Holy Hell,you are absolutely correct about not using an air tool with this. I'm sitting here having my life flash before my eyes 10 minutes ago using air with this tool. Ironically I had paused the video right before you gave that advice. Here I am working with the air kind of taking it slow, suddenly sounded like a firecracker ,went flying out and landed 3 feet away. If any body part was in the way it would have ended badly.

@chrismason598

2 жыл бұрын

Same thing happened with my it flew right into my knuckle and took out a dime sized chunk

A little spray lube up top, on the ball joint, to begin with will usually make it come out a lot easier also!

I just replaced my entire suspension on my civic and THIS TOOL saved me! I did everything I could, even ALL the hammer tricks. Thank you for the upload!

@WorseThanChiggers

4 ай бұрын

Glad you had success with your project. That's what we like to hear!

Just spent 19.99 on one, while working on an incredibly stubborn lower ball joint. This tool was the last attempt before a torch came out, and it finally popped. Harbor freight tools are usually hit or miss, but this was a hit for me. Thanks for the review!

I have this tool. I put nut back on to protect the threads, spray on some PB Blaster, tighten the ball joint separator. Go drink a beer and listen for the pop. Return to finish the job.

Thank you for this tutorial I spent two hours trying to get it off with a hammer on the right side so I decided to go buy this and it took me 10 minutes to get it out. Of the left side. This is a must have for all mechanics

Bought one of these to separate ball joints from spindles on 67 mustang. Unbelievable on how well it worked on these rusted 50 year old parts. I have used it more than 8 times on my 66 mustang project, and it has not failed yet! This tool is incredible.

I CAN ACTUALLY SEE WHAT THE MECHANIC IS DOING! Most videos you can't see the work being done just the back of the person doing the job. Great video 👌👍.

Thanks for the demo. Good to see you took your time on this and showed that it’s not always brute force but some patience technique that can do the job.

I used the same tool to pop free the tie rod end on a 1984 Volvo. Harbor Freight quality seems to have improve within the last two years. Most of my Harbor Freight tools have served me well. The combination of KZread DIY videos and HF tools have saved me thousands over the year With experience, you learn how much stress a HF tool can take before failing.

Thanks for posting this! I'll never put down Harbor Freight tools again. Worked like a charm on my '67 Beetle!

I tried it, after your review, worked pretty well, took 2 tries, but got it position the right way. Was still a lot of hastle to get the broken ball joint out, but worked out at the end. Thanks for the review and tutorial.

@Joaquin-hf9sl

4 жыл бұрын

Y///

I didn't have enough room to swing a hammer effectively, so I bought this and it helped alot. Did not notice the adjustable pin, so you taught me something.

EXCELLENT video. Clear, close, and well-lit; no glare from outdoor ambient light; valuable insight on use and maintenance of tool as well as safety precautions. I think I will be getting this from Harbor Freight TOMORROW.

Hey man ... you are a Top Gun! I love a man who respects the tools and the components he works on and you showed us exactly that. That's the way to get years of life from a 'friend' like your 'ball joint' remover. Thank you. Lloyd. Queensland, Australia.

This worked for me. September 12, 2023 and it was $21.64. Thank you

Went searching KZread for a solution to a stuck ball joint and didn't know this tool existed. It works great! The hammer trick did not work for me, but under enough pressure, my ball joints did come off with a little bit of an explosion.

@allenmckinney9533

6 жыл бұрын

VonWoodson leave the nut on the end so it catches when the joint comes loose.

Audience, just used this tool yesterday in the garage to change out upper control arms... It was a snap, crackle, then POP...Smh up and down. Worked effectively!

I used this tool to separate 16 year old stuck New England Passat front lower control arm ball joint. The Trick for me was to leave the nut on the end of threaded tip so the lever has more surface to press against. Took advice of the review and banged on the knuckle to free it. One thing to be careful with is that on some cars the ABS wheel speed sensor is in the same knuckle and can be damaged or get dirty with rust if you bang away on the housing. Might be smart to check the function of the ABS before you put the wheel back on.

@dtrrtd774

7 жыл бұрын

You don't really need to be so fearful about applying torque to the tool, it's built to take more torque than was shown rotating the socket wrench using the palm over the socket. With the tool it should be unnecessary to hammer on the suspension parts and risk damage to bearings. If all you have is a hammer, then that's when you do what you need to do, and pound away on it.

OMG this video worked! I have the same type of ball joint where the screw is pointing upwards. I have the same ball joint remover from harbor freight. I have reviewed video after video and forum after forums. Still after 2 days of hammering and using the pickled fork and the ball joint remover, I could not get that damn thing to budge. I also had the same issue with trying to get the ball joint remover around the boot, but utilizing your tilted method, along with the hammer technique, and retightening, it popped off in a spectacular fashion!

Great video..no stupid music or rambling..strait to the point. Very informative. New subscriber.

You know, you don't produce many videos, but they always seem to be exactly what I need when I find one that applies. I'd spent several hours trying to separate the ball joint on the lower control arm from the knuckle on my 2012 Odyssey before finally giving up and going to bed. This morning I found your video, tried it, and after a few blows, the thing finally separated. Thanks for taking the time to make it. I only wish that they made those tools with a wider channel for bigger vehicles.

picked this up today. worked great, def worth the 19.99

I recommend using their impact wrench too! I got a 3/4,1/2,and 1 inch. I used them on a semi truck,and they do the job right. Now,I'm getting the 20 volt 1/2 inch cordless impact wrench.

Thanks for the warning about using the impact on this tool. I was as already picturing my milwaukee impact driver popping out my ball joint. I didn't imagine it could seriously injure me.

Thank you for showing us the safe and inexpensive way for removing the parts

I love this little tool. I used it on my Forester ball joints. Worked great.

Passenger side camed out like butter. Couple of love taps and that was it. Can’t say for the driver side. Hopefully this method works for me. Great video

Thank you for the video. People can say whatever they want about Harbor Freight. They say “low quality”, I say good enough for me. I don’t do these kinds of jobs for a living. So I don’t see a point in spending a boat load of money on some tools that I’d probably only use _maybe_ twice a month. For some specialty tools, I may only use just once.

Great video!! Great explanation and points, as well as being able to see what you were doing!!! Very helpful tips. I love Harbor Freight so will definitely pick this up as I have to remove mine very soon...

Thanks for posting this video - very clear and well done. Your tip on using oil on the threads and using eye protection are right on. I have found that even if you can get the fork of the tool completely seated, the ball joint will often not "pop" out unless it is hit with a hammer as you did in the video. Thanks again!

I have the same tool, I think your way the bend and snap works much better ...👍

Thank You for the tutorial and also for the safety tips (very important).

Your technique worked perfect on a 2000 Honda Civic , Thanks !

Thanks for the clear demonstration of the use of this tool.

I just put an impact to the thing. Then I wait for the "explosion"! This tool was the ONLY thing that worked for me. Worth every cent:)

I have used the same tool on numerous vehicles. Allways worked like a charm...

Extremely helpful and clear video. Thank you so much.

Thanks for video used this tool today on 63 C10 pick up worked great. Sprayed with Pb blaster before grabbing tools got bolt of tool threaded half way gave a smack with hammer popped off

I bought mine over the weekend with the 20% discount coupon. It worked perfectly on my 2002 Honda Civic in separating the ball joint from the lower control arm that I had spent hours trying to hammer apart and drown with PB Blaster. It's worth the money and will save you time (and help you avoid possibly damaging the ball joint boot as I did).

@dtrrtd774

7 жыл бұрын

I actually had this tool but misplaced it, and was ready to purchase another for work on a 94 Civic, but went a cheaper route- used the loaner tool that Advance Auto very nicely provides. I appreciated the service so much I'm going to make more purchases from them, so I guess the loaner program is good business.

@dcavalli9

7 жыл бұрын

DTR RTD I rented a ball joint press from Autozone. It came in a dirty case (inside and out) with only a few cups. It did the job of pressing out the ball joint from the wheel hub (and pressing out the new one after realizing it installed it backwards and then the right way). I will turn to Advance Auto next time. (Their 1.5 ton floor jack is quite good. The 1.5 floor jack I bought from Autozone broke.)

@aarongray503

5 жыл бұрын

Advance Auto and napa are the creame of the crop.@@dcavalli9

@dcavalli9

5 жыл бұрын

@@aarongray503 My Bank of America credit credit offers 10 percent cash back for Advance Autoparts purchases but only five percent for Autozone.

Excellent. There is worry about damaging the rubber, for some reason. This shows that on VW and Porsche cars that is not a concern, even for those who cherish parts that need to be thrown away anyhow. This makes it all clear. WELL DONE and THANK YOU. Oh. THere are "experts" below who think this is a tie rod. Not that it matters, but they are wrong.

Just used that tool on my 2007 Subaru Forester ball joints. Worked like a charm. The trick - as mentioned in this video - is using it in conjunction with a hammer. Make sure you keep the threads lubricated. I used 3and1 oil. The tool is actually really well made.

I bought one today and it was almost too small to work on my 72 VW bus. But I put the nut back on and was able to grab the edge of the nut. I put my impact gun on it til it got tight, walked away and BAM. it popped off. Same deal on the driver's side. Great tool.

It worked for ball joints and few other things. thanks for the review.

I have one of these never used it on ball joints! I split the two pieces and use it to remove injectors on my Cummins put the u under the injector and tap the other end with a dead blow! I have also used it to separate the exhaust side of my turbo I took out the bolt and hit the end with a dead blow it worked great!

Super helpful sir. Got an 02 camry that im putting together for a commute car. Awesome review 👍😉

One of best tools ever. Great for tight areas.

i used a bench grinder to grind the inside of the jaws to make it wider, and now it works great!!! seems like its the answer to all my problems at this point, from tie rods, to removing a steering knuckle, i just love this tool. It just took a minor adjustment. just make sure you dont grind it down too much, the jaws will be too small and will just bend under pressure.

Excellent. The hammer relieves a great deal of stress on the knuckle and your tool.

No for violence against ball-joints. Thanks.

One of the best tools i have bought from harbor freight. So much better than a pickle fork.

Great review of a decent tool. It did well with the tie rod end separation without damaging the boot! I bought one of these, oiled it up, and broke the jaw off (with a "breaker bar", of course) within 15 minutes of purchase and returned it for a replacement at the local HF. Then I went to Tractor Supply to get a better torch than the small pencil propane unit I had to a large flame torch (MagTorch MT245) and upgraded to propene gas ("MAP-Pro"). After I had no luck with a pickle fork, beaten the paint off the control arm (with 1 and 4 lb hammers), broken the clamp tool, and had messed around with the tiny torch, I finally took a combination of this tool, and a lot of heat and got the damned thing to pop free with a sound no less than a small-caliber gunshot, sending everything flying. After replacing that one side, I eventually found the jaw of the broken tool embedded in my push broom during cleanup. Let it be known that turn of the millennium Taurus wagons do not give up their ball joints lightly. Penetrating oil (Kroil) and putting a pitman arm puller (recommended tool in the shop manual) under tension for 24 hours after hammering for hundreds of strikes has not worked yet for the other side either. She needs the heat, or liquid nitrogen, but I don't have any cryogenic fluids around.

@NickPeaden

5 жыл бұрын

Backup plan was a zip disc in the angle grinder against the control arm. Control arms are cheap. Steering knuckles are forever!

@That_Handle

4 жыл бұрын

Working within tight temperature tolerance considerations on a brake line job, I used a non-contact thermometer to monitor the temperature of a corroded brake fitting while I was thoroughly heating the female side up after which I thermal-shocked the *male* side with dry ice after and while spraying creeping lubricant onto the male threads. A few rounds of heating the female side and then getting the male fitting to a frosty state while being assisted by tapping on the male fitting buy a ball peen hammer using a rivet punch to land the shock right where it needed to be received on the male side finally broke the twenty-year-old brake fitting free. Dry ice is only about $2.50 per pound at my local grocery store of which I probably only used a pittance of it and the rest just sublimated away. Prior to that , the thermal Delta was just not great enough on about a half a dozen previous attempts. I'm keeping that idea my back pocket for suspension work in-line line with Spirit of your comment. 👍📌📍

@TehKaiser

4 жыл бұрын

Ford likes to spec metal that rusts shut in 20 years.

@NickPeaden

4 жыл бұрын

@@TehKaiser Nothing rusted together. This was in the deep South. It just didn't want to come apart.

I bought this tool because I don't want to hammer the knuckle. Now you taught me to hammer the knuckle.

Great technique, great explanation. Well done sir.

Some years ago I was working on my '87 Mazda. I was doing some front end work and had to drop the lower control arm. I had a book and it said do not hit the control arm with a hammer to loosen it. I didn't have any special tools and wasn't sure what to do. So, I went to a local Mazda dealership to talk to one of their mechanics. I asked him how do you get that lower control arm ball joint loose. He said " I hit about three good whacks with a heavy hammer and it drops out". Sure enough. I went home and hit that control arm three good whacks with a 3 lb hammer and it dropped right out.

This thing is awesome, have used it several times, don't know why I didn't buy it a long time ago. Yea, plenty of grease on those threads, apply some pressure, tap and voilà! I love this thing!

I rip on one of these with a Snap On electric impact. Mount tool, hit it with the impact and it's off in 5 seconds. I've done this probably 50 times on the tool I have. It is one of the most effective tools for the money I've ever purchased. I'd probably pay $100 or more for it, but luckily it is $20. There are lots of off-label uses as well. When you need it, you'll be very happy you have it.

Its funny how you said I won't turn it till it pops out, but you did lol 😂 either way thanks for the review 👍

Excellent video!! Great tips... thanks brother 👍🏼

Solid piece of advice all around, points well taken. Thank you for posting this review.

tip: when using this tool keep the nut on loosely on the end to not spoil the thread. make sure the nut is easy to remove if not the thread will turn with the nut and will be hell to remove. i normally remove the nut all the way then put in back on about 3 threads in

thank you for the video, I'm getting one tomorrow

Mainly I use mine for tie rod, steering stabilizer and other smaller joints on pickups, occasionally ball joints on ATV. Decent little tool.

Good clear instructions. I add some releasing fluid to the pin base before I try to press it free, which helps removal. I also try to get the lower fork arm BELOW the rubber seal, to avoid splitting it, and in case I have to re-use it? Some removers have a dome in the bottom to locate on the ball of the joint. Your commentary was very clear and helped me understand the different settings of the tool. Thanks.

@jerryjones2976

8 жыл бұрын

+Colin Courtney I also figured the same thing.... that the lower fork arm goes below the rubber seal - not around it. But when I lifted the lip of the boot to slide the tool under it, the grease oozed out and it hissed as trapped air got expelled. Now I am not sure what is correct... under the seal or around it.

@avid0g

6 жыл бұрын

The boot made a hissy fit?

Nice detailed instructions! Thank you.

thank you for a great safety and instructional video

"Popped it loose with very little violence"... only happened because that ball joint knew it would be shown on social media and didn't want to be signaled out as a troublemaker. Great vid!

Great demomstration and helpful tips.

Gracias por tu vídeo . Muy bien explicado.

It actually did better than I thought it would... Nice

This is the only tool youll ever need for ball joints in my opinion. I love it. Its not heavy. Its just perfect

Great video. Well done and good advice! Thanks!

If you don’t want to mushroom the male threads , reinstall the nut flush with the ball joint and use the same technique. Good job on the removal.

Outstanding presentation... Thank you.

excellent well explained instructional video, thank you so much

Best 20$ i ever spent although i bout lost my face when the balljoint exploded😂😂 works great would buy another for sure 👌

Very useful tool for ball joints!!! 👍👍👍

I have one that was made in the 60s , it’s the exact same design and works perfect 👌🏼.......

excellent review, thank you.

might have to get one! cool vid man!

I've had the same tool for a number of years and I've used it many times. Here are some things I've found that work fairly well: (1) Lubricate the bolt's threads as mentioned in the video. The tool's finish is coarse and could tear the ball joint's boot, so I heavily grease the fork, also. (2) The fork is fairly narrow, so it might be necessary to carefully hammer the tool into place on the ball joint so it's not tilted. (3) I put a nut flush on the end of the threaded ball joint stud so the tool doesn't damage the threads. I use a spare castle nut. I only had one incident out of many attempts where I could not get the ball joint to pop loose - in fact, nothing I tried worked, including the 1/2" ratchet stomp method (ended up having to replace the ball joint after it got mangled). Normally, you should be able to crank away with a 19mm or 3/4" wrench or socket and not have to coax the ball joint loose with additional hammering on the steering knuckle.

@dtrrtd774

7 жыл бұрын

The boot can be coaxed away from the control arm to get enough clearance to slide the tool between it and the control arm, once it's started between the boot and the control arm, wiggling it side to side to get it fully seated should preserve the boot. Seating it fully puts the heavy section of the tool in place to withstand the force, the tip of the forks isn't as strong and risks damaging the tool when using it with heavier force.

@AJFresh69

6 жыл бұрын

Not enough people seem to recognize the importance of installing the castle nut upside down so that you don't press directly on the ball joint threads especially if you are trying to reuse the ball joint. Same for tie-rods

@mikeandrews6265

5 жыл бұрын

who gives a shit about the boot? your installing a new B.J.

@WorseThanChiggers

5 жыл бұрын

In this video, I wanted to reuse the ball joint because it was perfectly fine. Otherwise, I wouldn't have minded destroying the boot.

This video shows how effective this could be and im definitely going to try when replacing my control arm

Great job, I'm sure any other method would've worked but always better using the correct tool designed for the application! Thank you for the ehow video

Great stuff! I may have to invest in something similar as i find a hammer isnt always quite enough

Awesome video man. Got that like. 👍

I knew I needed one of these I bought one from Harbor Freight I didn't know how to use it so I looked a video up and this was the one that I found in the middle of you explaining it I used it and I was successful thanks bro

Excellent video!!!

Great video, it was very helpful.

Maybe a helpful idea .... Put the ball joint castle nut back on by a couple of threads and THEN use your tool. The way the tool is made , it's not for trying to align and hold onto the threaded end of the ball joint, hoping that it doesn't slide off. The nut gives it more surface area and also prevents it from popping loose and possibly completely off unexpectedly.

@wswiii3663

5 жыл бұрын

Always put the nut back on if you want to reuse the ball joint or tie rod end. Doing this keeps the threads perfect and keeps the parts in place, not flying off, plus the tool has more to work with.

@jasonsims007

5 жыл бұрын

also keeps from screwing the threads up

@toortoor783

4 жыл бұрын

Good suggestion.

@charleswilson4598

4 жыл бұрын

Good idea.

@toortoor783

4 жыл бұрын

The best advise it works the way you advised

Great vid. Worth the money even if you only use it once!

Man, that's what I needed...

Glad it went well for ya... the right tool and the right method.

very nice video HBF has some pretty good stuff I go there often with my coupon's.

Great video! Nice tips!

very well explained...thank you

That tool rocks! Five stars!

turn enough for good tension, then tap.. Nicely done..

I would've left the nut halfway on... Nothing will explode anywhere that way. Also your clamp sits better on the nut than on just the tip of the screw

@rickycarroll1990

3 жыл бұрын

U suppose to leave the nut on, lol

Thank you for this useful information to us

Thank you sir , you are a genius 🤙🏽