2019 Mule SX front wheel rolling resistance & friction noise from front diff. HELP

[papillion22]

I'll start by saying i'm learning as i go & have come a long way, but there are some maintenance issues on my mule sx that must be addressed & i've got nobody around with experience & cannot bring it to a shop.

 

I've got rolling resistance when i jack up the front wheels. Months ago i thought i was possibly a brake issue but didn't yet have the equip. to pull the wheel hubs or press them back on... but the noise/friction seemed to resolve itself. I just checked up on it because i've got the tools for dealing with the brake system now and i noticed the wheels dont really spin... theres a lot of resistance and i can hear it coming from the front diff. I can't remember if it used to do that before, but i dont think it did. Its not the drive shaft or u-joints, but i've yet to pull them to be certain. it really sounds like its in the front diff. just where the drive shaft connects.

Should the front wheels - when in neutral and in 2wd and no diff. lock - spin freely? Theres too much drag for mine to even go once around. Can anyone point me in a direction? Otherwise its trial and error with cv axles, ball joints, brakes, etc. and i dont have the $ or time for that. 

I'm in over my head and really hoping someone can help. I'll try to make a video of whats happening, hopefully the sound will come through well. Maybe that will help diagnose it. Thanks.

[papillion22]

Still looking for advice on this issue....

I did more research & can say the noise doesn't sound anything like pinion gears, cv, or u joints - no clattering, popping etc... It just sounds like smooth movement but with a lot of resistance.

 

I'm gonna jack it up, run it & also try removing the belt & then checking resistance.... as well as front props. Thing is, I really don't recall hearing this a few months back when I checked bearings. It's def. new and/or worsened. I'll report back tonight when I'm done & try to video record the issue.