Front wheel bearing...need help!

Recent lurker, first time poster.
I suspect a bad front wheel bearing, driver's side, on my 1999.
Problem is, I can't get the spindle nut off to remove the rotor and get to the bearing.
I've taken out the cotter pin and removed the keeper of course, but I can't get the nut to loosen, using a socket and an 18 inch Johnson bar.
I know I can put about an 8 foot pipe on the Johnson bar and generate whatever torque I need to loosen the nut if it's just frozen, but before I do that, I wonder if there's a hidden key or pin or something that needs to be removed.

Is there a hidden key or pin (or some other trick) that I'm missing?

Thanks in advance for your help, before I break the d### thing off.

Dave

I just did my ball joints this past weekend and had little trouble getting the spindle nut off in order to remove the hub assembly. It does take some torque to loosen it as the specs are 185 ft/lbs. Once you remove the cotter pin and keeper, that is all there is to it. The only other thing there is a washer between the nut and thr front of the bearing housing.

Thanks for the info!
Dave

What is the size of the spindle nut?

I haven't been back to this problem to fix the wheel bearing yet, so I don't remember, but I think it was inch and a quarter.
Dave