Play in input shaft Peerless MST 206

Hello all. New to the forum. I'm preparing to start a build thread and was assessing a few things while I waited for membership authorization (junk folder? d'oh, stupid e-mail.) So I noticed some play in the input shaft of my MST 206-502c. It measures about 1/16" in play both in and out (linear,) and 1/16" side-to-side (lateral) at the end of the shaft. Is this normal? I'm assuming no as my axle shafts have no lateral play, and maybe 1/16" linear (in out.) Not sure which is proper terminology "endplay," so I tried to make it as clear as possible which I am referring to when.

So here's my concerns:

Input shaft play. Bearings?

There seems to be some oil leakage at the input shaft, so maybe a seal?

One axle is rusty while the other is wet with oil, but doesn't appear to be leaking at the seal when I leave it tipped up.

So, if it is believed that the input shaft play is unacceptable, I'll certainly address the other issues too. I'll certainly address all issues if they are cause for concern as well. So I guess what I'm asking is do I need to crack this guy open now? or wait until I need an excuse to Lock it and add bearings to the axles, and replace seals and input shaft bearings and seals then?

Also, any tricks for removing stuck U-bolt from Peerless 820? Transaxle is ready to come out, just one u-bolt is stuck in the housing. Been soaking in penetrating oil. Is heat safe on the transaxle case at the mounting hole?

Any advice/suggestions would be greatly appreciated

A little bit of "In and out" or end play is normal for a pinion or axle shaft, but the wobble is most likely due to needle bearing wear. That could also be what caused the seal to start leaking.

In some cases if the wear is severe enough the pinion shaft could also be damaged, but if it's only 1/16"  of movement you'd probably be good with just a couple new bearings and a seal.

Thank you for responding AllisKidD21, and thank you for the warm welcome on my introduction. These are the reasons I was excited to join this forum.

OK I was kind of expecting this, but I overthink things. Best to ask those who can answer from experience. Looks like I'll get my first crack at a transaxle. Why not, my first build is proving to give me a taste of everything. Stay tuned for the build thread. It's Lawn General that I think I will name "General Disarray" as that pretty much sums it up! LOL!

Thanks so much for your advice

Welcome to ATLTF!

Thank you MightyRaze, I am happy to be here!

General disarray is a pretty good funny name, LOL. Welcome to the forum Dr. Bob

Thanx prancstaman, I'm happy to be here! General Disarray, lol really, I purchased this tractor as a "functional machine." Well if you pointed to somewhere on the machine, I could tell you a story of what was hacked together, missing, or broken.

Keep an eye for build thread, I'll go into detail there. I'll report back here with the details of replacing the input shaft bearings on this transaxle just for closure on the subject. It gives a definitive answer to those seeking one by reading here at ATLTF. I do alot of searching before I generally ask. I learn a lot that way and if I end up asking for help, the answers make more sense to me.

So the case is opened and we will see what surfaces