Differential axle assembly with adjustable gear offset

摘要

An adjustable pinion offset in a differential axle assembly. The offset between a pinion gear and shaft relative to a ring gear in the differential axle assembly is adjustable due to an eccentric mounting of the pinion assembly relative to the differential housing containing the ring gear. The pinion shaft is eccentrically mounted within a bore of the differential housing such that a simple rotation of the pinion assembly about the eccentric pilot mounting adjusts the position of the pinion shaft with respect to the ring gear to adjust pinion offset. Once properly positioned, the pinion assembly is secured to the differential housing to maintain the desired position. This invention substantially reduces the noise associated with gear offset error.