💪 Powerbuilt 648468 Tie Rod and Ball Joint Separator - Silver, 15/16 in. Review

Please note that this type of tool usually damages rubber boots on tie rods and ball joints. There is another, more expensive tool for splitting without damage. I made a replacement so I didn't care if the boots were damaged. This tool is a good weight, feels solid, and gets the job done quickly for a reasonable price.

What can I say about this tool? It has no moving parts to wear out, it's simple in design and construction, it hasn't gotten lost in my shop, what more can I say? I use it to remove a drill chuck from a morse taper spindle. I haven't tried loosening the ball joint, but it looks like it should be fine for that.

This worked great removing the OEM ball joints from my '98 Escort. It took a good hit with my mini sledgehammer with no visible damage. I had to use a couple of wrenches in the opposite direction to pull the ball joints all the way out as they need to be pulled out about an inch and this fork isn't that thick. With a little ingenuity, the job gets done.

Everyone should have a pickle fork in their toolbox, but they might not know it. I'd rather put the pickle fork back than keep banging on something just to have it spin out of control or fly away. And it's great for jobs around the house or shop where you need to pry open or pinch something for a little extra clearance. Nothing to break, so this tool will be with you until you lose it or lend it to someone.

This was a cheap tool and when I used it to disconnect the tensioner arm and ball joints I can now honestly tell you that I estimate this fork to have cost around £5 . Hammer abuse as it takes some force to separate these parts and I have to say it has held up and still looks as good as it did when I got it. I recommend this as a powerful parting tool and hope it helps you all in your decision to buy it for yourself. Thanks, BYU man (aka Backyard University).

Used it to remove the tie rod end on my '95 Toyota Avalon as part of a steering boot replacement. Came right after a few hits with a three pound hammer. Be sure to put vernier calipers on the end of the ball joint or tie rod to check if this tool will fit. The bore on this one is 15/16". My tie rod end measured about 11/16" and I was concerned that this fork might be too big. But it worked fine. Broke a shoe, but that's usually a pickle fork. Either way, it's time to replace the tie rod end…

For me personally this has never worked the way it should. But it could also be because I didn't buy the right ball joint size for my car. I'm not sure. But I actually came up with another, unorthodox way of using this tool that I'm actually quite happy with, but I'm still not giving it any stars because that's not the way this tool is meant to be used. , and I don't recommend it as it's probably not the safest. In general, if you've ever tried to change the ball joints on Ford Taurus, let's…