8-3/4 hard to turn the wheels

The green type of bearings do away with the axle endplay adjuster. Therefor if the axles hit the button and you tighten them down tight, you are are causing a bind.

If it still turns hard after you remove the driveshaft, loosen the axle backing plate bolts on one side and see if that frees it up.

If it does you can cut or grind a few thousands off the end of the axle to gain end play.