Abstract: An improved axle may comprise three design features that, used individually or in combination, may drastically improve axle performance and decrease the likelihood of axle damage and/or deformation resulting from vehicle weight, jounce load, combined cornering load, and/or curb strike load. These three features are: dual opposed tapered roller bearings, increased shaft diameter at the bearings, and reinforced flange back face.

Abstract: The gear housing may be a housing to enclose a gear assembly of a land mobile vehicle. The gear housing may have an upper housing portion and a lower housing portion. The lower housing portion may have a wall reference position below a lowest surface structure of a gear assembly wherein a wall of smooth, generally non-planar surfaces may be positioned below a gear assembly centerline with an interior surface at the wall reference position adjacent the lowest surface structure with sufficient separation to avoid contact between the gear housing and the gear assembly. The wall may have at least one concave curved segment to position the wall adjacent to a contour of outer surface structures of the gear assembly, but not contacting the gear assembly. An upper housing portion may be attached to the lower housing portion to enclose the gear assembly.

Abstract: A method for structuring a gear assembly housing may include: identifying the lowest surface structure of ring gear teeth top lands; forming a lower gear housing portion having a wall positioned below a gear assembly centerline; shaping the wall relative to an axis of an axle to form: a convex curved wall segment adjacent the lowest surface structure joined to a first concave curved wall segment that is joined to a generally linear wall segment; a first transition wall segment that is joined to the generally linear wall segment; a ring gear wall segment of generally linear form joined to the convex curved wall segment; the ring gear wall segment joined to a second concave curved wall segment that transitions to a second transition wall segment; and attaching an upper housing portion.