This invention relates generally to spare tire carriers and more specifically to spare tire carriers for the storage and transportation of spare tires outside of a vehicle.
With the increasing popularity of pickup type vehicles, there is an increasing need for spare tire carriers allowing the removal of the spare tire from the interior of the vehicle to a position outside of the vehicle and thus creating more usable space inside the vehicle. Prior known spare tire carriers which attempted to solve this need were deficient for many reasons including not being very handy as well as subjecting the vehicle body to stresses for which they were not designed and incapable of handling. The present invention then provides an improved vehicle spare tire carrier which allows the storage and transportation of a spare tire outside of a vehicle and which is not plagued with the problems of prior known spare tire carriers.
It is thus an object of the present invention to provide an improved vehicle spare tire carrier.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide such a vehicle spare tire carrier allowing the storage and transportation of a spare tire outside of a vehicle.
It is a further object of the present invention in the most preferred case to provide such a vehicle spare tire carrier which transfers the weight of the carrier and spare tire mounted thereon to the vehicle substructure and not to the vehicle body.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide such a vehicle spare tire carrier which is pivotally mounted to the vehicle.
It is a further object of the present invention in the most preferred case to provide such a vehicle spare tire carrier which is pivotal simultaneously with the vehicle closure from its closed position to its open position.
It is a further object of the present invention in the most preferred case to provide a spare tire carrier including first and second arms having an overcenter type pivotal relation.
It is further an object of the present invention to provide such a vehicle spare tire carrier which is of simple design, can be easily manufactured and assembled from generally inexpensive parts.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide such a vehicle spare tire carrier which can be readily attached to a motor vehicle without the need for reinforcing the vehicle body or other vehicle portions.
It is further an object of the present invention to provide a novel vehicle spare tire carrier including a torsion bar in mechanical connection to a pivotal arm.
It is further an object of the present invention to provide a novel vehicle spare tire carrier which is pivotal simultaneously with the vehicle closure from its closed position to its open position utilizing a torsion bar for compensating for the added pivotal load on the vehicle closure.
It is further an object of the present invention to provide a novel vehicle spare tire carrier including a torsion bar in mechanical connection with a pivotal arm for assisting the pivotal movement of the arm from a generally vertical position to a nonvertical position.
These and further objects and advantages of the present invention will become clearer in the light of the following detailed description of illustrative embodiments of this invention described in connection with the drawings.