i just purchased a 2002 sp700 and i am replacing one of the rear axles. I finally got everything apart, but wanted to here others experience and suggestions. in the end i had to take the rear end out and use two chisels and slowly hammer them in between the housing and the upper cv joint. i may have been able to do this with the rear end still in, but it was hard to see and make sure i wasn't damaging anything and it would have been hard to swing the hammer.

everything i read was just give the axle a hard pull and it will eventually come out. has this really worked for anyone with an atv 6 years old. even with the chisels, it took some whacks. i couldn't get it to budge with pry bars while the rear was still in the machine.

plus when i eventually pulled, the upper cv joint eventually separated. is this normal?

i had quite a bit of mud in the ring between the two axles. is this normal?

i couldn't find any tools or attachments made for my slide hammer to help get this out. I have the auto fwd axle puller attachment for my slide hammer but it was to big to fit. it is supposed to slide in between the rear diff and upper cv joint. does anyone know of any tools made for this that fit polaris? or any other tools that will make this removal easier in the future?

thanks
jason