i got a 96 dodge ram 1500 with a dana 44 in the front yes its 4x4 anyhow im trying to replace the axel shaft u joint's well do u have to take the axel nut off? or can u just seperate the hub assembly and take it all out so u dont even see the wheel bearing or wat? because i tried that i took off the 3 12 point bolts and tried to seperate it but it would not budge need some info here

 

No, you don't NEED to take the nut off. But you should. You don't want to pull the whole thing out as an assembly. That would be really friggin' heavy! Plus you run the risk of damaging the axle seal by hanging all that weight on it after the hub is loose.

The hubs are tricky to get off. But here's the secret solution....
1) leave the axleshaft nut tight so the bearing won't come apart.
2) remove the 4 hub-to-knuckle bolts from behind. (You have a 1500, so you only have 3)
3) purchase a bolt with the same threading as the hub bolts, but an inch or 2 longer
4) thread that bolt into one of the hub holes several threads.
5) use a heavy metal spacer, such as an impact socket to fill the gap between the bolt head and the end-yoke of the axle tube.
6) start the truck and use the power steering to break loose the hub. Only turn the wheel VERY SLIGHTLY or you will bend/break the bolt.
7) repeat on the other side of the hub. You will be impressed.

 

argh too much work lol, but why the **** wont it budge it cant be on there that good

 

Well, if you live in a state where they use road salt...then there's a good layer of rust holding it on. My truck came from Florida (so they mine weren't rusty) but I still had to beat on them with a hammer to get them off. Didn't take long...a few mins. a side. If I had known about the trick I posted above, I would've just done that instead. Much easier.

If you're having problems with the hub, you're really gonna have fun when you get to the axle nut [8D] I needed a breaker bar and a 5ft. pipe to get one of mine off. [:-]

 

heat it with a torch mine came right off after that

 

Is the axel nut reverse threaded on the driver's side?

 

Nope...hasn't been on any of my trucks anyway.