How do I take apart the axle and freehub on this bike I have a long wheelbase recumbent built by Sun Bicycles.  There are some complications with finding out what kinds of components went into the interior of the bike.  Brakes and shifters have their brands labelled proudly, but the rest, not so much.  And the manual that came with the bike doesn't mention anything about advanced maintenance.

This is my first major bike maintenance project, going beyond my normal stuff of cleaning and oiling the chain or replacing the brake pads.  The entire drivetrain has about 5000 miles on it and needs an overhaul.  I can feel a lot of drag in both the front and rear axles.  Not grinding drag, but just sluggishness in turning about the axle.  So, I was taking them apart to figure out what components need replacing, and in both cases I ran into basically the same problem.

The front looks like this:



I've started to take off the lock ring here on the front hub.  That entire conical shape actually appears to be the front lock ring.  I can take it completely off, but once done, I have a lock ring on the opposite side, the axle sticking through the entire bike, and no indication that any part of it wants to come out.  So, problem the first... how do I get the rest of the axle to slide out?

The back looks like this:



On the opposite side, I just have an axle sticking out.  On this side, I have a freehub and an axle with a lock ring, and no clue how to get the lock ring loose so that I can pull the axle out.

What am I missing?  This should be relatively easy, but I've been banging my head against it for a couple of hours and making no headway at all.  My bike shop was closed today and is closed tomorrow, so I'll call them on Thursday if I'm still having trouble.  But, I wanted to ask here, first.
They both look pretty standard to me. Normally you remove the lock nut and cones from one side. The bearings should be visible and fall out (careful to catch them all.). The axle should then just push through to the other side. If you can see the bearings (or they fell out), a gentle tap, with a light hammer may be needed (although i cannot imagine why) to dislodge the axle.

With the rear wheel, remove the lock ring and cone from the left side (non-drive) and push the axle through (again, watch the bearings).