Patent ID: 6960148

Claim:
A differential drive comprising: a drive housing with a longitudinal drive axis (A G ); a drivable differential carrier which is rotatably supported in the drive housing by two rolling contact bearings, and which comprises a longitudinal carrier axis (A K ) and in which there are arranged and rotatably supported two axle shaft gears whose axes extend co-axially relative to the longitudinal carrier axis and in said differential carrier there is arranged a plurality of differential gears whose axes are arranged radially relative to the longitudinal carrier axis, said differential gears being held so as to rotate with said differential carrier, wherein said axle shaft gears engage the differential gears; constant velocity joints which are positioned inside the differential carrier and whose outer joint parts are connected in a rotationally fast way to the axle shaft gears; and projections formed at the differential carrier which extend co-axially relative to the longitudinal carrier axis and into which there are inserted outer bearing races of the rolling contact bearings; wherein, in the drive housing, there is provided a side opening which can be closed by a side cover and through which the differential carrier with the inserted outer bearing races of the rolling contact bearings can be inserted; and wherein in the drive housing, there are provided bores which extend co-axially relative to the longitudinal drive axis and into which there are inserted bearing holding rings which carry inner bearing races of the rolling contact bearings and which, together with said inner bearing races, can be inserted into the bores co-axially relative to the longitudinal drive axis (A G ), and wherein a length (L 2 ) of the side opening in the axial direction is greater than a length (L 1 ) of the differential carrier with the inserted inner bearing races of the rolling contact bearings and smaller than length (L 3 ) of the differential carrier including the fully mounted rolling contact bearings.