I got both of mine out with little trouble. No pounding.
First, I cut the ball off flush with the steering arm with a cut-off wheel. Then I ground about 1/16" of material off the opposite end (until I could see the outline of the ball shaft which is about 1/2"). Then I used a 3/4" socket on the old ball side and a short bolt as a pusher on the other side, and clamped the whole thing in a 4" vise. I tightened the vise and the bolt pushed the little bugger right out. The pass. side pushed out pretty easy but I had to apply a little heat to the driver's side. I let the arm cool in a bucket of sand overnight.