easy when you know the answer.

If you have never looked for them . . . there are places in the front in the "A" frame made specifically for the top of the jack. You get at them from the front of the truck. You use the axle housing for the rear (not the differential, out toward the wheel).

Also, for what it is worth, the jack at full extension is 17.5 inches high. At least it is on the jack that came with my 2003 SCrew FX4.

 

Thanks for the info'! Makes a whole lot of sense to know it and not need it than to need it and not know it! I hadn't heard of a problem with the spare. I drive an '02 S'crew w/46000 miles and never moved the spare. Guess I better check it out.

 

I noticed the depressions in my spare too. I dropped it when I did my shocks and sure enough, there they were.

Having said that, my '98 Scab had a spare in the same location. I came home from out of town once and I found a nice flat rear tire when I got to the airport.

When I dropped my spare, it had the depressions in the sidewall too. I was worried a bit as I mounted it on the truck, but I ended up driving on that tire for 1600 miles before I got around to fixing the flat and putting it back right again.

So, with that in mind, I wouldn't worry too much about the depressions in the side wall. It did not appear to hurt my spare at all.

BTW - I got tired of that silly screw jack that came with my truck. I found a floor-style jack at Sears that they call a "SUV / Truck" jack. 3 ton lift capacity and a 21" lift. The handle removes and stores in a clip right on the side of the jack body. $49 US. I know not everyone has a place to store such a jack, but for those of us with lids / toppers it is nice to have with you for emergencies, maintenance, etc.

 

I used the owners manual to figure out where the jack goes and masked the frame off and painted it bright yellow. I also painted the top of the jack yellow. You can only see the frame paint if you're kneeling by the truck. The jack handle I masked off in a corkscrew pattern and painted it yellow. The lug wrench has yellow ends to make it more visible. PS Most tires can shrug off punctures, unless they are underinflated.

 

Huh?