Differential gear apparatus

Claim 1

A differential gearing assembly, comprising: (a) a differential case including a flange for mounting a ring gear; (b) a pair of axles including axle ends extending into said differential case, said axle ends each defining a substantially radial end face and positioned in axial alignment with and disposed along an axis of rotation of said ring gear; (c) each axle end including a groove and a lock ring positioned in aid groove for maintaining said axle ends within said differential case; (d) side gears slidably mounted and rotatably coupled to respective axle ends; (e) gear means mounted to said differential case for coupling rotation of said ring gear to said side gears; (f) removable gear spacing means located between at least one of said side gears and said differential case, for maintaining said one side gear in its operative position; (g) each side ear including an inner end face, disposed in a plane parallel to a plane defined by an end face of its associated axle end, said gear end faces spaced axially inwardly of the end faces of their associated axle ends when said side gears are in their operative positions; (h) axial thrust bearing means disposed intermediate said axle end faces for maintaining said axle ends in their operative positions, said axial thrust bearing means including a radially extending flange defining axial thrust surfaces for said side gear end faces, said axial thrust bearing means captured in position by recesses defined by said side gears, said axial thrust bearing means being removable when said one side gear is moved to an access position upon removing said removable gear spacing means; and (i) said axles being sequentially movable to an access position at which the associated lock rings of said axle ends are removable, after said removable gear spacing means and said axial thrust bearing means are removed.

Claim 5

A method for assembling a differential of the type that includes a pair of axially adjacent side gears rotatably coupled to associated axles, each side gear defining a recess for receiving a locking element engaged with locking structure formed near ends of the axle, the method comprising the steps of: (a) moving one of said side gears axially outwardly with respect to the inside of said differential to provide an access opening between said side gears; (b) inserting an axle end into said differential, through said one side gear until said locking structure formed on said axle end is exposed in said access opening; (c) engaging a locking element with said locking structure on said one axle end and with drawing said axle end to a position where said locking element is received by the recess is said one side gear; (d) inserting another axle end into said differential, through said other side gear until its locking structure is exposed in said access opening; (e) engaging another lock element with the locking structure on said other axle end and withdrawing said axle end until its associated locking element is received by the recess in said other side gear; (f) positioning an axial thrust bearing arrangement in alignment with said axle ends and maintaining its position while moving said one side gear axially inwardly to an operative position; and, (g) installing a removable gear spacing means associated with said one side gear to maintain said one side gear in said operative position.

Claim 6

A method for assembling a differential of the type that includes a pair of axially adjacent side gears rotatably coupled to associated axles, each side gear defining a recess for receiving a locking element engaged with locking structure formed near ends of the axle, the method comprising the steps of: (a) moving one of said side gears axially outwardly with respect to the inside of said differential to provide an access opening between said side gears; (b) inserting an axle end into said differential, through said one side gear until said locking structure formed on said axle end is exposed in said access opening; (c) engaging a locking element with said locking structure on said one axle end and with drawing said axle end to a position where said locking element is received by the recess is said one side gear; (d) inserting another axle end into said differential, through said other side gear until its locking structure is exposed in said access opening; (e) engaging another lock element with the locking structure on said other axle end and withdrawing said axle end until its associated locking element is received by the recess in said other side gear; (f) positioning an axial thrust bearing arrangement in alignment with said axle ends and maintaining its position while moving said one side gear axially inwardly to an operative position; and, (g) installing a removable gear spacing means associated with said one side gear to maintain said one side gear in said operative position.