How do you remove the spare tire?

[jagman]

I have a 720 std cab with a long bed.  There is a screw jack but I think the jack handle must be missing and the handle must be the secret to spare tire removal. Does anyone have a picture of what the handle looks like?  If I can see the damn thing I can make something to fit.

[weldingrod]

Sadly, the weight of the spare tire eventually destroys that cross member.  Also, as you have found out, when you do finally need a spare you can't access it. I am building a couple of brackets to hold two spare tires in the truck bed in a vertical position behind the wheel wells, take up hardly any room.

 

Just get in there with some kind of cutting implement and cut the chain, retrieve your tire, take all that hokey spare mount shit out of there and put it in the pickup bed for now. Then consider mounting it vertically in the bed against the side; behind the wheel well make it more accessible although if you are going for style mount it in front of the wheel well. Just putting mine behind because have a short box and not enough room ahead.

[bottomwatcher]

There are two parts. A long shaft with a pin in the end that engages the screw jack and the spare tire crank and an L shaped handle with a square hole to fit the shaft. You can use a small crescent wrench on the end of the shaft as I did for years. The shaft over various years fits the jack and spare crank but for some reason nissan changed the size of the square hole. Junk yards are where to find a shaft and matching handle. This is one of those projects where making the item isn't worth the effort.