Reclining mechanism for a seat assembly

Current seat construction typically includes a mechanism by which the back portion of the seat may be adjustably reclined. These mechanisms have been known to have unacceptable relative movement between the seat components which has been the source of operator discomfort. The present invention comprehends a reclining mechanism (15) that includes a gear connection between a pair of spaced extensions (30,32) defined by a back portion (12) of a seat assembly (10). The extensions (30,32) engage a pair of stub shafts (38,84), each of which defines a gear assembly (36,82) thereon. The stub shafts (38,84) each define a hex-shaped socket (42,90) and are interconnected by a shaft member (106). The shaft member (106) defines a spherical hex head portion (108,110) that engages the respective sockets (42,90) and accommodates a preselected amount of lateral misalignment between the sides of the seat assembly (10) and the respective stub shafts (38,84).