After long hiatus, today I broke down and bought an Impact Wrench so I could finally take apart the two halves of the axle...
After searching I found some threads that spoke about wheel bearings and removal. However I need to ask more specific questions.
Cam wrote the following :
"I use a long 20" x 3/8" diam steel rod for a punch. They come out easy. Circlips hold in one side. Cam."I did not see a circlip on either side. Lemme know if this is an issue. I'm assuming this is fine since I've been riding the bike up until now.
Today I tried using a large Impact socket as a sort of punch on the non-rotor side of the hub. I took a number of swacks at it with a 16oz Rubber Mallot. As far as I can tell all it did was manage to slightly crush the top washer/race down onto the ball bearings of that particular bearing.
Regarding using the 3/8" punch... is there a certain side I need to punch from? I assume I use the punch hitting the bearing in a circular fashion all around its rim... and that it'll eventually push the OTHER bearing out of the hub. Is this the correct assumption?