Heavy duty / high security lock for spare tire

Does anyone have a recommendation on a heavy duty / high security lock for spare tire on my ‘25 Gen6 4 Runner Limited that will stand up to the beating it will get here in Northeast Pennsyltuckey in the winter?

 

Welcome from Wisconsin! Is this a thing in your area? Stealing spare tires for a buck? Some kind of logging chain, like 1/2 in. high tensile, but not sure as to where to fasten it on the new 4Runner, I haven't went to look at the 6th Gen. yet. Sorry.

 

Welcome

 

Curious if you’ve lowered the spare to see how thick it is? If I recall the spares on almost all 6th gens are spare donuts. Full diameter, but not full size. In other words, if it’s thin enough, and you don’t normally use all your cargo area, maybe it might be a good option to keep it inside the car?

That way it will be easier to use it when you need it, especially if you need it in winter and have to deal with frozen or rusted locks.

Otherwise, I’d be willing to bet any lock will have problems if it’s in the elements. Even without a lock, corrosion will affect something back there if it’s not lowered and checked regularly. I just lowered a spare tire on a used highlander I bought that would have been useless if I actually needed to use it if I got a flat. The steel bracket that goes into the bore was corrosion-welded to the bore. It came out eventually with enough hammering. The crane mechanism may also get junky pretty quick of they are ignored in the salt-belt.

 

My first thought is another chain through the spare and safety chain loops in the hitch but if someone’s going after the cable or chain somehow anyway, ¯\_(ツ)_/¯.

But why go through the trouble when you can just steal a (most likely, for lower trims than Limited) pricier wheel on the car itself?

The usual wheel locks aren’t particularly tough.

 

The prop rod to the hoist mechanism goes into a hole that is not accessible with the tailgate closed. What kind of attack are you trying to protect against? Someone with enough tools to cut through the steel chain won't even be slowed down appreciably by a padlock.

Focus your efforts on discouraging theft of other parts (road wheels, headlights, airbag) and the whole vehicle. Folks in my region got $500-1000 insurance premium increases last year because the 4Runner got on the high risk list.