On other machines I left the ball joints attached because of how tough some are to release from the taper. I would just pull the bolts from the frame-side of the upper and lower a-arms after I removed the axle nut (do it first) then just slide the knuckle with the a-arms off the shaft. Then pop the axle out of the diff case. A bit of an octopus to maneuver but beats using "pickle fork" and screwing-up the dust boots or screwing up the threads. Oh..be sure to take the brake line bracket off so you have enough room to slide it off the end...or remove the caliper. And the axle may be rusted a little to the bearing race so may need to spray it and play with it a bit.
If you really want to drop then off the ball joints you can try an old shop trick we used to use...pull the nuts, suspend the a-arm or the knuckle so it will fall if released then smack the sides of the a-arm where the joint shaft goes through...the end..on all sides with a steel hammer. That shock will most often release the taper and let the shaft let go.