A steering assembly includes a pinion shaft. The steering assembly also includes a yoke defining a space for axially receiving the pinion shaft and defining an access path for receiving a fastener that couples the pinion shaft to the yoke. The steering assembly further includes an error-proofing device fixed to the yoke and having a deflectable portion blocking the access path in an initial position and deflectable upon contact with the pinion shaft to be clear of the access path in a final assembly position to ensure that the pinion shaft is assembled to the yoke at a predetermined axial position.

A yoke assembly for receiving a shaft, the yoke assembly including a main section including a pair of planar surfaces and a shoulder portion; and a subsidiary section with a pair of planar surfaces extending between a proximal wall and a distal wall. The subsidiary section is configured and arranged to be seated and securely attached to the first main section such that the proximal wall of the subsidiary section opposes the shoulder portion of the main section, and the pair of planar surfaces of the main section oppose the pair of planar surfaces of the subsidiary section. The main section and the subsidiary section are configured and arranged to be joined together to form a receiving aperture therebetween.

A driveshaft apparatus includes a main driveshaft, a collar, and a driveshaft yoke, which attaches to a flange yoke via a cardan joint. The flange yoke is configured to attach to a transmission, transfer case or differential, where the torque from the transmission or transfer case is transmitted through the driveshaft to the differential or drive axle. The driveshaft yoke includes a stem portion having a reduced diameter relative to the main driveshaft, which may be in the form of a tube. The reduced diameter of the stem portion shifts the larger diameter further away from the flange yoke, and provides an annular space outside of the stem portion. The annular space provides increased clearance to a tool used to drive the bolts that attach the flange yoke to the transmission, transfer case, drive axle, or the differential. The stem portion may attach to the driveshaft via the collar.

A joint assembly having a first joint member drivingly connected to a second joint member via a third joint member. The second joint member has a shaft portion extending from an intermediate portion of the second joint member. A plurality of shaft portion splines circumferentially extend from the outer surface of the shaft portion. At least a portion of a second end portion of the plurality of shaft portion splines includes an installation aid having a first end, a transition portion and a second end. The installation aid further includes a first portion from the first end to the transition portion and a second portion from the transition portion to the second end of the installation aid. An outermost diameter of the plurality of shaft portion splines of the first and/or the second portion of the installation aid is defined by a radius from a centerline of the joint assembly.

Various drop head coupling assemblies are described. The coupling assemblies enable a drop head tool typically used in drain cleaning operations to be releasably engaged with a drain cleaning cable. The coupling assemblies enable the drop head tool to undergo a wide range of motion relative to the drain cleaning cable, particularly during rotation of the cable and drop head.

A center bearing assembly for a multi-piece propeller shaft includes a stud yoke extending along an axis A between first and second stud yoke ends to define a central stub shaft rotatable about the axis A. A rotatable weld collar is operably connected to the second stud yoke end of the central stub shaft for simultaneous rotation therewith. The rotatable weld collar includes a body extending from a first collar end disposed adjacent the central stub shaft to a second collar end to define an exterior surface. A tuned damper extends radially outwardly from the exterior surface of the rotatable weld collar for reducing noise, vibration, and/or harshness (NVH) generated during operation of the multi-piece propeller shaft. A first shaft segment is operably connected to the rotatable weld collar and a second shaft segment is operably connected to the stud yoke for transferring a rotational force therebetween.

According to the present invention, a low surface-roughness part (114a) is formed at a first tapered part (114), and, as a result, the roughness of an opening-edge of a groove part (113a) of an internal spline part (113) that opens at the first tapered part (114) is reduced, and surface pressure applied by the opening edge to a tooth (123b) of an external spline part (123) can be reduced. As a result, the opening edge of the groove part (113a) of the internal spline part (113) can be kept from digging into the tooth (123b), and variation, between products, in the insertion load of a second shaft part (12) can be suppressed.

A cross joint comprises a flange yoke and a stab yoke, each comprising a based end portion and a pair of arm portions having a shaft hole and extending from both sides of the base end portion, and a spider having a first shaft fitted into the shaft hole of the flange yoke and a second shaft fitted into the shaft hole of the stab yoke, wherein the cross joint further comprises a flexing limiting portion, which limits a flexing angle of the cross joint due to mutual contact of a protruding portion of the base end portion and a flange portion of the spider when the flange yoke is flexed to a predetermined angle.

In order to attach cup bearings 18 with good precision in portions between circular holes 15 that are formed in joining-arm sections 10 of yokes 7a, 7b of a cross shaft universal joint 6 and the tip-end sections of a shaft section 17a of a cross shaft 8 regardless of variation in the dimensions of the joining-arm sections 10, the circular holes 15 in the tip-end sections thereof, and the cup bearings 18, and elastic deformation of the joining-arm sections 10 of the yoke 7a during press-fitting work, press-fitting punches 33 are used to pressure fit the cup bearings 18 to a preset reference position inside the circular holes 15, and the value of the pressure that is applied to the press-fitting punches at that instant is set as a reference pressure, and at the instant when the pressure applied to the press-fitting punches becomes larger than the reference pressure by a preset specified value, the cup bearings 18 are determined to have reached positions where press-fitting is complete.

A shaft assembly includes a yoke having a yoke body having an exterior surface extending between a first end and a second end along a first axis. The yoke body defines a first bore and a second bore. The first bore extends along the first axis between the first end and the second end. The second bore extends partially across the yoke body along a second axis that is disposed transverse to the first axis. The second bore at least partially intersects the first bore.