Unitary bearing retainer for a swashplate bearing

A variable displacement hydraulic unit comprising a housing, a cylinder block mounted inside said housing for rotation about an axis, said cylinder block having a plurality of axial cylinders therein each containing a reciprocating piston, a cradle swashplate having a cam surface cooperating with said pistons to control the displacement of the pistons within said cylinders, said swashplate having a central opening, a rotatable shaft connected to said cylinder block and extending along said axis through said opening formed in said swashplate, a pair of arcuate bearing surfaces formed on such swashplate on a face opposite said cam surface with said pair of bearing surfaces being located one on each side of said shaft opening formed in said swashplate, a pair of support means comprising a pair of spaced apart sets of roller bearing elements positioned between said swashplate and an arcuate portion of said housing and cooperating with said pair of swashplate arcuate bearing surfaces to support said cradle swashplate relative to said housing, and a unitary bearing cage having a pair of parallel retainers each containing slots engaging and positioning said bearing elements of one of said pair of sets of bearing elements to arcuately position said bearing elements between said swashplate bearing surface and said housing bearing surface, said bearing cage further comprising a pair of spaced apart cross members joining said pair of retainers in parallel relationship, said pair of cross members and said pair of retainers forming an opening which is in general alignment with said swashplate opening and permits the passage of said rotating shaft when said unitary bearing cage is positioned between said swashplate arcuate bearing surface and said housing arcuate portion.