Steering shaft assembly

A steering shaft assembly comprising:

• a tubular main body having a wall with an inner surface and an outer surface and having an upper end and a lower end with an intermediate portion between said upper and lower ends;
• a shaft disposed at least partially in said upper end of said tubular main body;
• a spring disposed at least partially in said upper end of said tubular main body;
• and
• a sleeve disposed at least partially in said upper end of said tubular main body between said spring and said inner surface of said tubular main body acting to urge said spring into frictional contact with said shaft and imparting an axial resistance force supporting said shaft against axial displacement within said tubular main body in response to application of an axial force on said shaft less than said axial resistance force, and enabling axial displacement of said shaft relative to said tubular main body in response to application of an axial collapsing force exceeding said axial resistance force, said sleeve having an end and a finger extending from said end and said spring having a first end with an opening passing through said first end enabling insertion of said finger through said opening to maintain said spring within said sleeve.

A steering shaft assembly comprising:

• a tubular main body having a wall with an inner surface and an outer surface and having an upper end and a lower end with an intermediate portion between said upper and lower ends;
• a shaft disposed at least partially in said upper end of said tubular main body;
• a spring disposed at least partially in said upper end of said tubular main body;
• and
• a sleeve disposed at least partially in said upper end of said tubular main body between said spring and said inner surface of said tubular main body acting to urge said spring into frictional contact with said shaft and imparting an axial resistance force supporting said shaft against axial displacement within said tubular main body in response to application of an axial force on said shaft less than said axial resistance force, and enabling axial displacement of said shaft relative to said tubular main body in response to application of an axial collapsing force exceeding said axial resistance force, said spring having a first end and a second end defining a longitudinal axis therebetween, said first end extending outwardly from said longitudinal axis acting to abut said upper end of said tubular main body upon disposing said spring in said tubular main body providing location of said spring relative to said tubular main body and restricting axial movement of said spring relative to said tubular main body.