I have not, but have had some smaller seals that were hard to start on cars. Usually you have to trust yourself and give it a good wack, using a backer, like a piece of wood. If you don't have the feel for it and sure it is square, you can use a seal driver. They are cheap at harbor freight and may be able to rent from auto parts store.
Seals are always installed with a flat backer and tapped in the dead center of the seal. You can't tap around the edge of the actual seal. They are an interference fit and will always be tight going in. if not, they could rotate with the shaft and fall out.
You can also try grinding a knife edge on the edge of the seal to reduce the diameter a bit and give you a bit of taper to get it started easier. I have never tried this, but it seems like it would work. Just don't grind much of taper or it could bend in.
Larry
