Patent ID: 7708352

Claim:
A vehicle axle, comprising: an axle housing having a pair of ends each defining an axle housing opening in communication with an axle housing cavity, said axle housing having an internal sealing flange displaced from each axle housing opening; a pair of outer drive shafts, each outer drive shaft being coaxially received in a respective axle housing cavity for relative slidable movement therein, each outer drive shaft having an outer end operatively coupled to a vehicle wheel and an inner end defining an opening in communication with a splined cavity; a pair of inner drive shafts, each inner drive shaft having a splined end received through a respective outer drive shaft opening and coaxially coupled to a respective outer drive shaft splined cavity such that said respective outer drive shaft is slidably movable therein between compressed and extended configurations relative thereto; a piston attached to said inner end of each outer drive shaft and configured so as to form an inner fluid chamber between said piston and said sealing flange and an outer fluid chamber between a respective piston and respective axle housing opening, said inner and outer fluid chambers configured to hold a fluid; a fluid channel having a first end in fluid communication with a respective inner fluid chamber and a second end in fluid communication with a respective outer fluid chamber; a force absorption container in fluid communication with each respective fluid channel, each force absorption container having a compression spring therein, wherein said spring is compressed when movement of said piston pushes fluid through said channel into said force absorption container.