SELF-ALIGNING AXIAL BEARING

摘要

A sliding bearing for telescopic tubes includes a polymeric disk-shaped body having a central opening and a plurality of spaced outwardly extending shoes, a flexible web coupling adjacent shoes, and apertures for receiving fasteners for attaching the bearing to an inner tube. The shoes have opposed edges that contact ribs on an inner surface of an outer tube. A fixed bearing for telescopic tubes includes a plurality of arcuate segments having ends that overlap with ends of adjacent segments, with the segments including axially extending walls that are radially inwardly inclined. An aperture is formed in the overlapping ends of the segments, such that they can be fastened to an end of an outer tube with fasteners to allow the segments to be adjusted to permit a n inner tube to extend through the bearing.