Super M axle bearing is bad - what else should i d

While i was cleaning it I noticed under the 3 inches of gunk the aleft rear axle was rubbing, and creating a groove. I had not noticed any strange sounds and the tractor drives really nice for an antique straight off the farm. I have noticed minor leakage on that side when i am a little sideways. I removed the wheel and the cap on the outside of the axle housing. running on 3 bearings.

Didn"t try real hard but doesn"t look like i can replace the outer bearing without taking off the entire axle housing. Axle looks like i can probably reuse it since the groove is not deep and well outside the bearing.

Yes I should have looked at that when I had the loader and 3 point lift off twice recently. So this time I am asking the experts what else I should do from here, because I want to do it once, however, my budget is kinda slim so i don"t want to start throwing hundreds of dollars at it but 10s of dollars in the right place might make thing thing last another generation.

First I take the wheel off the axle. Then I grind square nuts so that I can wedge them between the inside and outside races of the bearings on the front and back (or top and bottom) of the axle. Then I grab a chain and bolt one of the ends of the chain to the bearing races using the nuts installed. I place the chain over a bottle jack or port-a-power placed against the end of the axle and bolt it to the other nut. Then I use the jack or port-a-power to “pull” the bearing out of the axle housing. It works best with at least one other pair of hands to help hold stuff. Saves me from having to pull the axle etc…Only problem is you don’t get to check the inside bearing for damage if you do it this way and you have to watch out so you don’t drop something on your toes…

Gordo

I read the post on ball in botom of case. Thinking that i can go in through the PTO opening, prop up the bull gear, etc, unbolt the old assembly, and bolt in the good one (complete assembly).

1) Would the new assembly mess up the backlash setup on the gears, or anything else that would make it impossible to do through the pto opening?

2) where is the best place to get gaskets, seals, etc.