Rear Axle Bearing in an 8N

[FarmerHR]

About three winters ago,I decided that the leak in the rear axles needed to be repaired. I used the method recommended by John Smith. It really worked well. I have three years on the repair and absolutely no oil leakage.
While I was doing the job, I noticed the axle bearings had some pits. Decided to replace them. The part number was 2N-4221 for the cones and 9N-4222 for the cup. The cones were about $60.00 each from this site.
I was looking at the Timken web site and noticed that a 3780 bearing is the same as the Ford bearing 2N-4221 except there is not a radius on the small end of the cone. It takes the same cup. The price for a 3780 bearing was about $14.00. I ordered a pair and used them.
I felt confident that they were worth a try since the seal 8N-4284 that goes against them is now made from a rubber rather than cork like the orginal. Also, the seal on the other end goes against the hub which has no radius cut it it. As suggested by John Smith, I used some blue Permatex compound on both ends of the seal.
So far everything is working fine. I will keep our team posted how this works out over the years.
Thank you for letting me share my experience with this great web site.
 

[Eriklane]

I too had persistent leaks. Did a full teardown, and redo with blue permatex. Dry.