Ball joint assembly

In a joint assembly with a socket member having an opening therethrough with a substantially cylindrical recess therein, a stud member with a ball received in said recess and a stud projecting therefrom through said opening to the exterior of said socket member, and a seal member of a flexible resilient material engaging both the stud and the socket member and at least in part defining a lubricant reservoir adjacent the ball, the improvement comprising a ring of a bearing material received in said recess of said socket member and encircling an equatorial area of said ball, a pair of separate wear rings of a high density plastic material with a low coefficient of friction received in said recess of said socket member adjacent opposed ends of said bearing ring and each surrounding an area of said ball between the equatorial area and one of the polar regions of said ball, load rings of a resilient material each interposed and compressed between one of said wear rings and said recess of said socket member and each urging one of said wear rings into engagement with said ball such that the joint assembly has wear take-up compensation, and both said bearing ring and at least said wear ring adjacent said sealing member each having at least two circumferentially spaced grooves extending generally axially thereacross and opening onto said ball to provide lubricating passages communicating with said ball and with said lubricant reservoir defined at least in part by said seal member.