witness
Yes, I'll testify confirming midknightman's statement above.
If your Ranger has the needle bearing, as opposed to the simpler (better?) bushing for a pilot, and it has weathered a few winters like my '96 and his '93, there is no point in trying any of the other clever tricks. I have personally succeeded on a few other vehicles, including several massive 9L/18spd Freightliner diesel tractors, using the greazy squeezy gag mentioned a couple of times earlier in the thread.
Not so much here, though. The outer race of our Rangers' little pilot bearing is made of metal too similar to the crank in which it sits. Given a decade or so alone in there to find out how much they have in common, they've inevitably fallen in love and eloped to Seize-ville.
Save yourself a nightmare and a half by getting your hands on one of those cheap slide hammers before you even put your ride on the jack stands. I certainly wish I had done it that way.