ok, thanks for the advice. I will reuse the old shocks until a better alternative comes along. I just thought since I am replacing the rear axles I would replace the worn out shocks in the process.
I am not the most gifted mechanicwise but i did google "how to replace rear u joints" on google and found this forum. There was a post or two i found that had step by step advice on breaking down the rear axles and i followed it. I am waiting on the bearings and seals to come in so i can reassemble. I went ahead and bought completely knew axles that have grease fittings as mine were in bad shape(my machine sqeaked for years before i did anything. Like i said, i am no mechanic. My kubota dealer is not someone i want to do business with so i took this project on with little knowledge of what a u joint even is. I sure do now and feel good about my new found knowledge. When easter is over and i have sometime i can post about the whole ordeal. I took pictures along the way.