I still vote for the grease. That is what you pull pilot bearings out with you know. Besides the grease ain't gonna hurt nothing. You may wind up with more foreign objects in there. Then what we gonna do??
Heck, it's just gonna burn up if left in there.

57 GMC LCF 370
55 John Deere 40-W
59 John Deere 430-W
2000 GMC 4x4
56 John Deere 420-W
Pix on Photobucket