Spare Tire Access Tool (Upgrade)

[MetalsGeek]

I believe everyone who drives a car should be able to change a tire if needed. I made a dry run under ideal conditions in my driveway and found the experience worthwhile. One of my discoveries was that you can only lower the spare when the tailgate is CLOSED (and preferably no trailer is attached) so don't pick up any nails with a load of 4x8 plywood. Another epiphany was that I really don't want to have to dig out Ford's emergency tools from behind the seat when I'm doing routine maintenance and want to lower the spare.
I found a suitable alternative in the Steelman #96095 Standard 12mm Square Head Spare Tire Tool, available at Amazon. This tool is reasonably well made of welded mild steel but needed a tweak to be perfect for the Maverick. It's made for full-size trucks and is 10" longer than the Maverick requires. It also has a 7/8" hex drive nut, slightly larger than the 21 mm lug nuts on the Maverick. I made two mods, but either would have sufficed on its own. I machined the nut down to a 21 mm hex, and also bent that extra 10" into a hand crank (with a MAPP gas torch). In retrospect, I could have simply cut off the nut since the Maverick's cable winch should never need more torque than the crank could provide. It works very well, and clears the trailer receiver by about an inch and a half.
Murphy's Law should now ensure that if I carry this, I will never, ever get a flat.

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[Refrigman]

yes, I realized after building my 6’ Tacoma camper shell camper with rear door over lowered tailgate that I had no access to the spare so I added a roof rack to the shell to carry the spare up top when the camper is in place. That won’t help the mpg but will be good for my peace of mind.

I believe everyone who drives a car should be able to change a tire if needed. I made a dry run under ideal conditions in my driveway and found the experience worthwhile. One of my discoveries was that you can only lower the spare when the tailgate is CLOSED (and preferably no trailer is attached) so don't pick up any nails with a load of 4x8 plywood. Another epiphany was that I really don't want to have to dig out Ford's emergency tools from behind the seat when I'm doing routine maintenance and want to lower the spare.
I found a suitable alternative in the Steelman #96095 Standard 12mm Square Head Spare Tire Tool, available at Amazon. This tool is reasonably well made of welded mild steel but needed a tweak to be perfect for the Maverick. It's made for full-size trucks and is 10" longer than the Maverick requires. It also has a 7/8" hex drive nut, slightly larger than the 21 mm lug nuts on the Maverick. I made two mods, but either would have sufficed on its own. I machined the nut down to a 21 mm hex, and also bent that extra 10" into a hand crank (with a MAPP gas torch). In retrospect, I could have simply cut off the nut since the Maverick's cable winch should never need more torque than the crank could provide. It works very well, and clears the trailer receiver by about an inch and a half.
Murphy's Law should now ensure that if I carry this, I will never, ever get a flat.

 

[Tbone289]

One of my discoveries was that you can only lower the spare when the tailgate is CLOSED (and preferably no trailer is attached) so don't pick up any nails with a load of 4x8 plywood.

At least the spare isn't in a "trunk" inside the bed as in the Honda Ridgeline, requiring you to unload anything from the bed that's covering it to gain access.

 

[Silly Willy]

I believe everyone who drives a car should be able to change a tire if needed. I made a dry run under ideal conditions in my driveway and found the experience worthwhile. One of my discoveries was that you can only lower the spare when the tailgate is CLOSED (and preferably no trailer is attached) so don't pick up any nails with a load of 4x8 plywood. Another epiphany was that I really don't want to have to dig out Ford's emergency tools from behind the seat when I'm doing routine maintenance and want to lower the spare.
I found a suitable alternative in the Steelman #96095 Standard 12mm Square Head Spare Tire Tool, available at Amazon. This tool is reasonably well made of welded mild steel but needed a tweak to be perfect for the Maverick. It's made for full-size trucks and is 10" longer than the Maverick requires. It also has a 7/8" hex drive nut, slightly larger than the 21 mm lug nuts on the Maverick. I made two mods, but either would have sufficed on its own. I machined the nut down to a 21 mm hex, and also bent that extra 10" into a hand crank (with a MAPP gas torch). In retrospect, I could have simply cut off the nut since the Maverick's cable winch should never need more torque than the crank could provide. It works very well, and clears the trailer receiver by about an inch and a half.
Murphy's Law should now ensure that if I carry this, I will never, ever get a flat.

I found the easiest way to change a tire is to call AAA, that is why I pay them.

 

[1-20-2025]

That takes time waiting for AAA

 

[MetalsGeek]

I found the easiest way to change a tire is to call AAA, that is why I pay them.

I had an '87 Mustang GT hatchback that only let me down once, when the Hall FX sensor in the distributor wore out from vibration and rubbed against the slotted rotor. I learned that day that using the AAA app to summon a tow is WAY better than the olde school method of calling a human on the phone. The AAA guy probably carries a set of these tools on his truck.

 

[White Thunder]

I found the easiest way to change a tire is to call AAA, that is why I pay them.

I have triple A, my father first signed up. So my AAA card shows I’ve been a member for 68 years. I’ve never used it much, but it pays to have it when you really need it.

 

[dbbii]

The last time I used AAA was due to an accident. Took about 5 hours for the tow truck to get to me, and I was in a fairly major metro area. FWIW, the zip code I was in spans 2 counties. AAA rep had no idea what I was talking about and said "she dispatched what the computer told her to"

No longer a AAA member.

 

[shadow76]

I have triple A, my father first signed up. So my AAA card shows I’ve been a member for 68 years. I’ve never used it much, but it pays to have it when you really need it.

My daughter was traveling out of state a few weeks ago and developed a need to call AAA. She’s on my account which has been in effect for years. Despite this track record, AAA claimed no record of her membership was found. Therefore no roadside assistance was provided despite her being stranded after dark on a rural highway.

AAA now claims they are ‘investigating’ their lack of service.

Bottom line, when one needs roadside assistance, AAA is not to be trusted.

 

[shadow76]

The last time I used AAA was due to an accident. Took about 5 hours for the tow truck to get to me, and I was in a fairly major metro area. FWIW, the zip code I was in spans 2 counties. AAA rep had no idea what I was talking about and said "she dispatched what the computer told her to"

No longer a AAA member.

See my post about the lack of AAA service.

 

[Enchalada]

Took a look underneath the maverick and was wondering where do you place the jack to lift the truck for a back / front tire change?

 

[BlueSpec1]

Took a look underneath the maverick and was wondering where do you place the jack to lift the truck for a back / front tire change?

I haven't used the included jack so far.
Pinch welds:

Not roadside change, just shows the pinch weld locations:
https://www.mavericktruckclub.com/f...jack-stand-s-at-pinch-welds.25542/post-488045

 

[Enchalada]

I haven't used the included jack so far.
Pinch welds:

Not roadside change, just shows the pinch weld locations:
https://www.mavericktruckclub.com/f...jack-stand-s-at-pinch-welds.25542/post-488045

Thanks for this.

 

[zacatac]

So where do you store this in the truck that will be easier to get to than the factory tools? And how do you plan on jacking up the truck to change your flat without getting behind the seat removing the factory tools and jack anyway?

 

[MetalsGeek]

So where do you store this in the truck that will be easier to get to than the factory tools? And how do you plan on jacking up the truck to change your flat without getting behind the seat removing the factory tools and jack anyway?

I totally agree. Like I said in the original post, this tool is mostly for use in my driveway when I want to lower the spare. I've been doing that a lot lately to access the wiring harness back there. The main benefit is not having to clean all the crap off the back seat and unpack the jack. I keep it in my roller cabinet in the garage. The comment at the end on Murphy's Law was just for laughs. I should probably proofread my posts with a more serious mindset to avoid such things.

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