Serviceable Spherical Joints with Wear-Compensation Features

A spherical joint comprising:

• a housing comprising a housing body having a hollow interior extending thereinto along a housing axis from an upper end of said housing body toward an opposing lower end of said housing body;
• a ball member sized to fit within the hollow interior of the housing body and defining a spherically contoured concave outer surface extending around a ball axis of said ball member;
• a lower race sized to seat within the hollow interior of the housing body adjacent the lower end thereof and having a spherically contoured upward facing concave surface for conforming receipt of the concave outer periphery of the ball member therein to seat the ball member atop the lower race in a manner allowing tilting of the ball axis and rotation of the ball member thereabout;
• an upper race sized to fit within the hollow interior of the housing body over the ball member and having a spherically contoured downward facing concave surface for surmounting the ball member when tiltably and rotatably seated on the lower race;
• an annular groove in a peripheral wall of the hollow interior of the housing body at a position that is adjacent to an upper portion of the upper race when said upper race is surmounted on the ball member;
• and
• a retaining ring sized to be engaged in the annular groove around the boundary wall of the hollow interior of the housing body to reside between the upper race and the upper end of the housing body in a position directly adjacent the upper portion of the upper race.