Check the spare tire carrier

[Mace Canute]

I lost the spare on employer's 1994 Ford van; cable broke and it dropped somewhere unknown. I used to have to drive quite a bit off road with it so it it could be anywhere from a farmer's field to a construction site to some roadway. I've heard that the winch cable has to be tight or the tire can swing around a little bit and wiggle the cable until metal fatigue sets in, but that's conjecture. I've also seen spares mounted like that that are full of gravel/dirt from years of driving on gravel roads. That's a lot of extra weight for the cable to carry. Some I've seen in the winter were a block of frozen dirt. Good luck getting that cable free with the standard tools the factory includes to change a flat!

 

[MillWeld]

I've heard that the winch cable has to be tight or the tire can swing around a little bit and wiggle the cable until metal fatigue sets in, but that's conjecture.

I'll bet that is what happened to mine. The cable end was frayed but otherwise rust-free. The tire has no pressure so the cable lost tension and may have allowed the wheel to wiggle. Thanks for the info.

 

[cockeyedMFer]

That old girl treated me well for 22 years, but it came time to move on.

Hopefully, someday I'll be able to say that about my wife...

(I kid, I kid!)