Patent ID: 7887062

Claim:
A radial shaft seal for providing a seal between a fixed housing and a rotating shaft, comprising: an annular retainer insert; an annular elastomeric seal body molded to said retainer insert, said seal body including an over-molded portion bonded to said retainer insert, a flexible axially extending leg extending from an inner surface of said retainer insert, and a seal portion extending axially from a radially inward portion of said flexible axially extending leg, said seal portion including an axially extending leg, an annular seal insert, a sealing lip with a garter spring disposed radially outward of said sealing lip, and an elastomeric bearing disposed adjacent to said sealing lip and having an engagement surface adapted to engage said shaft, said annular seal insert including an L-shaped cross-section with an axially extending leg disposed radially outward from said elastomeric bearing and a radially outwardly extending leg extending from said axially extending leg of said annular seal insert, said axially extending leg of said annular seal insert positioned radially outward from the engagement surface of said elastomeric bearing between said elastomeric bearing engagement surface and said axially extending leg of said seal portion such that said axially extending leg of said annular seal insert is spaced apart from said rotating shaft.