2020 Ram 1500 spare tire

STARTING AND OPERATING 415
Towing Requirements — Tires
• Do not attempt to tow a trailer while using a compact sparetire.
• Do not drive more than 50 mph (80 km/h) when towing while using a full size spare tire.
• Proper tire inflation pressures are essential to the safe and satisfactory operation of your vehicle. Refer to “Tires” in
“Servicing And Maintenance” for proper tire inflation
procedures.
• Check the trailer tires for proper tire inflation pressures before trailer usage.
• Check for signs of tire wear or visible tire damage before towing a trailer. Refer to “Tires” in “Servicing And Main -
tenance” for the proper inspection procedure.
• When replacing tires, refer to “Tires” in “Servicing And Maintenance” for the proper tire replacement procedures.
Replacing tires with a higher load carrying capacity will
not increase the vehicle's GVWR and GAWR limits.
Towing Requirements — Trailer Brakes
• Do not interconnect the hydraulic brake system or vacuum
system of your vehicle with that of the trailer. This could
cause inadequate braking and possible personal injury. • An electronically actuated trailer brake controller is
required when towing a trailer with electronically actu -
ated brakes. When towing a trailer equipped with a
hydraulic surge actuated brake system, an electronic brake
controller is not required.

• Trailer brakes are recommended for trailers over 1,000 lbs (453 kg) and required for trailers in excess of 2,000 lbs (907 kg).

WARNING!
• Do not connect trailer brakes to your vehicle's hydraulic brake lines. It can overload your brake
system and cause it to fail. You might not have brakes
when you need them and could have an accident.
• Towing any trailer will increase your stopping distance. When towing, you should allow for addi -
tional space between your vehicle and the vehicle in
front of you. Failure to do so could result in an accident.
CAUTION!
If the trailer weighs more than 1,000 lbs (453 kg) loaded,
it should have its own brakes and they should be of
adequate capacity. Failure to do this could lead to
accelerated brake lining wear, higher brake pedal effort,
and longer stopping distances.
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456 IN CASE OF EMERGENCY
Release the tool bag straps from the jack and remove tools
from bag.Jack And Tool Bag There are two ways to assemble the tools:
Assembled For Spare Tire Lowering/Raising
Assembled For Spare Tire Lowering/Raising
1 — Lug Wrench
2 — Long Extension Without Spring Clip 2
3 — Long Extension With Spring Clip 3
4 — Long Extension With Spring Clip 4
5 — Short Extension 5
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IN CASE OF EMERGENCY 457
NOTE:
If the tailgate is lowered, the jack extension with hook can be
added to this assembly to enable lowering of the spare tire
without having to raise the tailgateAssembled For Jack Operation
Assembled For Jack Operation
CAUTION!
• The lug wrench can only be attached to extension 2.
• When attaching the tool to the winch mechanism be sure the large flared end opening on extension 4 is posi -
tioned correctly over the winch mechanism adjusting
nut.
• Damage to the lug wrench, extensions and winch mech -
anism may occur from improper tool assembly.
1 — Lug Wrench
2 — Long Extension 2
3 — Long Extension 3
4 — Long Extension 4
5 — Short Extension 5
6 — Extension With Hook
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458 IN CASE OF EMERGENCY
Removing The Spare Tire
1. Remove the spare tire before attempting to jack up thetruck. Attach the lug wrench to the extension tubes with
the curved angle facing away from the vehicle.
2. Remove the protective cover over the access hole for the winch mechanism by sliding the cover upward. Access Hole Cover Location
WARNING!
After using the jack and tools, always reinstall them in
the original carrier and location. While driving you may
experience abrupt stopping, rapid acceleration or sharp
turns. A loose jack, tools, bracket or other objects in the
vehicle may move around with force, resulting in serious
injury.
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460 IN CASE OF EMERGENCY
4. Rotate the lug wrench handle counterclockwise until thespare tire is on the ground with enough cable slack to
allow you to pull it out from under the vehicle.
Rotating The Lug Wrench Handle 5. Pull the spare tire out from under the vehicle to gain
access to the spare tire retainer.
Pulling The Spare Tire Out
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IN CASE OF EMERGENCY 461
6. Lift the spare tire with one hand to give clearance to tiltthe retainer at the end of the cable.
Gaining Access To The Retainer 7. Pull the retainer through the center of the wheel.
Pulling The Retainer Through The Center Of The Wheel
NOTE:
The winch mechanism is designed for use with the extension
tubes only. Use of an air wrench or other power tools is not
recommended and can damage the winch.
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IN CASE OF EMERGENCY 463
Jacking Instructions
Jack Warning Label
1. Remove the spare tire, jack, and tools from the stored location.
2. Using the lug wrench, loosen the wheel nuts (but do not remove), by turning them counterclockwise one turn
while the wheel is still on the ground.
WARNING!

Carefully follow these tire changing warnings to help
prevent personal injury or damage to your vehicle:
• Always park on a firm, level surface as far from the edge of the roadway as possible before raising the vehicle.
• Turn on the Hazard Warning flasher.

• Block the wheel diagonally opposite the wheel to be raised.

• Apply the parking brake firmly and set the transmission in PARK.
• Never start or run the engine with the vehicle on a jack.
• Do not let anyone sit in the vehicle when it is on a jack.
• Do not get under the vehicle when it is on a jack. If you need to get under a raised vehicle, take it to a service center
where it can be raised on a lift.
• Only use the jack in the positions indicated and for lifting this vehicle during a tire change.
• If working on or near a roadway, be extremely careful of motor traffic.
• To assure that spare tires, flat or inflated, are securely stowed, spares must be stowed with the valve stem facing
the ground.

CAUTION!
Do not attempt to raise the vehicle by jacking on
locations other than those indicated in the Jacking
Instructions for this vehicle.
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IN CASE OF EMERGENCY 467
6. Remove the lug nuts and pull the wheel off. Install thespare wheel and lug nuts with the cone shaped end of the
lug nuts toward the wheel. Hand tighten the lug nuts
with vehicle lifted. To avoid the risk of forcing the vehicle
off the jack, do not fully tighten the lug nuts until the
vehicle has been lowered.
7. Lower vehicle to ground, finish tightening the lug nuts. Push down on the wrench while at the end of the handle
for increased leverage. Tighten the lug nuts in a star
pattern until each nut has been tightened twice.
NOTE:
For the correct lug nut torque refer to “Technical Specifica -
tions” in “Torque Specifications.” If in doubt about the
correct tightness, have them checked with a torque wrench
by an authorized dealer or service station. 8. If your vehicle is equipped with a wheel center cap, install
the cap and remove the wheel blocks. Do not install
chrome or aluminum wheel center caps on the spare
wheel. This may result in cap damage.
9. Lower the jack to its fully closed position. Stow the replaced tire, and secure the jack and tools in the proper
location.
10. Adjust the tire pressure when possible.
WARNING!
Raising the vehicle higher than necessary can make the
vehicle less stable. It could slip off the jack and hurt
someone near it. Raise the vehicle only enough to
remove the tire.WARNING!
A loose tire or jack thrown forward in a collision or hard
stop, could endanger the occupants of the vehicle.
Always stow the jack parts and the spare tire in the
places provided.
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