My post was very brief but not miss-guided. I may have given the wrong impression about the use of the hammer to drive in the front bearing.......don't hammer directly on the bearing race as chicagomike points out. Use an installer "spacer", disc , ring, socket, or pad that is of the correct size with a relief in the center to clear the inner race and seals. Trouble with using sockets is the shape at the end you would place against the bearing is usually not flat. The whole trouble is finding or making a driving pad that is the correct size and pushes against only the outer race of the bearing and does not itself get stuck in the housing.
I'll try to take some pictures of some alternative bearing installer pads. During my 25 years in automotive repair I dealt with hundreds of similar bearings in mostly ancilliary components like alternators and belt tensioners and clutch pilot bearings. The only two Kirbys I have replaced bearings in were not actually very tight, compared to some I've seen in other applications. Care must be taken when even using a proper sized pad to drive or push the bearing into place but it is possible to do so and not damage any parts. Actually, my own arbor press is too small to use on the front bearing of my Classic III but even a drill press can be used as a press, especially to get the bearing started straight in the housing.
