S-cam brake bushing cartridge

A brake shaft assembly for a vehicle having an axle with a wheel hub at an end of the axle and a brake actuating means located inboard from the wheel hub, the shaft assembly comprising:

• a shaft having a first end and a second end, the first end of the shaft having a brake actuating lever arm attached thereto and the second end of the shaft having a cam fixed thereon;
• a first and a second support bracket affixed to the axle, each of the brackets providing an aperture for passage of the shaft therethrough;
• a first and a second bushing assembly supporting the shaft rotatably, substantially parallel to the axle, the first bushing assembly surrounding the shaft near the first end and retaining the shaft in the aperture of the first bracket and the second bushing assembly surrounding the shaft near the second end and retaining the shaft in the aperture of the second bracket;
• wherein the first bushing assembly comprises:
• a first housing half and a second housing half, said housing halves being juxtaposable to define a cavity;
• a bushing, with an outside surface sized and adapted to be received in said cavity and an inside surface sized and adapted to receive the shaft;
• a grease zerk communicating the outside of one of the housing halves through a zerk window with the cavity, a first radial hole in the bushing directly communicating the grease zerk with a first grease reservoir defined by the inside bushing surface and the exterior of the shaft, a second radial hole in the bushing communicating the first grease reservoir with a second grease reservoir defined by the outside of the bushing and the housing halves;
• and
• a pair of bushing end seals for retaining grease in the cavity in the first and second grease reservoirs such that grease flow out of the cavity occurs at the zerk window.