didn't really think about this till now but has anyone who has used a 3" BL figured out how to get the spare tire out from under the truck since the hole in the bumper doesn't line up with the winch mechanism?
You can eith cut a bigger knotch out of the plastic piece where the factory knotch is or you can do what I did and pull that piece off completely. You can't tell there was supposed to be a piece there when it's gone.
It's the plastic piece that connects to the bed, mine is gone in this picture.
ok cool i may do that... i was going to try to see if there was a way i could mod the crank handle to work the winch from under the truck behind the bumper
Other guys on the Explorer Forum have welded a bolt to the carrier funnel and use a rachet wrench but you have to lay under the truck in the weather, etc. to crank it up or down. Not my cup of tea, I'm ordering a Swing out tire carrier kit tomorrow so I can fab up a custom swing out tire carrier to look like it came factory on the truck.
I just slipped mine between the bumper and that piece. I just raised up the piece enough to slide it between and went about business as normal. I don't have a spare under there any more, but I didn't have a problem with it like that before.
