Caterpillar Tractor Co.

Mary Ann McGee

William A Bahnfleth

A pair of light assemblies (13) are mounted on either side of a vehicle (10). Each light assembly comprises a road light (14) normally maintained in a stored and protected position within a receptacle (17) defined on a side of the vehicle and adapted to be moved laterally outwardly to an extended position during roading of the vehicle. A cover (19) is pivotally mounted on the vehicle to cover and protect the road light when it is maintained in its stored position within the receptacle, during operation of the vehicle in a work environment.

Storable light assembly for vehicles

A retainer for preventing relative rotation of a lock nut threaded on a shaft to preload an adjacent bearing assembly includes a serrated bore for engaging a splined shaft portion extending through a bore and axially-extending projections for engaging notches or the like formed in the lock nut. A device, such as a sprocket wheel, mounted outward of the retainer maintains the retainer in axial engagement with the lock nut. The retainer can be deformed during assembly to facilitate proper alignment of the lock nut on the shaft. The retainer is advantageously employed to maintain preloads on tapered roller bearings utilized to support the final drive shafts in heavy earthmoving equipment.

Retainer for bearing lock nut

A retainer for resiliently applying a preload force to a bearing assembly rotatably supporting a shaft has a bore through which the shaft extends and is assembled from a plurality of separable sections. Formed in the wall of the bore are circumferential grooves which define lands therebetween. Similarly, circumferential grooves are formed about the shaft adjacent the end of the bearing assembly. One series of grooves are oblique to the shaft axis so that the respective lands are deflectively engaged when the retainer is radially closed about the shaft. The retainer is advantageously employed to maintain preloads on tapered roller bearings supporting the final drive shafts in heavy earthmoving equipment.

Growing community of inventors

Chillicothe, IL, United States of America

Mary Ann McGee