Spare tire woes

Alright, so I am working on a 2004 Chevrolet Express 2500 van, but I believe that the spare tire setup is the same as the pickups.
I have read the manual, Googled it, and tried several different methods.
My tire lowered about 1" and then hung up, but the problem is not the secondary latch. The cable still has tension on it, and the cranking system keeps making a popping sound like it's got a gear skipping.
I REALLY do not want to cut this off, as I am planning to sell the vehicle very soon. The van was sold to me on the agreement that I would return the spare tire, but I cannot seem to get it off the truck.
Any ideas what to do without wrecking things, or is it already screwed?
Thanks!

can you unbolt the tire hanger from the frame?

Nope, just tried that. There was one 15MM bolt on a side of the mounting bracket, and it looks like the bracket slides into place before the bolt holds it still. I cannot seem to get it to go sideways to come undone, I cannot lower the assembly, and the bracket to which the mount is attached is a welded cross member.
The cable is just not lowering, and I cannot seem to get the mount off. I did get the other spare tire off (I have two of these) and I am thinking I will have to drive all the way out to my storage unit (not in town) to look at the mount on it. What a pain.
Any other ideas?

Gonna have to cue it out, it's toast. Most of them are. The GMT900 trucks have a huge problem with the winch too.

I know all about it :lol:
Had to use my spare last week and it took me 45 minutes to get the damn thing down to even mount it. What worked for me was yanking out the plastic tube assembly that runs from the bumper to the winch crank. Mine did the exact same thing as yours. It cranked down an inch or so and then made that clicking sound like it was stripped out. When I removed the tube, I had a clear sightline and was able to access the crank a more easily. Just my :twocents: but you may have a different problem.

Yep, I wound out unbolting it, beating on it for a couple of days, sliding it off sideways so that it was hanging by the tube that guides the tool into place, then I had to grind off the pin that goes through the tube, followed by pulling the tube through the frame the wrong way (flared end through the frame) and then finally I realized that the stupid thing is non-serviceable (not to mention still stuck on the rim) and I had to cut the cable anyway.
The crank was totally ruined, because I tried to crank it with a wrench after removal and it still clicked uselessly.
What a terrible design - it reminds me of why I was a Ford man first.
If GM had not at least got the (GEN III+) small block right I still would be wholeheartedly. Now I just pick what I like about each.
Thanks for the help.