H rear axel housing gaskets

"I'm in the process of re-doing a '46 H and needed to replace the rear axle gaskets. I've been pretty reluctant to start this job 'cause everything back there is pretty heavy. Last week I finally worked up the guts to tackle the job. First before I did anything was to ensure that all the bolts would loosen, including the bolts that hold the rim to the wheel and the axle clamp. I also loosened the bolt that holds the axle to the bull gear at this time. (I'm doing this thru the PTO hole, by the way.) Then I locked both brakes and blocked the other rear wheel, in front and behind. I also blocked the front wheels, both front and behind. I then jacked up the rear end under the diffy housing and also placed a jack stand under the swinging drawbar bracket. I took all the bolts out that hold the rim on and moved the rim out of the way. I then wrapped a chain thru the wheel and hooked it up to my cherry picker and got it off - can you say heavy? Then I fashioned a sling around the axle housing and hooked the cherry picker up to that. Now I loosened the bolts holding the axle housing to the diffy housing about a quarter of an inch. I used wood shims under the front and rear of the bull gear to keep it from moving when I took the axle out. I also placed one under the center of the bull gear to keep it from tipping into the center of the housing. I placed a deep well socket between the bolt I was goint to remove and the other axle bolt. When loosening the bolt up, this caused the axle to be pushed out of the bull gear. Then I took all the bolts out holding the axle housing in and slowly slid the housing and axle free from the main housing. The bull gear never moved a bit! All of this removal took only about an hour. I cleaned all the old gasket off and checked the inner axle bearing. Oops, bad news! This bearing was missing 3 balls. (By the way, I did find all the missing pieces.) Well, gotta tear it down a bit farther than I planned and wait for a new bearing. Got the bearing and installed it and put the new gasket in place. I figured I would have a tough time getting the axle back in the bull gear, but the cherry picker was just the ticket for this. I was able to raise the axle and housing up to the proper level and get the housing started back into place. I then reached inside the differential housing to hold the bull gear from moving and at the same time turn the axle with my other hand till the splines aligned. It slipped in with no problems. Reinstalling the housing only took ten to fifteen minutes including tightening all the bolts. Now, lets hope the other side goes as easily as this one did. Probably won't find out for a while as I'm cleaning up and painting the wheel and rim while it's off."

The job isn't really hard to do, you have just got to go slow and please BE CAREFUL! When you have the whole axle and housing off the tractor, if one of your supports would slip, the first thing to hit the ground is going to be the whole side of the tractor, probably with you underneath. I tell you, when I was doing mine I was as nervous as a long-tailed cat in a room full of rocking chairs until I had it back together. Good luck and again, please work safe. Larry