2020 Ram 3500 Owner's Manual

IN CASE OF EMERGENCY367
REMOVING THE SPARE TIRE

1. Remove the spare tire before attempting to
jack up the truck. Attach the lug wrench to
the extension tubes with the curved angle
facing away from the vehicle. Insert the
extension tube through the access hole
between the lower tailgate and the top of the
bumper and into the winch mechanism tube.
Winch Mechanism Tube Inserting The Extension Tubes Into The Access Hole

2. Rotate the lug wrench handle counter -
clockwise until the spare 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
3. Pull the spare tire out from under the vehicle to gain access to the spare tire retainer.
4. Lift the spare tire with one hand to give
clearance to tilt the retainer at the end of
the cable.

Gaining Access To The Retainer

5. Pull the retainer through the center of the wheel.

Pulling The Retainer Through The Center Of The Wheel

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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368IN CASE OF EMERGENCY
(Continued)
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.
PREPARATIONS FOR JACKING

1. Park the vehicle on a firm, level surface. Avoid ice or slippery areas.

2. Turn on the Hazard Warning Flashers.
3. Apply the parking brake.
4. Shift the transmission into Park (P).
5. Turn the ignition OFF.
6. Block both the front and rear of the wheel diagonally opposite the jacking position. For
example, if the driver’s front wheel is being
changed, block the passenger’s rear wheel.
Wheel Blocked

NOTE:
Passengers should not remain in the vehicle
when the vehicle is being raised or lifted.
JACKING INSTRUCTIONS
WARNING!
Do not attempt to change a tire on the side of
the vehicle close to moving traffic. Pull far
enough off the road to avoid being hit when
operating the jack or changing the wheel.
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 Flashers.
Apply the parking brake firmly and set the
transmission in PARK.
Block the wheel diagonally opposite the
wheel to be raised.
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.
WARNING! (Continued)

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IN CASE OF EMERGENCY369

Jack Warning Label
Lug Wrench Adapter Shown In Jack And Tools Assembly
1. Remove the spare wheel, jack, and tools
from storage.

2. Using the lug wrench, loosen, but do not remove, the wheel nuts by turning them
counterclockwise one turn while the wheel
is still on the ground. Changing a dually tire
requires the lug wrench adapter.
NOTE:
If your vehicle is equipped with hub caps/wheel
covers they must be removed before raising the
vehicle off the ground. Refer to ”Hub Caps/
Wheel Covers — If Equipped” in this section.
Lug Wrench Adapter
Lug Wrench Adapter And Wrench

3. Placement of the jack is critical:
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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370IN CASE OF EMERGENCY

Jack / Extensions Placement

Front Jacking Location

When changing the front wheel, assemble the
jack driver to the jack and connect the jack
driver to the extension tubes. Place the jack
under the axle as close to the tire as possible
with the drive tubes extending to the front.
Connect the extension tubes and lug wrench.
Front Lifting Point
Front Jacking Location
Rear Jacking Location
When changing a rear wheel, assemble the
jack driver to the jack and connect the jack
driver to the extension tubes. Place the jack
under the axle between the spring and the
shock absorber with the extension tubes ex
-
tending to the rear.

Rear Lifting Point

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IN CASE OF EMERGENCY371

Rear Jacking Location

Connect the extension tubes and lug
wrench.
NOTE:
If the bottle jack will not lower by turning the dial
(thumbwheel) by hand, it may be necessary to
use the jack driver in order to lower the jack. 4. By rotating the lug wrench clockwise, raise
the vehicle until the wheel just clears the
surface.
5. Remove the lug nuts and pull the wheel off. On Single Rear Wheel (SRW) trucks, install
the spare wheel and lug nuts with the cone
shaped end of the wheel nuts toward the
wheel. On 3500 Dual Rear Wheel models
(DRW) trucks, if the outer tire is being
replaced then leave the inner wheel on the
vehicle. If the inner wheel is being replaced
remove the outer wheel and replace the
inner wheel. The wheel nuts are a two-piece
assembly with a flat face. Lightly tighten the
lug nuts. To avoid the risk of forcing the
vehicle off the jack, do not fully tighten the
lug nuts until the vehicle has been lowered.
Rear Inner Wheel Proper Placement (Dual Rear Wheel
Equipped)
Dual Rear Wheel Jack Placement

CAUTION!
Before raising the wheel off the ground, make
sure that the jack will not damage
surrounding truck parts and adjust the jack
position as required.
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.
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372IN CASE OF EMERGENCY
6. Finish tightening the lug nuts. Push down on
the lug 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. For the correct lug nut
torque refer to “Wheel And Tire Torque
Specifications” in “Technical Specifi -
cations”. If in doubt about the correct
tightness, have them checked with a torque
wrench by an authorized dealer or service
station.
7. Install the wheel center 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. 8. Lower the jack to its fully closed position.
Stow the replaced tire, jack, and tools as
previously described.
NOTE:
The bottle jack will not lower by turning the dial
(thumbwheel) by hand, it may be necessary to
use the jack driver in order to lower the jack.
9. Adjust the tire pressure when possible.
NOTE:
Do not oil wheel studs. For chrome wheels, do
not substitute with chrome plated lug nuts.
TO STOW THE FLAT OR SPARE
NOTE:
Have the flat tire repaired or replaced immedi -
ately.

1. Turn the wheel so that the valve stem is facing the ground and toward the rear of
the vehicle for convenience in checking the
spare tire inflation. Slide the wheel retainer
through the center of the wheel.

Reinstalling The Retainer

2. Lift the spare tire with one hand to give clearance to tilt the retainer at the end of
the cable and position it properly across the
wheel opening.
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.
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. Have the deflated (flat) tire repaired
or replaced immediately.

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IN CASE OF EMERGENCY373

Pushing The Retainer Through The Center Of The
Wheel And Positioning It

3. Attach the lug wrench to the extension tubes with the curved angle facing away
from the vehicle. Insert the extensions
through the access hole between the lower
tailgate and the top of the bumper and into
the winch mechanism tube.

Lug Wrench And Extension Tubes Assembled And In Position
4. Rotate the lug wrench handle clockwise
until the wheel is drawn into place against
the underside of the vehicle. Continue to
rotate until you feel the winch mechanism
slip, or click three or four times. It cannot be
overtightened. Push against the tire several
times to ensure it is firmly in place.
NOTE:
The winch mechanism is designed for use with
the jack extension tube only. Use of an air
wrench or other power tools is not recom-
mended and can damage the winch.
REINSTALLING THE JACK AND TOOLS

1. Tighten the jack all the way down by turning the jack turn-screw counter -
clockwise until the jack is snug.

2. Position the jack and tools into bracket assembly. Make sure the lug wrench is
under the jack near the jack turn-screw.
Snap tools into bracket assembly clips.
Install the jack into bracket assembly and
turn the jack turn-screw clockwise until jack
is snug into bracket assembly.
Jack And Tools Bracket Assembly

3. Place the jack and tool bracket assembly in the storage position holding the jack by the
jack turn-screw, slip the jack and tools
under the seat so that the bottom slot
engages into the fastener on the floor.

Jack Hold Down Fastener

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374IN CASE OF EMERGENCY
(Continued)
NOTE:
Ensure that the jack and tool bracket assembly
slides into the front hold down location.
4. Turn the wing bolt clockwise to secure to the floor pan. Reinstall the plastic cover.

Wing Bolt/Jack And Tools

HUB CAPS/WHEEL COVERS — IF
E
QUIPPED
The hub caps must be removed before raising
the vehicle off the ground. For 2500/3500 Single Rear Wheel (SRW)
models, use the flat end of the lug wrench to
hook and pull off the hub cap. Find the opening
in the hub cap, insert the lug wrench, and pull
off the cap. If you need to pry against the wheel,
protect the wheel surface.

Lug Wrench Insertion Location — Hub Cap
On 3500 models with Dual Rear Wheels (DRW),
you must first remove the hub caps—use the
procedure noted for the single rear wheel. For
the wheel covers (wheel skins), insert the flat
end of the lug wrench between the outer edge
of the wheel cover and the wheel. Pry against
the wheel to remove the wheel cover. Repeat
this procedure around the wheel until the cover
pops off.

Lug Wrench Insertion Location — Wheel Cover

CAUTION!

Use extreme caution when removing the front
and rear wheel covers. Damage can occur to the
center cap and/or the wheel if screwdriver type
tools are used. A pulling motion, not a pry off
motion, is recommended to remove the caps.

CAUTION!
Use a pulling motion to remove the hub
cap. Do not use a twisting motion when
removing the hub cap, damage to the hub
cap; finish may occur.

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