Rear axle brace questions (2a vs. 3)

[Frosst]

Hey guys. I'm in the process of rebuilding my '62 series 2a and have a question about the rear axle. The main support is solid and fine but the outermost part, past the spring block has rusted through. Ive been looking at various axles and it appears rover got rid of this support in the series 3. The question is, do I need it or can I just cut the remnants off and be done with it?
I've included a pic of what I'm talking about.

[I Leak Oil]

You can get rid of it. In fact, the original axle on my truck looked good until one day it started leaking gear oil from the support. Apparently it was so full of sand and grit that it held the moisture against the main tube and rotted the casing out. I found a solid used case, welded it up completely.