No, you DO NOT need to remove the hub! What he was referring to, is that the joint won't clear the control arm unless you remove the axle nut and push the axle in until the joint will clear the control arm. The joints will need to be popped with the fork so that the knuckle will give enough room to push the axle in far enough. As he said, careful not to pull the axle apart, make sure you are pushing the axle in as the knuckle comes outward. You'll probably understand it better when you're in there doing it and can see the taper on the CV joint and how it gives more room the more it's pushed in.
Edit P.S. I think you'll need a pitman arm puller, the idler can be separated with a fork. If I remember right, I had to pull the steering box to get at the pitman arm because of the frame.