Removing HWH crosstie tie to access spare tire

We have hwh levelers on our sprinter and need to remove the rear crosstie to access the spare tire I loosened the lock nuts and am turning the crosstie but it is hard to turn. I am hesitant to use force for fear of breaking something. Should I continue to turn it hard? If anyone can give their experience with removing their crosstie, we would appreciate it. Thanks