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Worst engineering ever, Mk3 spare tyre lifter

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Worst engineering ever, Mk3 spare tyre lifter

Postby rebuilder86 » Thu Jul 05, 2018 11:34 am

Ok so, id liek to know, how many people have had to replace, or cut up or just cannot use their spare tyre lifter anymore.
Mine (1999 mk3 VG transit), well i tried to use the special long black foldup metal tool to turn the winder, but it jsut span around on the rounded bolt head.
On further investigation, after removing the unit after multiple flats and some of the most insane angry yelling u would ever see, i have discovered the root cause of this stupidity.
Ford's 8 side octagon bolt head which u turn with the special tool is the deumbest piece of automotive engineering ive come across to date.
What kind of stupid, brainless fool uses a mild steel, 8 sided bolt head as an important part of the vehicle underneath the chassis.
With 8 sides, the bolt starts off its life closer to a round circle than it would if they had just stuck with standard 6 sides, a hex head, like every single other bolt in the world.
it does not take an engineer to work out that an 8 sided bolt, will round prematurely, on its own, not to mention being stuck under the chassis and made of mild steel.

How many people have had to repace this part?
I ended up undoing mine, and cutting the 8 faced bolt thing down to a 1/2 inch 6 sided bolt so i cant stick my socket set and extension in there on my impact driver and raise and lower it in seconds.

The stupididty behind this design just makes me angry.
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Re: Worst engineering ever, Mk3 spare tyre lifter

Postby bigjohnthomas » Thu Jul 05, 2018 2:00 pm

Hay man don't be angry :)
Have a fag a bottle of cider and crack open a good old fashioned jazz mag :D

Hope this helps
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Re: Worst engineering ever, Mk3 spare tyre lifter

Postby Jim Archer » Thu Jul 05, 2018 10:28 pm

Of course, you are supposed to service it regularly ....... :?

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Re: Worst engineering ever, Mk3 spare tyre lifter

Postby gotgcoalman » Thu Jul 05, 2018 11:02 pm

think I bashed a 19/32 af socket onto mine. :shock:
1/2" drive ratchet to operate it now :D
ne m'écoute pas je suis plein de merde.
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Re: Worst engineering ever, Mk3 spare tyre lifter

Postby dumper » Fri Jul 06, 2018 5:27 am

Ford should have stuck with the mk 1&2 system how stupid hanging a heavy wheel on a wire rope I know the mk8 has a safety thicker wire strap but I don’t think many mk 1@2 lost a spare wheel
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1974 mk1 v4 with 2.0 pinto fitted
1986 mk3 2.5 di swb
1990 190 lwb 2.5 di
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2006 350 jumbo 135 tdci
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Re: Worst engineering ever, Mk3 spare tyre lifter

Postby rebuilder86 » Sat Jul 07, 2018 8:38 am

yeh i think the wire is fine, its just the mechanism used to turn the whinch is pooly thought through.
purely my point is with regards to the use of an eight (8) faced nut/bolt head , just to add a level of security to the design, which only caused the whole thing to fail early.
Also there was nothing more i could do to service it, as it was stuck in the raised position where u cannot get to any part of the mechanism, so its just stuck there. i had to cut the hanger arms off wiht the tyre held up, then lower the tyre, remove the unit, weld the arms back on, and grind a new standard 1/2 inch hex head into the stupid bolt for use of a more appropriate driver-turning-mechanism before reinstalling it and testing it.
Much better now.
you cannot get to the spare tyre if the doors are shut, that should have been enough to satisfy security measures.
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Re: Worst engineering ever, Mk3 spare tyre lifter

Postby bigjohnthomas » Sat Jul 07, 2018 9:05 am

It is nearly 20 years old you know
They are only made to last 5 years Or so
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Re: Worst engineering ever, Mk3 spare tyre lifter

Postby rebuilder86 » Sat Jul 07, 2018 11:14 am

only made to last 5 years?? what is your source?
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Re: Worst engineering ever, Mk3 spare tyre lifter

Postby bigjohnthomas » Sat Jul 07, 2018 11:21 am

Minor Matt :D
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