Abstract: The present tire holder includes a tire mounting yoke swingably connected to the underside of a vehicle and a swingable L-shaped lever connected to the yoke. When the spare tire is to be released from the tire holder, the yoke swings down to allow the spare tire to slide down the yoke and be deposited at an accessible location on the periphery of the vehicle. When the spare tire is to be mounted in the tire holder, the L-shaped lever is pivoted and raised simultaneously to push the spare tire into the tire holder and swing the tire holder to a fixed horizontal position where the lever is fastened to an arm which swings and snaps into the lever.