I was having a hard time getting my axle out as well after my outer bearing toasted itself and the seal. I ended up getting it out after several tries by using a hi-lift jack. I put the base of the jack against the frame and jacked the axle out of the tube. It was tough.

I had a spare axle in the garage that I was able to pull by hand. Two very different experiences pulling axles. A few years back when I pulled both axles to install a locker I pulled them both out by hand. It must have been the heat buildup from the bad bearing that cooked this last one into place.