Patent ID: 6991380

Claim:
A wheel end assembly comprising: a bearing shaft having an inboard end and an outboard end; a wheel hub mounted onto said outboard end of said bearing shaft; a detachable outboard joint mounted onto said inboard end of said bearing shaft; and a wheel bearing mounted onto said bearing shaft between said inboard end and said outboard end; said inboard end of said bearing shaft including a flange portion, said flange portion providing a support to keep said wheel bearing positioned onto said bearing shaft and to induce a pre-load into said wheel bearing such that said pre-load is maintained on said wheel bearing when said outboard joint is removed from said wheel end assembly; said outboard joint including a bell housing, said bell housing having a narrowed neck portion defining a bell housing inner surface, said bell housing inner surface having a polygon shape, said bearing shaft presenting an outer surface at said inboard end, said outer surface of said bearing shaft presenting a polygon shape corresponding to said polygon shaped bell housing inner surface such that said bell housing engages said bearing shaft and rotationaly locks said bell housing and said bearing shaft to one another; said polygonal shaped bell housing inner surface and said polygonal shaped outer surface of said bearing shaft being tapered along a longitudinal axis of said wheel end assembly.