Patent ID: 9022892
Filing Date: 2015-05-05
Classification: B60B,B60Y,F16H

Abstract:
1. An axle assembly comprising: a housing assembly having a carrier housing and a pair of axle tubes, the carrier housing having a carrier body and a pair of tube mounts that are disposed on opposite lateral sides of the carrier body, the carrier body having a wall that defines a differential cavity and a pair of bulkheads, each of the bulkheads being integrally, unitarily and non-separably formed with a remaining portion of the wall and defining a through bore with a set of internal threads, the tube mounts being in fluid connection with the throughbores and the differential cavity, each of the axle tubes being received in an associated one of the tube mounts and fixedly coupled to the carrier housing; a differential assembly received in the cavity and having a differential case with opposite lateral ends, wherein a bearing bore is formed in each of the opposite lateral ends of the differential case; a pair of differential bearings, each of the differential bearings having an outer bearing race that is received in an associated one of the bearing bores and engaged to the differential case; a pair of bearing adjusters, each bearing adjuster having a threaded portion and a bearing mount portion, the threaded portion being threadably engaged to the internal threads of an associated one of the bulkheads, the bearing mount portion being disposed on a first end of the bearing adjuster that is opposite a second end on which the threaded portion is formed, the bearing mount portion defining a shoulder against which an associated one of the differential bearings is abutted, the bearing mount portion supporting a side of the associated one of the differential bearings that is opposite the differential case such that each differential bearing is in juxtaposed relation with the differential case and an associated one of the bearing adjusters.