Farmall Super A transmission oil leak

If the clutch housing is separated from the transmission, must the front half of the tractor be moved forward far enough to expose the entire drive shaft? Or can it move forward far enough to get at the bolts that attach the shaft to shaft flange without the clutch end coming out completely? My concern is that pulling the shaft all the way out of the clutch housing will make it difficult to get the clutch/splined end of the shaft lined up and back in.

Thanks

The seal in there was the original one (spring loade leather in a metal case). The new one from the IH dealer is thinner and has metal on only one side. I noticed that when the flange came off the seal came with it. The old one and the new one can be hand pressed in to the retainer and popped out as well. Is this normal?

It seems to me that oil could leak out between th seal and the retainer because the metal on metal is not tight enough. Could I seal this by putting a bead of RTV on the inside of the retainer before pressing in the new seal?

Thanks,
Jim

you will have to pull it far enough forward to pull the flange from the tranny to replace the seal. the spline will be out of the clutch when you get the tractor split to seperate the flange so just give yourself enough room to work.