Patent ID: 8327541

Claim:
A method of assembling a differential mechanism comprising the steps of: providing a differential mechanism including a casing having a major axis of rotation and defining a chamber for an arrangement of differential gears, the differential mechanism including a ring gear for mounting about the casing: fitting the ring gear onto an external surface of the casing; securing the ring gear on the casing by at least one laser weld along a generally axial line of interface between the casing and the ring gear; wherein the ring gear is press-fitted onto the casing by a predetermined amount so that the differential mechanism is thereby configured for use with a drive shaft pinion of a predetermined ratio; wherein the casing defines a plurality of stop locations for the ring gear, the plurality of stop locations each defining a position for the ring gear which enables the differential mechanism to be used with drive shaft pinions of different predetermined ratios, and the step of fitting the ring gear onto the casing comprises the step of fitting the ring gear to a predetermined one of the plurality of stop locations so that the differential mechanism is thereby configured for use with the drive shaft pinion of the predetermined ratio.