Wheel Bearing

No special tools are needed to replace an axle its just bolted to the frame or riser kit. If you buy a bare axle you will need to swap your brake plate assemblies to the new axle, also not difficult.

But first you need to determine whether it's the axle tube that is bent (more common) or the spindle. If it's the spindle then you'll need to replace the axle, you can't remove the spindle/torsion arms from the axle because theyre embedded in rubber. If it's the axle tube a good trailer shop should be able to bend it back.

You can tell it it's the axle because it will lose some or all of its "crown" in the center. Run a stringline along the bottom of the axle tube from end to end, there should be around 3/16 of an inch gap in the center.

Of course, you could conceivably have both a bent spindle and a bent axle....

The 179 and similar size rpods are prone to bent axle tubes because they are relatively heavy trailers and the axle tubes aren't attached to the trailer frame at the ends, they attachments are inboard, which puts much greater bending force on them.

Whether you get a new axle or bend the existing one back you should reinforce it or youre likely to get the same problem again. To reinforce it get a piece of 2x2 steel angle cut to length so it just clears the torsion arms at each end. Have it bent in the center about 3/16 inch by putting it in a hydraulic press with the angle resting on the legs and the corner up. Then get 4 square ubolts and bolt it to the bottom of the axle and the ends. If you do a search a couple of years back I have some photos and the name of a place to get the ubolts made up.

I believe you asked this in another topic, which I answered. For my axle reinforcement and pictures, see my mods (link in signature). Be aware that you cannot weld anything to the axle tube. It would immediately void any warranty and probably destroy the rubber inside that provides the torsion. My welding was to the angle and to the brackets I made.