The difficulty shifting is well known. It's a problem with the drive clutch sticking and not fully releasing. JD has a revised clutch to help address the problem. I mentioned it to my dealer and they had me bring it in. A couple days later I had my Gator back with a new drive/primary clutch for no charge.
The front drive shaft and bearing is a new one on me. Mine has always had a noticeable bearing and shaft noise but I'm only up to about 60 hours. How is your bearing "ripping out"? Is the bearing housing breaking or is the frame where it mounts cracking?