yeah i've always been able to get mine out without pulling the BJ's or front diff. as well

i pound out the studs and grind off the splines. you can pound them out one at a time w/ the diff still in the truck and then just put them back in w/ the splines on them too, if you'd like. It helps a ton.

if you do decide to grind those splines off make sure to use some loctite when re-installing

'95 Toyota Pickup DX Xtended Cab ~ Daily Driver