Farmall Cub

I plan to replace the front transmission Seal while my '55, Ben, is apart, and wonder if there is anything to check regarding the countershaft? I did pull the cover off and will replace the gasket, just to make sure there was no leakage there. But is there anything else I should check? A couple observations I made:
1. When I pulled the cap, the PO had used a cotter pin that was too small and was almost completely fallen through the hole.
2. The shaft nut was very loose, yet screwed down far enough toward the rear that the hole in the shaft for the cotter pin was almost completely away from the castellated nut.
3. Should I be able to PUSH the shaft toward the rear?
4. Should I be able to pull the front bearing out of the bearing retainer, or should it have been PRESSED in tight? I did NOT pull it out, but it was loose and could have been pulled forward. (I would like to inspect the bearing)

Thanks!

it all depends on how the counter shaft was set up to the ring gear. to get to the nut you had to remove the cap this will allow the adjustment to become loose. I would suggest that you leave the cap off and install the bolts to hold everything tight. the shaft should not move in the bearing and also the bearing should not move in the retainer. If the nut was loose that is a indication to me that someone didnt set the proper load on the counter shaft. This can also cause ring and pinion to be too tight or too loose. when everything is set on properly on the counter shaft the nut should be tight. If the countershaft is not set correctly it may cause missalignment of the sliding gears causing excessive transmission noise. The same hold true for the ring and pinion.