Cable attachment assembly for a spare wheel

#The invention relates generally to an assembly for connecting a spare wheel to a motor vehicle with a cable, and more particularly an assembly that facilitates attachment and removal of the assembly to the spare wheel by restricting rotation and translation of the assembly when connected to the spare wheel.

#The statements in this section merely provide background information related to the present disclosure and may or may not constitute prior art.

#Many motor vehicles, including cars and trucks, carry a spare wheel somewhere on or in the motor vehicle. The spare wheel, which includes a tire mounted on a rim, is used to replace a wheel of the motor vehicle whose tire or rim has become damaged. In passenger cars, the spare wheel is oftentimes a temporary wheel having reduced size and mass which may be stored in a floor pan of the trunk of the passenger car. However, in larger vehicles, such as sport utility vehicles and trucks, the spare wheel has a greater size and weight. These larger spare wheels are oftentimes stored underneath the truck and lowered with a cable and winch system. However, due to the size and weight of these large spare wheels, a safety tether is used to couple the spare wheel to the frame of the motor vehicle.

#The drawings described herein are for illustration purposes only and are not intended to limit the scope of the present disclosure in any way.

#FIG. 1 is front perspective view of a cable attachment assembly used with an exemplary spare wheel and exemplary motor vehicle;

#FIG. 2 is a top view of a connecting assembly;

#The following description is merely exemplary in nature and is not intended to limit the present disclosure, application, or uses.

#With reference to FIG. 1, a cable attachment assembly is generally indicated by reference number 10. The cable attachment assembly 10 is used to couple a spare wheel 12 to a motor vehicle 14. The spare wheel 12 generally includes a tire 16 mounted to a rim 18. The spare wheel 12 is preferably a full sized spare wheel 12 equivalent to the normal road wheels of the motor vehicle 14, though it should be appreciated that any spare wheel 12 may be used with the cable attachment assembly 10. The spare wheel 12 is connected to an underside of the motor vehicle 14 by a winch cable 20. A winch (not shown) connected to the winch cable 20 raises and lowers the spare wheel 12 as needed. The motor vehicle 14 is preferably a sport utility vehicle, a van, a truck, or any other motor vehicle that uses a full sized spare wheel 12. However, it should be appreciated that the cable attachment assembly 10 may be used with any type of motor vehicle, including passenger cars.

#The cable attachment assembly 10 is a safety device used to connect the spare wheel 12 to the motor vehicle 14 in case of failure of the winch cable 20 or the winch mechanism itself. The cable attachment assembly 10 includes an eyelet 22, a cable or tether 24, and a connecting assembly 26. The eyelet 22 is connected, such as by a nut and bolt, to the motor vehicle 14. The cable 24 connects the eyelet 22 to the connecting assembly 26. The cable 24 is preferably made of a suitable material, such as woven steel wires, so as to support the weight of the spare wheel 12.