Vehicle brake assembly and method of installation

Abstract

A method of installing a vehicle spindle and brake assembly on a vehicle component. First, the spindle and brake assembly are "preassembled" into a complete brake unit. The preassembled spindle and brake assembly includes a spindle, a rotatable component, a bearing member for supporting the rotatable component relative to the spindle, and a brake mounting plate secured to the spindle and adapted to support brake friction pads. The preassembled spindle and brake assembly further includes a plurality of inwardly extending vehicle mounting lugs carried by the spindle, and a plurality of outwardly extending wheel mounting lugs carried by the rotatable component. Next, the preassembled spindle and brake assembly is positioned on a vehicle component such that the vehicle mounting lugs extend through a plurality of corresponding lug receiving apertures formed in the vehicle component. The preassembled spindle and brake assembly can then be secured relative to the vehicle component. In order to accomplish this method, an improved spindle and brake assembly is needed, wherein the plurality of vehicle mounting lugs are secured relative to the spindle prior to installing the preassembled spindle and brake assembly on the vehicle component.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.