Abstract:
A heavy duty, leveraged spare tire carrier utilizes a cross or T-shaped frame configured so a spare tire for an recreational vehicle can be bolted thereto and mounted on a receiver-type hitch common in the RV industry with a secondary receiver hitch mounted thereon. The carrier has an integral lever-actuated lifting and lowering apparatus to allow a single person the ability to remove and replace a spare tire on the carrier and/or to swing the carrier and spare tire out of the way so an engine or other compartment in the rear of an RV can still be accessed.

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
       [0001]    This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 61/722,699 entitled HEAVY DUTY, LEVERAGED SPARE TIRE CARRIER and filed on Nov. 5, 2012, which is specifically incorporated by reference herein for all that it discloses and teaches. 
     
    
     TECHNICAL FIELD 
       [0002]    The present invention relates generally to the field of motor vehicles; more particularly, to large, recreational-vehicle-type motor vehicles; and more particularly still, to a heavy duty, leveraged spare tire carrier that can be installed on a receiver hitch commonly found on recreational vehicles and is actuatable by a single person. 
       BACKGROUND 
       [0003]    Motor vehicles have been in common usage for nearly a century. Shortly after the first, rather small, personal automobiles were rolling off assembly lines, larger trucks and related vehicles began to be produced in large numbers as well. Towable trailers equipped with living quarters soon followed, and it wasn&#39;t long before such trailers were placed on a truck chassis and the recreational vehicle (“RV”) or motorhome was born. Today, such vehicles can be exceedingly large, requiring huge, heavy tires (in comparison to a standard automobile tire). Such tires, especially when affixed to a wheel and ready to be installed on the motorhome in place of a flat tire (such wheel and tire assemblies are ubiquitously referred to as spare tires), can weigh in excess of one hundred pounds and are quite unwieldy and difficult to handle. Perhaps for these reasons, many motorhomes and other large RVs often do not carry a spare tire. Thus, if the driver of such a vehicle is unfortunate enough to experience a flat tire, his or her only option is to call for assistance. Because recreational vehicles are often used to recreate in far-flung locations, assistance can be a long distance away, difficult to procure, and often very expensive, if available at all. 
         [0004]    Most small motor vehicles (such as cars and light trucks) carry a spare tire either in the trunk, under the chassis, or otherwise attached to the automobile so that, in the case of a flat tire, the operator can remove the flat, install the spare tire, and drive the vehicle to a repair station for further assistance. Because many motorhome owners are familiar with this state of affairs when operating their smaller automobiles, they lament the fact that such a spare tire assembly is too big and heavy to be commonly installed in recreational vehicles and are often completely unprepared to deal with a flat tire if such occurs while they are operating their RV. 
         [0005]    Since many manufacturers of RVs do not include a spare tire or even a mounting location for an owner to carry an after-market spare tire with them, there is currently a need for an RV spare tire carrier. However, as noted above, spare tires for RVs are exceedingly heavy and unwieldy, so spare tire carriers, as currently known in the art, are not built heavy enough to handle such spares and can not just be welded onto an RV because a single person could be crushed trying to remove a spare tire therefrom. Instead, what is needed is a heavy duty, leveraged spare tire carrier than can be easily installed onto almost all RVs, is strong enough to carry the weight and bulk of an RV spare tire, and yet is configured in such a way as to allow a single person to load and unload the spare tire from the carrier without risking life and limb in the process. 
       SUMMARY 
       [0006]    One embodiment of the present invention comprises a heavy duty, cross or T-shaped frame configured so a spare tire for an RV can be bolted thereto and mounted on a receiver-type hitch common in the RV industry with a secondary receiver hitch mounted thereon, and having an integral lever-actuated lifting and lowering apparatus to allow a single person the ability to remove and replace a spare tire on the carrier and/or to swing the carrier and spare tire out of the way so an engine or other compartment in the rear of an RV can still be accessed. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0007]    The aforementioned and other features and objects of the present invention and the manner of attaining them will become more apparent and the invention itself will be best understood by reference to the following descriptions of a preferred embodiment and other embodiments taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, wherein: 
           [0008]      FIG. 1  illustrates a front elevation view of an exemplary embodiment of a heavy duty, leveraged spare tire carrier with a spare tire attached; 
           [0009]      FIG. 2  illustrates a rear elevation view of an exemplary embodiment of a heavy duty, leveraged spare tire carrier with a spare tire attached; 
           [0010]      FIG. 3  illustrates a bottom plan view of an exemplary embodiment of a heavy duty, leveraged spare tire carrier with a spare tire attached; 
           [0011]      FIG. 4  illustrates a top plan view of an exemplary embodiment of a heavy duty, leveraged spare tire carrier with a spare tire attached; 
           [0012]      FIG. 5  illustrates a left side elevation view of an exemplary embodiment of a heavy duty, leveraged spare tire carrier with a spare tire attached; 
           [0013]      FIG. 6  illustrates a front perspective view of an exemplary embodiment of a heavy duty, leveraged spare tire carrier without a spare tire mounted thereon and placed in the upright, travelling position; and 
           [0014]      FIG. 7  illustrates a front perspective view of an exemplary embodiment of a heavy duty, leveraged spare tire carrier without a spare tire mounted thereon and lowered into a horizontal, non-travelling position. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
       [0015]    Referring now to the drawings,  FIG. 1  illustrates a front elevation view of an exemplary embodiment of a heavy duty, leveraged spare tire carrier  100  with a spare tire  170  attached thereto. Note that in  FIG. 1 , the spare tire  170  includes both common components: the tire  171  already mounted onto the rim or wheel  172 . Throughout this document, whenever a reference is made to a spare tire  170 , it includes both a tire  171  and a wheel  172 , unless otherwise described. The carrier  100  shown in  FIG. 1  is mostly hidden behind the spare tire  170 ; reference to later drawing FIGs. is recommended. 
         [0016]    The wheel  172  includes a plurality of mounting points  174  (often numbering ten on many RV wheels, as shown in  FIG. 1 , but other numbers are contemplated). In the embodiment illustrated in  FIG. 1 , there are four mounting bolts  176 ,  177 ,  178  and  179  illustrated utilizing four of the plurality of mounting points  174 . In other embodiments, the number of mounting bolts may be higher or lower than that shown in  FIG. 1 . The mounting bolts  176 - 179  serve to removably affix the spare tire  170  to the carrier  100 . 
         [0017]    The front hinge bracket  131  can be seen below the spare tire  170  in  FIG. 1 . The main body of the carrier  100  hinges on the hinge bolt  140  that runs through the front hinge bracket  131  and the rear hinge bracket (not shown in  FIG. 1 , see item  232  in  FIG. 2 ). In order to mount the carrier  100  onto the RV, a draw bar  120  is affixed to the carrier  100 . Because installation of a draw bar  120  into the receiver hitch opening on an RV blocks usage of said receiver hitch, a secondary receiver hitch  110  is installed on the carrier  100  itself to allow for use of other draw bars so that the RV can still tow trailers, etc. while the heavy duty, leveraged spare tire carrier  100  is installed on the RV. Once the draw bar  120  is inserted into the receiver hitch on the RV, a hitch pin bolt  150  and nut (or other securing device) secures it therein. 
         [0018]    A leverage handle  160  is also partially shown in  FIG. 1 . This implement is installed near the top of the main body of the carrier  100  when a person wishes to raise or lower the spare tire  170 . See later drawing FIGs. for additional descriptions of the leverage handle  160 . 
         [0019]      FIG. 2  illustrates a rear elevation view of an exemplary embodiment of a heavy duty, leveraged spare tire carrier  200  with a spare tire  270  attached thereto. As in  FIG. 1 , the spare tire  270  includes both the tire  271  and the wheel  272  with the tire mounted thereon. Since  FIG. 2  is a rear view, the carrier  200  can be more clearly seen than in  FIG. 1 . 
         [0020]    The wheel  272  includes a plurality of mounting points  274 . In the embodiment illustrated in  FIG. 2 , there are four mounting bolts  276 ,  277 ,  278  and  279  illustrated utilizing four of the plurality of mounting points  274 . The mounting bolts  276 - 279  serve to removably affix the spare tire  270  to the carrier  200 . 
         [0021]    The front hinge bracket is not shown in  FIG. 2 , see  FIG. 1 , item  131 . The rear hinge bracket  232  is shown. Together, the two hinge brackets form a set of upright members affixed to the draw bar  220 . Vertical support members  222  and  224  are affixed to the draw bar  220 , the rear hinge bracket  232 , and the secondary receiver hitch  210 . These support members  222  and  224  strengthen the carrier  200  so that it can securely hold the spare tire  270  while withstanding the large forces exerted on the secondary receiver hitch  210  when a heavy trailer is attached to the RV via the carrier  200 . 
         [0022]    The main body of the carrier  200  can hinge or swing downwards from the upright position shown in  FIG. 2  into a lowered position (see  FIG. 7 ) so that a person can access the rear of the RV and/or can remove the spare tire  270  from the carrier  200 . The hinge bolt  240  extends through the two upright hinge brackets  131  and  232 , as well as the vertical member  290  of the main body of the carrier  200 . A release pin  234  is attached to at least one of the upright hinge brackets  131  and  232  and ensures that the vertical member  290  stays in an upright position until the release pin  234  is actuated, releasing the vertical member  290  from its position between the hinge brackets  131  and  232 . Once released, the vertical member  290  can hinge on the hinge bolt  240  and be swung down to either side of the carrier  200 . See later FIGs. for more detail on the hinge mechanism. 
         [0023]    The vertical member  290  can be manufactured from square steel tubing as shown in  FIG. 2 . In other embodiments, other metals or materials of sufficient strength can be utilized. In yet other embodiments, the vertical member  290  can be solid and it can have other cross-sectional shapes besides square. In  FIG. 2 , two of the mounting bolts  279  and  277  are attached to the vertical member  290  and the remaining two mounting bolts  278  and  276  are attached to the horizontal member  280 . The horizontal member  280  is attached to the vertical member  290  and generally extends perpendicular thereto, with approximately half of the horizontal member  280  extending to the left of the vertical member  290  and approximately half of the horizontal member  280  extending to the right. The horizontal member  280  can be manufactured from square steel tubing as shown in  FIG. 2 , but like the vertical member  290 , in other embodiments, the horizontal member  280  can be manufactured from other metals or materials of sufficient strength and it can be solid and/or have a cross-sectional shape besides a square (for example, rectangular, round, oval, hexagonal, or other shapes of tubing or solid material can be employed). In order to enhance the strength of the horizontal and vertical members  280  and  290  and the connection therebetween, a plurality of angle supports  282  can be attached at each corner of the joint between the members  280  and  290 . As shown in  FIG. 2 , the plurality of angle supports  282  can be triangular shaped metal pieces that are welded or otherwise connected to the horizontal member  280  and vertical member  290 . In other embodiments, the number of angle supports  282  can be one, two, three, four, or none. 
         [0024]    In order to mount the carrier  200  onto the RV, a draw bar  220  is affixed to the carrier  200 . Because installation of a draw bar  220  into the receiver hitch opening on an RV blocks usage of said receiver hitch, a secondary receiver hitch  210  is affixed on the carrier  200  below the draw bar  220 . The secondary receiver hitch  210  allows for use of other draw bars so that the RV can still tow trailers, etc. while the heavy duty, leveraged spare tire carrier  200  is installed on the RV. Once the draw bar  220  is inserted into the receiver hitch on the RV, a hitch pin bolt  250  and nut (or other securing device) secures it therein. 
         [0025]    An exemplary leverage handle  260  is shown in  FIG. 2 . This implement is installed in leverage attachment point  275  located near the top of the vertical member  290  when a person wishes to raise or lower the spare tire  270 . The leverage handle  260  can be threaded into the leverage attachment point  275 , can be simply slid into the leverage attachment point  275 , or some other attachment mechanism can be employed so that the leverage handle  260  can act on the vertical member  290 . Regardless of the means of attachment, the leverage handle  260  allows a single person to lower and raise the spare tire  270  by hinging the vertical member  290  on the hinge bolt  240 . Because the leverage handle  260  extends the distance between the hinge bolt  240  and the location at which a user exerts force against the vertical member  290 , significant leverage is gained, thereby allowing a single person to raise and lower the extremely heavy spare tire  270  with ease. See later drawing FIGs. for additional descriptions of the leverage handle  260 , hitch pin bolt  250  and hinging mechanism. In another embodiment the leverage attachment point is attached to the horizontal member such that the leverage handle can be attached to the horizontal member and can act upon the horizontal member in order to raise or lower the spare tire. 
         [0026]      FIG. 3  illustrates a bottom plan view of an exemplary embodiment of a heavy duty, leveraged spare tire carrier  300  with a spare tire  370  attached thereto. The relative position of the tire  371  and the wheel  372  can be seen more clearly from this viewing angle. Also, the attachment bolts  376  and  378  can be seen extending through the horizontal member  380  and attaching the wheel  372  to the horizontal member  380 . The attachment bolts that attach the wheel to the vertical member are not visible in this view. 
         [0027]    The body of the secondary receiver hitch affixed to the bottom of the carrier  300  can be clearly seen in  FIG. 3 . Above it, the draw bar  320  extends perpendicular to the horizontal member  380  and the hitch pin bolt  350  can be seen extending through the draw bar  320 . It should be apparent that when the draw bar  320  is inserted into the receiver hitch on an RV, the hitch pin bolt  350  would pass through the receiver hitch and through the draw bar  320 , securing the draw bar  320  inside the receiver hitch. In  FIG. 3 , the hitch pin bolt  350  is shown as a hexagonal headed bolt with a nut and a hole running through the hitch pin bolt  350 , providing a location through which a pin or other securing mechanism can be placed in order to ensure that the nut can not inadvertently rotate off of the bolt  350 . In other embodiments, other types of hitch pin bolts  350  as known in the art can be employed (e.g., locking hitch pins, L handled pins, T handled pins, etc.). 
         [0028]    The bottom portions of the hinge brackets  331  and  332  can be seen in  FIG. 3 . See later FIGs. for more detail of the hinge brackets  331  and  332 . Also illustrated in  FIG. 3  is the leverage handle  360 . Because  FIG. 3  provides a bottom view and the leverage handle  360  is depicted standing vertically, only the bottom portion of the leverage handle  360  is visible. In the embodiment in  FIG. 3 , the leverage handle  360  appears to have an outer perimeter that is circular-shaped; in other embodiments, the leverage handle  360  can have an outer perimeter that is shaped like a square, triangle, oval, or any other shape. Although not shown in  FIG. 3 , the leverage attachment point should be shaped to match so that the leverage handle  360  can be inserted therein or otherwise attached thereto. 
         [0029]      FIG. 4  illustrates a top plan view of an exemplary embodiment of a heavy duty, leveraged spare tire carrier  400  with a spare tire  470  attached. In this view, the leverage attachment point  475  can be seen extending from the top of the vertical member  490 . The top mounting bolt  477  can be seen as can the two side mounting bolts  476  and  478 . The mounting bolts extend through the vertical member  490  or horizontal member  480  (depending on the particular bolt) and attach the wheel  472  to the members  480  and  490 . The angle supports  482  can be seen running between the vertical member  490  and the horizontal member  480 . 
         [0030]    Below the top mounting bolt  477 , the rear hinge bracket  432  can be seen as can the release pin  434 . The vertical support members  422  and  424  are illustrated. As discussed above, the vertical support members  422  and  424  attach to the vertical member  490 , the draw bar  420  and the secondary receiver hitch (not shown in  FIG. 4 , see  FIG. 3 , item  310 ). An exemplary hitch pin bolt  450  is also illustrated as is the top surface of the leverage handle  460 . 
         [0031]      FIG. 5  illustrates a left side elevation view of an exemplary embodiment of a heavy duty, leveraged spare tire carrier  500  with a spare tire  570  (including tire  571  and wheel  572 ) attached. When viewed from the side, the placement of the vertical member  590  between the front hinge plate  531  and the rear hinge plate  532  can be clearly seen. When the release pin  534  is actuated, the vertical member  590  can then hinge on the hinge bolt  540 , causing the spare tire  570  to swing downwards from its upright position. The positions of the horizontal member  580  and angle supports  582  relative to the vertical member  590  are illustrated in  FIG. 5  as are the mounting bolts  577 ,  578  and  579  (the fourth mounting bolt  476  is not visible in  FIG. 5 , see  FIG. 4 ). 
         [0032]    Portions of the leverage handle  560  can be seen, but as it is positioned generally on the other side of the assembly, it is mostly hidden in  FIG. 5 . The leverage attachment point  575  can, however, be seen near the top of the vertical member  590   
         [0033]    The side view of  FIG. 5  provides a clear presentation of the vertical support member  524  and it should be obvious that the vertical support member  524  connects to all of the rear hinge plate  532 , the draw bar  520 , and the secondary receiver hitch  510 , thereby enhancing the structural integrity and strength of the assembly.  FIG. 5  also shows the front and rear hinge brackets  531  and  532  attaching to both the draw bar  520  and the secondary receiver hitch  510 , providing additional strength and support such that a trailer can be connected to the secondary receiver hitch  510  and be fully supported by the carrier  500 . 
         [0034]    The secondary receiver hitch  510  is illustrated in  FIG. 5  with a hitch pin hole  512  and a receiver hitch opening  514 , important features in a receiver hitch assembly. In order to use this assembly, a second draw bar would be inserted into the mouth of the receiver hitch opening  514  and a hitch pin would then be inserted through the hitch pin hole  512  and through the second draw bar, securing the second draw bar within the secondary receiver hitch  510 . 
         [0035]      FIG. 6  illustrates a front perspective view of an exemplary embodiment of a heavy duty, leveraged spare tire carrier  600  without a spare tire mounted thereon and placed in the upright, travelling position. With the removal of the spare tire from the carrier  600 , most of the components can be seen more clearly. 
         [0036]    In the embodiment illustrated in  FIG. 6 , there are four mounting bolts  676 ,  677 ,  678  and  679  that can be used to attach the wheel of the spare tire to the carrier  600 . In other embodiments, the number of mounting bolts  676 - 679  can vary from the four shown in  FIG. 6 . The mounting bolts are attached to the vertical member  690  and the horizontal member  680 . This distributes the weight of the spare tire across the two members, ensuring that the carrier  600  can securely hold the large and unwieldy weight of an RV spare tire assembly. The perspective view of  FIG. 6  clearly illustrates the relative positions of the vertical member  690  and the horizontal member  680  as well as the angle supports  682  that enhance the strength of the connections therebetween. 
         [0037]    Near the top of the vertical member  690  is the leverage attachment point  675  to which the leverage handle  660  attaches. The leverage handle  660  is illustrated in  FIG. 6  as having a grip  661  to ensure that a user has a secure means of gripping the leverage handle  660  when using it to lower or raise the carrier  600 . 
         [0038]    The front hinge bracket  631  and rear hinge bracket  632  are shown in  FIG. 6 . Together, the two hinge brackets form a set of upright members affixed to the draw bar  620  and the secondary receiver hitch  610 . Vertical support members  422  (not visible in  FIG. 6 , see item  422  in  FIG. 4) and 624  are affixed to the draw bar  620 , the rear hinge bracket  632 , and the secondary receiver hitch  610 . These support members  422  and  624  strengthen the carrier  600  so that it can securely hold the spare tire while withstanding the large forces exerted on the secondary receiver hitch  610  when a heavy trailer is attached to the RV via the carrier  600 . 
         [0039]    The main body of the carrier  600  can hinge or swing downwards from the upright position shown in  FIG. 6  into a lowered position (see  FIG. 7 ) so that a person can access the rear of the RV and/or can remove the spare tire from the carrier  600 . The flat tire from the RV can then be placed on the carrier  600  or the spare tire can be replaced thereon. The hinge bolt  640  extends through the two upright hinge brackets  631  and  632 , as well as the vertical member  690  of the main body of the carrier  600 . A release pin  634  is attached to at least one of the upright hinge brackets  631  and  632  (in the embodiment shown in  FIG. 6 , the release pin  634  is shown as penetrating completely through both brackets) and ensures that the vertical member  690  stays in an upright position until the release pin  634  is actuated, thereby releasing the vertical member  690  from its vertical position between the hinge brackets  631  and  632 . Once released, the vertical member  690  can hinge on the hinge bolt  640  and be swung down to either side of the carrier  600 . In order to actuate the release pin  634  a security pin  635  must first be removed from the distal end of the release pin  634 . In other embodiments, other types of release pins  634  are contemplated (for example, a spring actuated release pin  634  could be employed wherein the spring keeps the pin  634  snuggly seated through the rear hinge bracket  632  until the release pin  634  is pulled sharply away from the rear hinge bracket  632 , drawing the release pin  634  out of the vertical member  690  so it can swing down; when the release pin  634  is released, the spring brings the release pin  634  back through the rear hinge bracket  632  and into engagement with the vertical member  690 , securing it in its upright position). 
         [0040]    The vertical member  690  can be manufactured from square steel tubing as shown in  FIG. 6 . In other embodiments, other metals or materials of sufficient strength can be utilized. In yet other embodiments, the vertical member  690  can be solid and it can have other cross-sectional shapes besides square. In  FIG. 6 , two of the mounting bolts  679  and  677  are attached to the vertical member  690  and the remaining two mounting bolts  678  and  676  are attached to the horizontal member  680 . The horizontal member  680  is attached to the vertical member  690  and generally extends perpendicular thereto, with approximately half of the horizontal member  680  extending to the left of the vertical member  690  and approximately half of the horizontal member  680  extending to the right. The horizontal member  680  can be manufactured from square steel tubing as shown in  FIG. 6 , but like the vertical member  690 , in other embodiments, the horizontal member  680  can be manufactured from other metals or materials of sufficient strength and it can be solid and/or have a cross-sectional shape besides a square (for example, rectangular, round, oval, hexagonal, or other shapes of tubing or solid material can be employed). In order to enhance the strength of the horizontal and vertical members  680  and  690  and the connection therebetween, a plurality of angle supports  682  can be attached at each corner of the joint between the members  680  and  690 . As shown in  FIG. 6 , the plurality of angle supports  682  can be triangular shaped metal pieces that are welded or otherwise connected to the horizontal member  680  and vertical member  690 . In other embodiments, the number of angle supports  682  can be none, one, two, three, four, or more. 
         [0041]    In order to mount the carrier  600  onto the RV, a draw bar  620  is affixed to the carrier  600 . Because installation of a draw bar  620  into the receiver hitch opening on an RV blocks usage of said receiver hitch, a secondary receiver hitch  610  is affixed on the carrier  600  below the draw bar  620 . The secondary receiver hitch  610  allows for use of other draw bars so that the RV can still tow trailers, etc. while the heavy duty, leveraged spare tire carrier  600  is installed on the RV. Once the draw bar  620  is inserted into the receiver hitch on the RV, a hitch pin bolt  650  and nut (or other securing device) secures it therein. 
         [0042]    An exemplary leverage handle  660  is shown in  FIG. 6 . This implement is installed in leverage attachment point  675  located near the top of the vertical member  690  when a person wishes to raise or lower the spare tire  670 . The leverage handle  660  can be threaded into the leverage attachment point  675 , can be simply slid into the leverage attachment point  675 , or some other attachment mechanism can be employed so that the leverage handle  660  can act on the vertical member  690 . Regardless of the means of attachment, the leverage handle  660  allows a single person to lower and raise the spare tire  670  by hinging the vertical member  690  on the hinge bolt  640 . Because the leverage handle  660  extends the distance between the hinge bolt  640  and the location at which a user exerts force against the vertical member  690 , significant leverage is gained, thereby allowing a single person to raise and lower the extremely heavy spare tire  670  with ease. See  FIG. 7  for additional descriptions of the leverage handle  660 , hitch pin bolt  650  and hinging mechanism. 
         [0043]    The secondary receiver hitch  610  is illustrated in  FIG. 6  with a hitch pin hole  612  and a receiver hitch opening  614 , important features in a receiver hitch assembly. In order to use this assembly, a second draw bar would be inserted into the mouth of the receiver hitch opening  614  and a hitch pin would then be inserted through the hitch pin hole  612  and through the second draw bar, securing the second draw bar within the secondary receiver hitch  610 . 
         [0044]      FIG. 7  illustrates a front perspective view of an exemplary embodiment of a heavy duty, leveraged spare tire carrier  700  without a spare tire mounted thereon and lowered into a horizontal, non-travelling position. The leverage handle  760  is shown in its active position, attached to the vertical member  790 . By grasping the grip  761 , a user can take advantage of the leverage gaining benefits of moving the point of application of force further out from the fulcrum (here, the fulcrum is the hinge bolt  740 ). The amount of force required to raise or lower the spare tire is much reduced when that force is applied to the grip  761  of the leverage handle  760  versus if it was applied directly to the vertical member  790  itself. 
         [0045]    The front and rear hinge brackets  731  and  732  are illustrated in  FIG. 7  with the release pin removed, allowing the vertical member  790  to swing downwards on the hinge bolt  740 . Note that the carrier  700  is designed such that the vertical member  790  can swing either left or right in the embodiment shown in  FIG. 7 . In other embodiments, it may be useful to limit the direction of swing to one or the other. 
         [0046]    Depending on the height of the RV&#39;s receiver hitch, once the vertical member  790  is swung downwards, a spare tire attached to the vertical member  790  will now be resting on the ground. The spare can then be detached from the carrier  700  and rolled away without the user having to lift and/or wrangle the large and weighty tire. The RV&#39;s flat tire can then be rolled to the carrier, attached thereto, and the vertical member  790  and flat tire can then be swung back up and into place using the leverage handle  760 . 
         [0047]    While particular embodiments of the invention have been described and disclosed in the present application, it should be understood that any number of permutations, modifications, or embodiments may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of this invention. Accordingly, it is not the intention of this application to limit this invention in any way except as by the appended claims. 
         [0048]    Particular terminology used when describing certain features or aspects of the invention should not be taken to imply that the terminology is being redefined herein to be restricted to any specific characteristics, features, or aspects of the invention with which that terminology is associated. In general, the terms used in the following claims should not be construed to limit the invention to the specific embodiments disclosed in the specification, unless the above “Detailed Description” section explicitly defines such terms. Accordingly, the actual scope of the invention encompasses not only the disclosed embodiments, but also all equivalent ways of practicing or implementing the invention. 
         [0049]    The above detailed description of the embodiments of the invention is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the invention to the precise embodiment or form disclosed herein or to the particular field of usage mentioned in this disclosure. While specific embodiments of, and examples for, the invention are described above for illustrative purposes, various equivalent modifications are possible within the scope of the invention, as those skilled in the relevant art will recognize. Also, the teachings of the invention provided herein can be applied to other systems, not necessarily the system described above. The elements and acts of the various embodiments described above can be combined to provide further embodiments. 
         [0050]    In light of the above “Detailed Description,” the Inventor may make changes to the invention. While the detailed description outlines possible embodiments of the invention and discloses the best mode contemplated, no matter how detailed the above appears in text, the invention may be practiced in a myriad of ways. Thus, implementation details may vary considerably while still being encompassed by the spirit of the invention as disclosed by the inventor. As discussed herein, specific terminology used when describing certain features or aspects of the invention should not be taken to imply that the terminology is being redefined herein to be restricted to any specific characteristics, features, or aspects of the invention with which that terminology is associated. 
         [0051]    While certain aspects of the invention are presented below in certain claim forms, the inventor contemplates the various aspects of the invention in any number of claim forms. Accordingly, the inventor reserves the right to add additional claims after filing the application to pursue such additional claim forms for other aspects of the invention. 
         [0052]    The above specification, examples and data provide a description of the structure and use of exemplary implementations of the described articles of manufacture and methods. It is important to note that many implementations can be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.