Patent ID: 7621507

Claim:
A tire carrier assembly for storing a spare tire on a vehicle, said tire carrier assembly comprising, in combination: a carrier adapted for supporting the spare tire; a rotatable sheave; a flexible member operably connecting the carrier to the sheave; wherein the flexible member is wound upon and unwound from the sheave upon rotation of the sheave to raise and lower the carder between a stowed position wherein the carrier is inaccessible and a deployed position wherein the carrier is accessible; a drive member operably connected to the sheave to selectively drive the sheave so that the sheave rotates; wherein the drive connection between the drive member and the sheave is broken upon a predetermined torque so that the sheave is freely rotatable to prevent failure of the flexible member and wherein the sheave has a first portion forming a reel for winding and unwinding the flexible member and a second portion forming the drive connection with the drive member and the first portion breaks away from the second portion at the predetermined torque so that the reel is freely rotatable.