[brandone.lance]

Would it be so terrible to use a tractor to remove a driver-side CV axle?

Backstory:
The LHS CV Axle on my 2006 Commander has been going out for some time. Now I'm changing it, and while trying to pull it out I've tried using pickle forks, a crowbar, a slide hammer, all to no avail. The pickle forks don't get enough grip--I end up slipping and punching myself in the face. The crowbar sometimes slips, but sometimes I'll get a good grip. In which case I end up just pulling my feather self across the garage floor. The slide hammer hasn't been successful, mostly because the slide won't get past the "strut" so I don't get a lot of momentum. Getting more crazy as time goes on, I rigged a couple 3 ft steel straps to the handles on the slide hammer and on the end, put a piece of wood with a 3/8 in threaded rod as an impact point for a hammer. Several blows later, the wood has been split and the steel rod is bent--and the axle is still securely in the differential.

So, to reiterate my first question, is it so terrible to use a tractor to pull out the axle? What's the worst that could happen?

 

[Stircrayzy]

Sounds like a bad idea.
Get a couple buddies to hold steady pull pressure, while you taptop bottom and sides of the inner cv housing.

 

[4GVN.ADV]

Just did mine last weekend. Put the vehicle in neutral so you can spin the shaft. Get a helper. You need to use the pry bars while push, pull, pry at the same time. Push the axle in towards the diff. Helper pulls while you pry. The reason to push it in 1st is so the circlip gets a "running start". Give it a few tries, if it doesn't come out, rotate the axle 90 degrees & try again. You want the opening of the circlip in the upper position. I had to rotate mine 3 times (270 degrees) & it finally popped out. Good luck

 

[jeep5253]

@4GVN.ADV Please make an introductory post in the New Member Section. Thanks.

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[Dgoff84]

Honestly the first time I replaced mine. I was under the Jeep with a minney sledge. It came out eventually. But what I found out is that slip ring that sits in side the front differential actually has a sweet spot. You can sit there an turn that axle and you will fill it go into a groove. Once I felt that I propped the axle on a couple pieces of wood. Put pressure on the axle nailed it a couple times slid rite out. Make when your putting the new one in you sit the ring. If you don’t it’s going to pucker your butthole like it did me.

 

[SQUASHMIRE]

so what worked for me was a wedge between the collar of the cv shaft and the face of the differential. This is the wedge: