A wheel carrier for a vehicle, including a first component adapted to be secured on or to a vehicle a second component operatively connected to said first component for movement relative thereto from a stowed or upper position to an extended or lowered position and a third component operatively connected to said second component for movement relative thereto from a stowed or upper position to an extended or lowered position, said third component including means for mounting a spare wheel thereto and securing means for securing said third component in the stowed or upper position.
1 . A wheel carrier for a vehicle, including:
a first component adapted to be secured on or to a vehicle, said first component including load support means for supporting a load thereon, said load support means including a plate having an upper face;
a second component operatively connected to said first component for movement relative thereto about a generally horizontal first pivot axis from a stowed or upper position to an extended or lowered position; and
a third component operatively connected to said second component for movement relative thereto about a generally horizontal second pivot axis from a stowed or upper position to an extended or lowered position, said third component including load transfer means and mounting means for mounting a spare wheel to said load transfer means, said load transfer means including a plate having a lower face, said lower face being adapted to engage with the upper face of the plate of the load support means of the first component;
said second pivot axis being spaced from said first pivot axis and higher than said first pivot axis when said second component is in its stowed or upper position on a vehicle and said second pivot axis being lower than said first pivot axis when said second component is in its extended or lowered position; and
securing means for securing said third component in the stowed or upper position, wherein said securing means is arranged to secure said third component to said first component in a manner whereby said load transfer means is substantially juxtaposed with said load support means of said first component such that the weight of the spare wheel is transferred directly to said load support means by engagement of the lower face of the plate of said load transfer means with the upper face of said load support means when the second component is in the stowed position.
2 . A wheel carrier according to claim 1 wherein the components are so made and arranged that the spare wheel is held in a substantially vertical orientation when in the stowed position.
3 . A wheel carrier according to claim 1 including adjustment means adapted to allow the height to be adjusted at any time so that the spare wheel may be lowered to an optimum position to suit the terrain where a wheel may have to be replaced.
4 . A wheel carrier according to claim 1 wherein said first component includes first securing means for securing the wheel carrier to the vehicle and second securing means for securing the third component to the first component.
5 . A wheel carrier according to claim 4 wherein the first and second securing means cooperate to the extent that the wheel weight load on the spare wheel mounting means of the third component is substantially transferred to the first component.
6 . A wheel carrier according to claim 4 wherein the first component is arranged so as to hold the hub of the spare wheel in a predetermined position spaced from said first securing means.
7 . A wheel carrier according to claim 6 wherein the spare wheel mounting means of the third component includes a metal plate of a size and shape allowing at least three diagonally opposite wheel studs to secure the spare wheel thereto and the first component includes a complementary plate of a sufficient size to provide for face to face engagement of the two plates.
8 . A wheel carrier according to claim 1 wherein the second component comprises a frame having two spaced apart side members which together straddle at least a portion of the first component.
9 . A wheel carrier according to claim 8 wherein the second component stands close to the vehicle while the first component extends through the second component.
10 . A wheel carrier according to claim 8 wherein the third component rests against a portion of the first component extending through the second component.
11 . A wheel carrier according to claim 10 wherein the weight of the spare wheel is substantially transferred directly to the first component when in the stowed position.
12 . A wheel carrier according to claim 1 including biasing means arranged to bias the second component towards the stowed or upper position.
13 . A wheel carrier according to claim 12 including two spaced apart gas struts mounted in parallel.
14 . A wheel carrier according to claim 1 including biasing means arranged to bias the third component towards the stowed or upper position.
15 . A bumper bar for a vehicle, including:
a first member adapted to extend substantially across the width of the vehicle, the first member including connecting means for connecting it to the chassis of the vehicle, one or two spare wheel carriers according to claim 1 , and mounting means for mounting the one or two spare wheel carriers.
16 . A wheel carrier including:
a fixed mounting component adapted to be securely mounted to a vehicle, said fixed mounting component including a plate with an upper face adapted to receive thereon the weight of a spare wheel;
a first pivotable component pivotally mounted at a proximal end to the fixed mounting component and having a distal end remote from the proximal end, and arranged to allow pivoting of the first pivotable component from a stowed position alongside the vehicle to a deployed position away from the vehicle; and
a second pivotable component pivotally mounted to the distal end of the first pivotable component and including a mounting for releasably mounting a spare wheel thereto, the second pivotal component being adapted to pivot from a position alongside or adjacent the first pivotable component in the stowed position to a position away from and below the first pivotable component in the deployed position; and wherein said second pivotal component includes a plate with a lower face arranged to directly transfer the weight of the spare wheel mounted thereto to the fixed mounting component.