front axle trunnion torque adjustment...issue?

[disney]

Good morning all! Since just after Thanksgiving I have been slowly refurbishing a used deere tractor that I have acquired, and the owner's manual states that the front axle trunnion torque should be adjusted at "the required service interval" I am not trying to get into a debate about what exactly the service interval is, but since the tractor is 10 years old with almost 1,000 hours I thought I should do it. I raised the front axle off the ground with the loader, (noting that I could quite easily & quietly pivot front axle) backed the adjustment nuts/bolts off, and and then proceeded to torque to spec. Please see attacted picture/ instructions. After I had adjusted it, the axle is hard to pivot, and makes loud creaking sound when it moves. Now by hard to pivot I mean I actually have to push with my entire hand (with some effort to move it), where as before a light touch with two fingers would pivot axle. The noise is not a metalic noise, but a very loud and noticeable creak. I tried lubing the pivot point with spray lube (special HD penetrating lube, NOT rust penetrant)!, with no effect, but it could be possible that the lube is not 'reaching' the area it needs to. I even tried that with the axle very loose. Now before everyone jumps to conclusions about what I did wrong, let me say before I attemped to actually torque the adjustment bolts, I made sure that nuts and bolts all turned freely, and I did not torque one side, then the other, I evenly torqued them both down with little more 1/4 to 1/2 turn to each, before switching back and forth. I was using a snap on 1/4 drive torque wrench that is accurate to .1nm! Then I began backing of the adjustment and re-torque-ing 1nm less at a time, and unless I leave it around 7nm, it is hard to pivot and makes that creak noise as axle is pivoted. (creak is loud enough to hear while driving tractor, but barely) Any thoughts, ideas, suggestions, or is this one of those times when ignorance (to 'complete & proper' maint) would have been bliss? Thanks in advance to everyone who reads this, and an extra thanks to all who help!

[Baby Grand]

I'd leave it at 7nm, if you get easy pivoting without the creaking. I don't like creaking - means something is binding; not sliding. Is there any front to back slop in the pivot at that setting?

[disney]

"Is there any front to back slop in the pivot at that setting? " Not that I can really pick up on, but I weigh ALOT less than the tractor and am nowhere near as strong...