The assembly comprises: —a differential housing (24a) having a longitudinal axis (23); —a differential side gear (18) connected to a drive shaft (11), rotatably mounted inside and relative to the differential housing around the axis; —a blocking system for blocking the differential unit operation, comprising: —a blocking member (50) mounted inside the differential housing in a rotationally fixed manner; —and an actuation system (60) for sliding the blocking member along the axis between a blocking position, in which the blocking member and the differential side gear are rotationally secured to one another, and a released position. The actuation system comprises: —a connecting device (70) comprising: —an outer portion (80) mounted on and outside the differential housing in a rotationally fixed manner, wherein the outer portion can slide relative to the differential housing along the axis; —a through portion (71) which extends through the differential housing peripheral wall and fixedly connects the connecting device outer portion (80) and the blocking member (50); —an actuation device (65) located outside the differential housing (24a) and capable of moving the blocking member (50) relative to the differential housing (24a) between said released and blocking positions, via the connecting device (70).

A transmission unit includes a transmission housing, a transmission element rotatably accommodated in the transmission housing, a bearing seat, and an angular contact ball bearing accommodated in the bearing seat, for mounting the transmission element, as well as a double-row angular contact ball bearing having: an inner bearing ring; a first inner concave rolling element raceway formed in an outer peripheral region of the inner bearing ring; a second inner concave rolling element raceway axially offset to the first inner rolling element raceway and formed in the outer peripheral region of the inner bearing ring; an outer bearing ring; a first outer concave rolling element raceway formed in an inner peripheral region of the outer bearing ring; a second outer concave rolling element raceway axially offset to the first outer rolling element raceway and formed in the outer bearing ring; a first ball-cage assembly with first balls which are accommodated in a first track space extending between the first inner rolling element raceway and the first outer rolling element raceway; and a second ball-cage assembly with second balls which are accommodated in a second track space extending between the second inner rolling element track and the second outer rolling element track. In this way, the central tracks of the two ball-cage assemblies adopt certain axial and radial relative positions.

A manufacturing method for a power transmission mechanism including: first and second shafts having first and second double helical gears; first and second rolling bearings rotatably supporting the shafts with respect to a case and restrict movement of the shafts in an axial direction thereof, includes an assembling step of assembling an outer ring of the first rolling bearing and an outer ring of the second rolling bearing to the case in a state where the outer rings are movable in the respective axial directions; and a positioning step of determining axial positions of the first rolling bearing and the second rolling bearing while rotating the first shaft and the second shaft in a state where the first double helical gear and the second double helical gear are meshed with each other, after the assembling step.

An axle assembly having an electric motor module, a drive pinion, and at least one rotor bearing assembly. The electric motor module may have a rotor. The rotor and the drive pinion may be rotatable about a first axis. The first rotor bearing assembly may extend between the drive pinion and the rotor.

A tapered roller bearing includes a cage supporting a plurality of tapered rollers. The cage includes a large-diameter annular portion; a small-diameter annular portion; pillars through which the large-diameter annular portion and the small-diameter annular portion are coupled together; and pockets in which the respective tapered rollers are disposed. A space is defined between the outer ring and the inner ring, and constitutes an oil flow path through which lubricating oil (a) flows from the side of the small flange to the side of the large flange. Each pillar includes, in its radially inner surface, an oil groove in which lubricating oil is retained. When the cage rotates, the lubricating oil retained in the oil grooves of the pillars is scattered out of the oil grooves, thereby preventing seizure between the large-diameter end surfaces of the tapered rollers and the large flange of the inner ring.

A drive unit includes a housing and a pinion having a head and a shaft. The shaft extends through a pinion-support portion of the housing. A tail bearing supports the shaft and has an outer race fixed to the pinion-support portion and an inner race received on the shaft. The inner race is brazed to the shaft. The drive unit may be assembled by installing a tail-bearing cup and a head-bearing cup in the housing and inserting the pinion in the housing with the shaft extending through the cups. The method further includes installing a tail-bearing cone onto the shaft to be seated on the tail-bearing cup and urging the cups toward each other. The method also includes brazing the tail-bearing cone to the shaft while the cups are urged toward each other.

A transaxle according to the present application may include: a transaxle case; an input member supported within the transaxle case; a gear drivingly connected to the input member within the transaxle case; an output member which is supported within the transaxle case and arranged at the inner peripheral side of the gear concentrically with the gear; a cage with a roller as a bidirectional overrunning clutch interposed between the inner periphery of the gear and the outer periphery of the output member within the transaxle case; and a drag mechanism provided within the transaxle case to apply rotational resistance to the cage to make the bidirectional overrunning clutch be engaged. The cage has a first end and a second end, which oppose each other in an axial direction of the output member. The first end of the cage is close to a first bearing which pivotally supports the output member to the transaxle case. The drag mechanism has a rotation member which is locked to the cage at the first end of the cage so as to be relatively non-rotatable, and a spring member for applying the rotational resistance to the rotation member.

A mechanical locking differential includes a drive lock motor supported by the differential housing. The drive lock motor is disposed opposite the input bevel gear assembly, higher than the differential input and the differential outputs. The drive lock motor is coupled to a differential lock with a gear train that includes a worm drive, to output rotational motion on a lock output gear. The lock output gear causes sliding motion of a rack and a rack follower, pressing the differential lock into or out of engagement. The drive lock motor assembly is disposed fully between the right and left extents of the differential.

An axle assembly having a differential carrier that includes a bearing support wall that at least partially defines a first lubricant chamber. A rotor output flange that is fixedly coupled to a rotor may at least partially defines a second lubricant chamber. At least one seal may separate the first lubricant chamber from the second lubricant chamber.

An axle system and a method of control. The axle system may include an axle controller that may be directly electrically connected to a first speed sensor and a second speed sensor. The axle controller may control movement of a shift collar that may be selectively engageable with first and second gear ratios.