Patent ID: 7775928

Claim:
An axle assembly comprising: an axle housing defining a pair of bearing journals and a pinion bore, the differential bearing journals having a threaded bore formed therethrough that is generally perpendicular to the pinion bore, each one of the differential bearing journals having an outboard side opposite the other one of the differential bearing journals, a counterbore concentric with the threaded bore being formed in each of the outboard sides; a pinion rotatably mounted in the pinion bore; a differential assembly having a differential case, a gearset received in the differential case, and a ring gear meshingly engaged to the pinion, the differential case including a pair of bearing mounts; a pair of first bearing portions each of which being coupled to an associated one of the bearing mounts and including a first bearing race and a set of bearing members that are mounted on a respective one of the first bearing races; a pair of hollow adjusters having a threaded body portion and an adjustment portion, each of the hollow adjusters being coupled to the axle housing such that its threaded body portion is threadably engaged to the threaded bore of an associated one of the differential bearing journals, the adjustment portions having a non-circular feature that is adapted to be engaged by a tool for rotating the hollow adjusters; a pair of second bearing portions each having a second bearing race that is disposed between one of the hollow adjusters and an associated one of the sets of bearing members; and a pair of retaining members, each retaining member being received on an associated one of the hollow adjusters and engaging the non-circular feature to inhibit relative rotation therebetween, each of the retaining members being press-fit into an associated one of the counterbores to inhibit relative rotation between the retaining members and the axle housing.