Self-aligning, self-locking plastic bushing including a method for mounting the bushing to a wheel assembly

摘要

A plastic bushing for use with wheel assemblies for low speed, off-highway vehicles of the type of hand trucks, wheelbarrows and the like. The plastic bushing is constructed of two substantially identical bushing members molded of a self-lubricating, preselected plastic and each having a flanged end for abutting the central opening of a wheel assembly. Each plastic bushing member is provided with diametrically spaced locking fingers with locking windows defined in the body of the bushing members for snap-locking to the locking fingers when aligned within the wheel assembly opening. The method of mounting the bushing members includes producing relative movement between the bushing members to cause the pair of locking fingers of one bushing member to self-align with the locking window of the other bushing member to cause the locking fingers to be snap-locked to an edge of the window and maintained in operative relationship within the opening of the wheel assembly by the flanged ends of the bushing members abutting the wheel assembly. A supporting shaft for the wheels of the off-highway vehicle is rotatably supported within the thus assembled plastic bushing.