I hand tighten the castle nut while spinning the hub and tapping it with a mallot. When the hub becomes tight to spin, I back the nut off and check for end play. I haven't had a chance to repack the bearings because most have failed within 10,000 miles. Yes, my methods can be flawed.
There is a possibility my spindles and/or hubs were a little worn to begin with. If a race spins in the hub or spindle and goes unnoticed, it could wipe the good part out. I spun a few bearings on the driver side hub. After spinning the 2nd one, I took a good look at the spindle and saw evidence of wear on the spindle. I replaced the axle assembly with another used one. I examined everthing for wear, and used new bearings. 8000 miles later the bearings were worn, one hub was destroyed, and both inner bearings had spun on the spindles.
