Bearing assembly

Claim 1

A compact bearing assembly having a shaft with an abutment set inwardly from its end; said bearing assembly comprising a bearing including inner and outer races capable of rotating relative to each other, the inner race encircling the shaft and being prevented from moving axially inwardly on the shaft by the abutment, the inner race having its outer end positioned inwardly from the outer end of the shaft so that the shaft projects beyond the inner race, the outer race encircling the inner race and being rotatable relative to the shaft; a wear ring engaged with and encircling the portion of the shaft which projects outwardly beyond the outer end of the inner race so that the wear ring is positioned by the shaft concentric to the shaft axis, the wear ring projecting outwardly beyond the outer end of the shaft so that the shaft terminates within the wear ring; a seal fixed relative to outer race and embracing the outwardly presented surface of the wear ring; an end cap including a substantially cylindrical body portion fitted within the wear ring and a flange formed integral with the body portion and projecting radially outwardly therefrom and engaged with the outer end of the wear ring so that the flange axially positions the end cap in the wear ring; the end cap at its flange forming one axial end of the bearing assembly and having a recess which opens axially outwardly and is encircled by the flange; and bolts extending axially through the body portion of the end cap and threaded into the shaft, the bolts having heads which are disposed in the outwardly opening recess and bear against the body portion so as to urge the flange on the end cap tightly against the wear ring, whereby the wear ring and inner race of the bearing are compressed between the end cap flange and the abutment, the heads of the bolts being contained substantially entirely within the recess so that they do not project axially outwardly from the end cap.