I spoke w/t a tech the other day about the same issue I am having. He instructed me to take the left wheel and hub off and the left fender as you are sitting on the mower and you should be able to slide the shaft out from the right side in order to put the boots on. I havent had a chance to try it out to see how well the shaft slides out but I know the hub is being a pain to get off.
Mitch
April 2009