When replacing hub/bearing assembly..

Small piece of 2x4 works too. Make sure to put a little grease all the way around the seal so it can slide into the backside of the spindle better. And tap evenly on all sides - actually the force is harder than a tap

 

Helper for what
Done this about 6 times one person

many ways to do it

pushing on the brake pedal is a matter of shoving a pry bar there. A brake pedal depressor tool is useful to have and can be home made.

173 ft lbs and potentially reusable axle nut is not that high compared to many other cars that have a one time use stretch bolt with higher torque spec that pretty much everyone tightens by standing on a breaker bar.

hardest part is probably figuring out all the seals needed and how to replace them to have better than bent used, because Toyota does it complicated vs other cars that simply have a bearing, bolt, axle, no seals. Who knows maybe they designed it that way for reliability to help keep debris and water away.

 

I used to put a pry bar against the studs but I kinda stopped doing that, don't want to risk "un-seating" the way they are pressed into the flange. Or mush the threads on a brand new stud.

Instead just put a screwdriver into the vanes of the brake rotor and brace it against the caliper. Works great tightening or loosening

 

Purchase a replacement black dust cap for the axle nut. You're likely to damage the first one you do before gaining experience.

Purchase a replacement large cotter pin for the axle nut.

Purchase a replacement O-ring for the bearing shoulder fillet if your bearing didn't come with one.

Once the axle nut is loose, unthread it until it's flush with the face of the axle shaft, then hammer on the axle shaft to get it unstuck from the hub splines. You don't need to disturb the wheel speed sensor if you do this. On a 14 year-old vehicle, the wheel speed sensor is likely to snap off if you try to remove it.

Coat the spindle cavity, inner wheel seal, and axle shaft splines in grease to slow down corrosion. You can coat the axle nut threads in grease too, but reduce the torque by about 35% if you do (less exertion is a side benefit).