Patent ID: 8430778

Claim:
A drive arrangement for connecting a drive gear of a vehicle transmission/transfer to a prop shaft that drives a set of wheels, the combination comprising: a driven gear journaled for rotation on a housing and having teeth meshing with teeth provided on the drive gear, said driven gear having an axially extending cylindrical central bore; a yoke attached to the prop shaft and having a shaft extending into the central bore of the driven gear; an annular inner race having a central bore encircling the yoke and an outer surface; matching splines provided on the inner race and the yoke so that the inner race and the yoke are coupled for rotation; and a plurality of balls located between the outer surface of the inner race and the central bore of the driven gear, each of the balls being seated within longitudinally extending first grooves provided on the outer surface of the inner race and longitudinally extending second grooves provided on the central bore of the driven gear, said balls transmitting rotary torque between the driven gear and the inner race and said balls also rolling axially within the first and second grooves to permit movement of the yoke within the central bore during high speed rotation of the driven gear and prop shaft.