Check for play top to bottom like checking a ball joint, if removing look at the needle bearings inside where the shaft goes, I have had 2 fail and eat up the shafts
Thanks but the axle is in my garage floor so i cant do that test. I know nothing on unit bearings but i habe disassembled down this far and still have no idea what to look for.
Unit bearings in general will "howl" or "groan" at speed if they are on the way out. Have not messed with these big ones but have changed them on passenger cars. It is harder to detect the wobble of a bad unit bearing than it is with traditional bearings on a spindle.