Spare wheel carrier for a motor vehicle
AssigneeFord Motor Company
InventorNigel C. Hamlyn
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A spare wheel carrier for a motor vehicle, especially a truck, comprises a rotatable spindle 1 carrying a cable 6 the free end of which passes through the center of the wheel 8 and is attached to a cross-bar 7 bolted to the wheel 8 and a supporting beam 9 which is in turn normally bolted to the underside of the vehicle. The wheel is lowered with the beam 9 and cross-bar 7 by unwinding the cable 6 from the spindle 1. Unwinding is controlled by an escapement comprising a ratchet wheel 12 and an anchor plate 19 which is reciprocated by a jack handle inserted in an aperture 23 in the anchor plate.
Claims1
A spare wheel carrier for a motor vehicle comprising a spindle adapted to be rotatably mounted on a vehicle frame, a cable wound around the spindle and adapted at its free end to be secured to a vehicle wheel, and a releasable ratchet for normally preventing the spindle from rotating in a direction in which the cable would unwind therefrom, characterized in that the releasable ratchet comprises an escapement movable between first and second engaged positions to permit rotation of the spindle in the said direction in incremental steps, the escapement including a ratchet rotatable with the spindle and an anchor having two stop surfaces, each of which engages a tooth of the ratchet wheel when the other is disengaged therefrom, the anchor defining an orifice which overlies an orifice defined in a backing plate relative to which the anchor is movable, whereby movement of the anchor may be effected by means of a lever engaged in the two orifices.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.