Spare tire and wheel carrier for travel trailers, motor homes, pickup trucks, campers, and the like

Claim 1

Means for carrying a spare tire adjacent the rear of a vehicle, said means comprising a mounting member attachable to the rear bumper of the vehicle, a retainer on said mounting member, said retainer having means for supporting an arm inclined at an angle of approximately 50* to the horizontal, an arm pivotally secured to said mounting member, said arm having means adapted to support a tire adjacent the outer end of the arm, said arm supporting said tire in its supporting and non-supporting position, said arm adapted to rest on said retainer means to normally maintain said arm at an inclined angle of approximately 50* with respect to a horizontal plane forwardly of the arm pivot in its supporting position to carry the tire on the vehicle so that the weight will normally urge the arm to remain positioned at said inclined angle of approximately 50* forwardly of the arm pivot to carry the tire in a vertical plane on the vehicle, with the weight principally supported on the mounting member forwardly of the arm pivot, said arm adapted to be swung outwardly through an arc in the opposite direction outwardly and rearwardly of the arm pivot to a non-supporting position to position the tire adjacent to one side of the vehicle in the same vertical plane, said arm having spring biased latching means positioned between said arm pivot and the outer end of the arm for latching said arm to said mounting member to latch said arm at the approximately 50* angle position.