A spare tire carrier utilizing a differential gear mechanism having a wire wheel rotatably held in a housing, for winding a wire rope to lift a spare tire. The differential gear mechanism includes an internal gear coaxial and integral with the wire wheel, a drive gear meshing with the internal gear, and a drive gear plate coaxial and integral with the drive gear and adapted to come into abutment with the housing to prevent the drive gear from rotating in a wire rope unwinding direction. The drive gear is rotatably fitted on an eccentric portion of the drive shaft. The housing and the drive gear plate are provided with a stopper mechanism for stopping an eccentric motion of the drive gear plate when the drive gear plate rotates in a wire rope winding direction from its position of abutment with the housing.