Patent ID: 7861902

Claim:
Apparatus for stowing a spare tire and wheel assembly on a rear tail gate of a motor vehicle, comprising: a carrier having an inner end pivoted to a rigid vehicle frame structure beneath the rear tail gate for vertical swinging movement of the carrier relative to a transverse horizontal axis from a generally upright stowage position downwardly to a rearwardly extending, lower position, the carrier comprising an arm having an inner arm segment pivoted to the rigid vehicle frame structure by a first pivot and an outer arm segment pivoted to the inner arm segment by a second pivot, a latch mechanism that releasably latches the carrier to the tail gate when in the stowage position, a mount on a swinging end of the carrier for releasably mounting the spare tire and wheel assembly, the mount pivotally attached to the carrier, wherein the rearwardly extending, lower position comprises a second position that is a spare tire and wheel assembly removal position enabling removal of the wheel assembly from the mount and a third position that is a stowed position where the mount underlies the vehicle, wherein the inner and outer arm segments are pivoted in a first direction about the first pivot from the generally upright stowage position toward the spare tire and wheel assembly removal position and the outer arm segment is pivoted in a second direction about the second pivot relative to the inner arm segment from the spare tire and wheel assembly removal position toward the stowed position, wherein the second direction is the same as the first direction.