Axle seals

What I did was jack up the whole rear and place both sides on hardwood blocks (so that I can set the preload later without the wheels on and feel safe at it). I then pulled the axles and took them to a friend who does it all the time and has the pullers. I tried renting them and it got complicated. So I farmed that part out and am glad I did. Big Dean advised me not to try to re-use old brakes if they've been soaked in leaking oil. He says the oil will just re-surface later on and cause you misery again. Replace them now. Although I don't generally use foreign parts I did on the brakes. They were so much cheaper than sending my old ones out to get re-lined and a good advisor said they are fine for tractors so my new brake shoes come from Taiwan. They look fine.

So I ended up changing all four seals and two bearings. I am about to put it all back together. To set the pre-load (which probably caused the seal to go in the first place) I am told to put in the shims, without the outer seals installed and without any grease worked into the bearing yet with a grease needle, then bolt down only two bolts on each side and keep adjusting the shims 'til it is right. It can take 4 or 5 whacks at it. When the wheels just turn opposite ways is when your shims are right. (I took more shims than I needed from the shop - they said bring back the ones you don't use.) Once it is adjusted right, then you put in the outer seal and put the grease to the bearing and bolt everything back up tight. So that's my two cents. If anyone knows more tips or sees some better way of doing it, I would be glad to hear them.