I will be replacing front upper and lower ball joints as well as the track bar ball joint on my 2015 f250 soon. What ball joint tools have you had good luck with?

 

I've used Lisle suspension tools on my Mountaineer and Dodge Charger with an air hammer to break out ball joints before. I've also used the standard tie rod end/ball joint tool with a 4lb shop sledge.

Griz

 

You're going to need a very very good ball joint press tool to do this, and I don't mean one of the ones from Harbor Freight.

In all honesty, when I replaced mine years ago, I took the knuckles to a local auto shop and had them press the old ones out and the new ones in, and I think they charged me $50/per knuckle.

 

[QUOTE=99powerstrokedF250;19630224]You're going to need a very very good ball joint press tool to do this, and I don't mean one of the ones from Harbor Freight./QUOTE]

Yes, hence why I was asking what tools people have had good luck with.

Since I am replacing the track bar ball joint it doesn’t make much sense for me to pay a shop to do the 4 knuckle joints if I have to end up doing the track bar joint myself anyways.

I’d rather buy a quality tool and get the job done myself.

I’ve seen the OTC tool, and it looks good, but not sure what additional cups I need for my truck.

 

I bought a Astro pneumatic kit from Amazon for $130 and have done 3 or 4 with it. It comes with several cups and have been great. It is called the Astro pneumatic 7897 ball joint service tool and master adapter set.

 

I don't know if 2015s are the same but on the older Superdutys you have to take the whole knuckle off then you can use a shop press to get the joints in and out.

 

Here you go; Good Luck, Russ

 

Thanks for the link. You got that one to work on the track bar ball joint?

 

Most of the national parts places will rent the tool for free, I would assume Discount or Napa probably has what you need, Never had any good turn out at Oriely or Autozone.

 

Did you end up figuring out a tool that would work for the trackbar joint?

 

I've had a Harbor Freight ball joint press for decades now. Maybe they were made better back then but it has pressed ball joints where it was scary how much pressure I was putting on them. I do keep the treads on my pullers/presses lubed with high pressure lube and I do use an impact gun on them. Pressed the ball joints on my F350 2wd recently.

 

I used a rental press from O'Reilly's to do ball joints on my F-250 and it was NOT the right tool. I had to use various pipe fittings and scraps of steel to make it work. Hard to explain without pics but some of the pieces weren't the right size. I believe there is a Ford specific adapter kit.

If I could do it again I'd pull the knuckles and take them to a shop to swap joints, unless I planned on doing ball joints a lot - then I'd get the right tool.

You should be able to get the track bar joint with the regular parts store / Harbor Freight tool. It's smaller and doesn't have the knuckle in the way.

 

There are more adapters for larger/4wd trucks. The parts stores rental kits rarely have those.

 

The one I picked up from them about 15 years ago would not push out the ball joints on my 4WD knuckles, the c-frame bent.