Patent ID: 7819588

Claim:
A bearing apparatus for a drive wheel, comprising: a hub having a wheel attached thereto; a hub bearing fitted on an outer circumference of said hub for rotatably supporting said hub with respect to a vehicle body; an outer race member of a constant velocity universal joint, said outer race member being fitted inside said hub and having a cup portion and a shaft portion; and a joint boot attached to said cup portion of said outer race member, wherein a surrounding member is provided that surrounds a part of said cup portion of said outer race member, with a gap, and a first seal member is provided between an inner surface of said surrounding member and an outer surface of said outer race member, and said first seal member is annular in shape and has a substantially U-shaped cross section, wherein an opening is formed between a circumferential edge of said surrounding member and a large-diameter end portion of said joint boot, and said circumferential edge extends substantially in parallel to an outer surface of said large-diameter end portion of said joint boot, wherein the circumferential edge of the surrounding member and said outer surface of the large-diameter end portion of said joint boot are spaced apart from each other in an axial direction, and the opening opens in a radial direction, and wherein a recess is formed on said first seal member and is opened in the axial direction toward an outer surface of said large-diameter end portion of said joint boot.