Here's a suggestion, disconnect the bottom of the shocks, Jack up the tractor and put it on jack stands, ( no jack stands contacting the diff or drive axels or wheels. ) Jack under the diff untill it begins to raise the back of the tractor then lower it till the tractor no longer moves down. This will remove the load from the bottom half of the bearing housing. These housings are bolted to the front hull and rear support. Remove the rear bottom first then the front. You'll be surprised at the guk you'll find. Then do the same for the front bottom bearing housing. Now it gets interesting. ( I used two jacks on this move , for stability) Lower the diff very slowly. You may have to help it a little if it' stuck in the guk.( It can't move much because of the front drive shaft linkage etc..) Then remove the bolts, again, rear first. clean and polish the housings the best you can. These are not available anywhere, so unless you have a old spare, make em do. There is a felt gasket around the edge, try to save it, if not it's just s dust seal.
This is NOT easy but far easier than removing the whole thing. Watch for a shim at the rear bearing house where it attaches to the support. If the diff was removed before this shim may not be there.
The pictures don't show much, but the job of taking it out is a big one.
This method works if you want to take a short cut. TAKE YOUR TIME, DO IT RIGHT!
