disconnect the shaft from the transmission first. Some of that "impac" is transmitted down the shaft to the bearings in the transmission. That's just my HO but I'm not going to, with forethought, do anything that will adversely effect the longevity of the bearings in anything I own. My cruising mind set is to protect the equipment. Both from a cost standpoint as well as a "it's to damn hard down the road to find repairs and parts while cruising" standpoint.