I rebuilt my rear axle a few weeks ago and those outer axle bearings were a !@#$%.

I made my own SST to hold the bearing retainer plate and push the axle through the bearing. I used a peice of 2" DOM tube and a 1/4" thick plate to bolt to the bearing retainer....all a waste of time. My 12-ton press bent the 1/4" steel plate!!

I ended up having to cut the bearings off with an angle grinder (very craefully cut them off, I might add).

I'm not sure why they were so tough to get out. I don't live in the rust belt...and there was really no corrosion on the shafts.....they were just stuck.