Patent ID: 7073779

Claim:
A tire carrier assembly for use with a vehicle, said carrier assembly comprising: a mounting plate mounted to said vehicle, said mounting plate including a plurality of apertures; a winch mechanism mounted to said mounting plate, said winch mechanism including a spool and a torque limiter, said torque limiter axially adjacent to said spool to deliver torque when said spool is turned and to limit the minimum amount of torque delivered to said spool; a cable having one end attached to said spool and having a tire carrier attached to an opposite end; and a housing having a plurality of tabs releasably engaging said plurality of apertures to mount said housing to said mounting plate, said housing having an inner surface defining a single cavity for substantially enclosing both said spool and said torque limiter therein, said housing having at least one flange extending inwardly from said inner surface for positioning said torque limiter and said spool within said cavity.