A connecting rod including a shaft, a link attached to the shaft, and a number of threaded fasteners for attaching the link to the shaft. The shaft has a major flange affixed to one of its opposed ends that can be attached to a bearing housing. A minor flange is affixed to the other of the opposed ends of the shaft and has a cylindrical concavity in its top. The minor flange has a shoulder portion and a pair of arm portions that radiate outwardly and upwardly from the shoulder portion. A link has a ring that is snugly, yet releasably, positioned within the cylindrical concavity.
1. A connecting rod, comprising:
a shaft including:
opposed ends;
a major flange being affixed to one of said opposed ends, and said major flange being adapted for attachment to a bearing housing;
a minor flange being affixed to the other of said opposed ends, said minor flange including:
a shoulder portion having opposite sides; and,
a pair of arm portions, each being affixed to a respective one of said opposite sides of said shoulder portion and radiating outwardly and upwardly from said shoulder portion wherein said shoulder portion and said arm portions, together, define a cylindrical concavity in the top of said minor flange, and each of said arm portions being provided with a pair of spaced-apart holes that extend into said cylindrical concavity;
a link having:
a ring positioned within said cylindrical concavity, said ring being provided with a transverse aperture, said ring also being provided with a plurality of helically threaded bores positioned for registration with said holes in said arm portions, said helically threaded bores radiating outwardly from the center of said transverse aperture; and,
a plurality of threaded fasteners, each respectively passing through one of said holes and threadably engaging one of said bores for releasably fastening said shaft and said link together.
2. The connecting rod according to claim 1 wherein said shaft is provided with a first socket in the top thereof that opens into said cylindrical concavity and said ring is provided with a longitudinal aperture in the bottom thereof for registration with said first socket and said link further includes an alignment pin being snugly, yet releasably, positioned in said first socket and said longitudinal aperture.
3. The connecting rod according to claim 1 wherein said ring is provided with a lubrication opening in the top thereof for the passage of oil to said transverse aperture.
4. The connecting rod according to claim 1 wherein said shaft is hollow.
5. The connecting rod according to claim 1 wherein said shaft is provided with a second socket in the bottom thereof for receiving an alignment plug projecting upwardly from the top of a bearing housing.
6. The connecting rod according to claim 5 wherein said shaft is further provided with a pair of bores positioned within said second socket for receiving a pair of alignment pins extending upwardly from an alignment plug of a bearing housing.