An axle assembly and a method of assembly. The axle assembly has a drive pinion, a through shaft, and at least one support bearing. The through shaft may extend through a drive pinion passage that may extend through the drive pinion. One or more support bearings may be disposed in the drive pinion passage and may rotatably support the drive pinion.

A differential assembly arrangement with optimized pinion shaft bearing lubrication is provided. The assembly includes a housing, a ring gear, a pinion gear, a pinion shaft supported by two rolling element bearings, a sleeve, and a lubrication deflector. The two rolling element bearings, a pinion head bearing bearing and a pinion tail bearing, are located at each end of the sleeve which fits over the pinion shaft. The sleeve helps facilitate the application of a pre-load to the bearings. The lubrication deflector is located along the length of the sleeve for providing the correct amount of lubricant to the two bearings. The deflector is in the form of a ring located on the sleeve or integrated within the sleeve.

An extending curved portion is provided below a bearing used in a bearing that supports a counter shaft of a reservoir plate to extend so as to receive the bearing, and to swell toward a differential chamber with respect to a bearing support portion that supports the bearing. In addition, the bearing support portion is provided with drainpipe-like ribs that serve as drainpipes that lead working oil to the extending curved portion. Consequently, working oil supplied from a working oil supply hole to the bearing and flowing down from the center of rotation of the bearing can be led to a working oil storage chamber.

An electric drive unit with a housing, a motor coupled to the housing and having a motor shaft, a differential assembly, a pair of output shafts, and a transmission that transmits rotary power between the motor shaft and the differential input member. The differential assembly and the transmission are received in the housing. The differential assembly has a differential input member and a differential a pair of differential output members that are rotatably coupled to the output shafts. The transmission has a transmission output member that is coupled to the differential input member for rotation therewith. An optional mechanical input assembly can be housed in the housing and can have a ring gear, which can be coupled to the differential input member for rotation therewith, and an input pinon that can be meshingly engaged to the ring gear.

A transaxle may include an input shaft including a first shaft and a second shaft; and a torque limiter including an input unit and connected to the other end of the first shaft so as to be relatively non-rotatable, a driven unit connected to a second end of the second shaft so as to be relatively non-rotatable, and a region transmitting a torque between the input unit and the driven unit while limiting the torque to a predetermined value or less. By connecting the input unit and the driven unit of the torque limiter with a one-way clutch, the second shaft is rotatable relative to the first shaft when a rotation direction of the first shaft is a first direction, and the second shaft is non-rotatable relative to the first shaft when the rotation direction is a second direction opposite to the first direction.

An axle assembly that includes a housing assembly, an input pinion, a ring gear, a ring gear bearing, and a differential assembly having a differential case. The ring gear bearing supports the ring gear for rotation on the housing assembly as well as handles thrust loads between the ring gear and the housing assembly in opposite axial directions. The ring gear bearing includes an outer bearing race having a first race member, which may be unitarily and integrally formed with the ring gear, and a second race member that is received in a groove formed on the ring gear. The differential case is coupled to the ring gear and secures the second race member to the ring gear.

A differential housing is configured to support a plurality of bearings. The differential housing includes a first bearing surrounding member provided to surround a first bearing included in the plurality of bearings. The differential housing includes a second bearing surrounding member provided to surround a second bearing included in the plurality of bearings; and a connecting member that connects the first bearing surrounding member and the second bearing surrounding member, at least a part of the connecting member being embedded in a wall that is made of a base material of the differential housing. Each of the first bearing surrounding member, the second bearing surrounding member, and the connecting member is constructed of a material having a smaller linear expansion coefficient than that of the base material of the differential housing.

A differential housing is configured to support a plurality of bearings. The differential housing includes a first bearing surrounding member provided to surround a first bearing included in the plurality of bearings. The differential housing includes a second bearing surrounding member provided to surround a second bearing included in the plurality of bearings; and a connecting member that connects the first bearing surrounding member and the second bearing surrounding member, at least a part of the connecting member being embedded in a wall that is made of a base material of the differential housing. Each of the first bearing surrounding member, the second bearing surrounding member, and the connecting member is constructed of a material having a smaller linear expansion coefficient than that of the base material of the differential housing.

Some embodiments are directed to a pinion shaft assembly of a power transfer unit for transferring torque from an output gear of a transmission to a driveline structure of a vehicle. The embodiments include a hollow shaft that includes an internal splined portion, a pinion gear connected to a first end of the hollow shaft, and a coupling member that includes a flange and a coupling extension extending from the flange. The coupling extension includes an external splined portion at a first end such that the coupling extension mounts coaxially within the hollow shaft. The internal splined portion of the hollow shaft meshes with the external spline portion of the coupling extension in a spline connection for coupled rotation of the hollow shaft and the coupling extension, and the flange is disposed external to the hollow shaft and configured to be connected to the driveline structure.

Methods and systems for a clutch cartridge are provided. The clutch cartridge includes, a dog clutch including a clutch ring slidingly engaged with a tube shaft and including a first toothed interface and a second toothed interface, where the dog clutch is designed to selectively engage a first gear and a second gear. The clutch cartridge further includes a first bearing coupled to the tube shaft and the first gear and a second bearing coupled to the tube shaft and the second gear.