Ball joint tool advice

Need a ball joint press for the van. I can rent or buy one at O'reilly's for 117 (which I get back if I rent it). Or, I can buy one from Harbor Freight for 70 bucks. I tend to lean toward buying because I might need it again, but don't know the quality I'd get from the HF piece. Granted 90% of my stuff is from HF.

What would GRM do?

I have not used the HF unit, but I used a cheap one once, the c-clamp style. The C-clamp part, yes the huge, heavy, cast-iron part bent as I applied pressure. If that'd have broken who knows what kind of havoc that'd have brought with it.
I have a Miller brand. I've used it lots and it's great. I want to say it was almost $400 though. That being said, I'd get the rental. If it breaks it's not your problem, unless you're dead.

I am no help. I have the version from SnapOn in all of its near $700 glory......

OTC is the answer here. A cheap tool that is required to do a significant job is often not even up to doing the job once, I have found.

http://www.amazon.com/OTC-7249-U-Joint-Anchor-Service/dp/B0002SRGXY

No affiliation, but this is a hell of a price. The newer kit has more receivers and stuff, but I've found most of those can be fabbed from bits of tube I have sitting around.

Man thats a smokin' deal. I need to recalibrate my brain to check amazon for tools now!

i have used this type many times:

ball joint separator

I have the same kind as the post above, from Harbor Freight. It was cheap, and it has worked well in the several times I've used it, and it doesn't destroy the boots like a pickle fork.

I have the OTC unit from Amazon that angrycorvair posted. It's pretty beefy and quite effective (much moreso after slightly grinding the tip to make it sit more square on the ball joint). FWIW, I ordered that rather than the HF unit after reading several reports of the latter bending under heavy stress.

What AngryCorvair said. Why would you ever use anything else?

HF for over 10 years. and still going. Over 100 ball joints serviced and still going. that is not counting the things that were not ball joints. And all the parts swap with the OTC.

I'm talking about something to take out press fit ball joints, not separating the knuckle from the control arm. Chrysler made that easy. Since everything is apart for polybushings, and the fact that this k member sat in mud for several months, I'm replacing all the suspension parts.

The HF unit looks the same as the others posted, it wouldn't surprise me if it's the same thing boxed differently. I may rent one and go from there.

It just crossed my mind- Is it a full size Dodge van? Upper joints still screw into the control arm on those- lowers are press fit.

Streetwiseguy wrote: It just crossed my mind- Is it a full size Dodge van? Upper joints still screw into the control arm on those- lowers are press fit.

Nope. Minivan w/ mac struts and lower arms.

AngryCorvair wrote: i have used this type many times: ball joint separator

i use a hammer for that part of the job.. just hit the spindle next to the balljoint with a nice, manly hit from a nice manly hammer and they come right apart... usually..

regarding the question that was asked: i have the OTC c clamp style and it's the bees knees..

I have the princess auto one (our version of hf), its done fine for the last 8 years

Streetwiseguy wrote: OTC is the answer here. A cheap tool that is required to do a significant job is often not even up to doing the job once, I have found. http://www.amazon.com/OTC-7249-U-Joint-Anchor-Service/dp/B0002SRGXY No affiliation, but this is a hell of a price. The newer kit has more receivers and stuff, but I've found most of those can be fabbed from bits of tube I have sitting around.

Same tool, a little bit cheaper, also free shipping on orders over $75:

http://www.thetoolwarehouse.net/p-4462-ball-joint-service-tool-set.aspx

I've bought a ton of tools from this site. Since they're physically close to me (Brooklyn to work in NJ) if I order something early in the morning I'll usually have it the next day.

sorry moparman, i misunderstood / incorrectly assumed you wanted a separator. for the press, i've used the kind that GVX posted. nice tool. yes, that's what she said.

I successfully did the ball joints in my 03 F150 with a press borrowed from Advance. It did the job well and cost me nothing.

I bought the one from HF, bent it on the first one! returned it the same day. (still had the receipt in my wallet...BAM!)

rented one from AutoZone, worked perfect, and was free.

I say rent

I bought the HF one to change the 'nonreplaceable' lower joints on my old exploder. Heavy as hell to deal with, but it worked great- even when impact-gun driven. I've also used it for many non approved press fit things since then.

I bought the one from AutoZone but my kit is significantly bigger than the one posted. Does everything I ask of it including injected u-joints.

Streetwiseguy wrote: OTC is the answer here. A cheap tool that is required to do a significant job is often not even up to doing the job once, I have found.

I have the KD version...mfgrd by OTC (lots of cross-pollination in the tool business).

Same result.

i have the HF one with no issues many ball joints later. it was $35 on sale years ago. maybe they are inferior now?

ball joints, u joints, etc...

I bought the OTC kit below:

OTC Front End Service Set

And it's really nice.