Ball Joint Won't Split? Which Suspension Tool Do You Need?

The nut is off but the ball joint taper won’t let go. Or the inner track rod joint has no spanner flats, or a worn bush or wheel bearing looks like an arm-off press job. The right tool frees it cleanly, often on the car.

The suspension tools range at PartsForMachines has 130 products from Sykes Pickavant, Laser Tools, Sealey, Govoni, Tool Connection and Draper. They run from ball joint separators and an inner tie rod tool to bush and wheel bearing kits for cars, vans and HGVs.

Fork, Scissor or Screw Type: Which Ball Joint Splitter Do I Need?

Choose by how it applies force and the room around the joint. A fork splitter is driven in with a hammer; scissor and screw types push the joint apart with a lever or force screw. Sykes Pickavant says the scissor action of its HGV separator reduces the need for hammering and the risk of damaging rubber boots, worth weighing if the joint is going back on.

A screw-type separator such as the 4790 ball joint remover presses on the stud until the taper lets go. It takes joints up to 39mm with a 120mm screw depth, for track rod ends and steering knuckles on most trucks; the 30mm 4789 suits light trucks and some cars.

Inner Track Rod Joint Has No Flats: How Do I Get It Off?

Use an inner tie rod tool that fits your joint. On some cars the joint can come off with the rack in place; on many there isn’t the room, and the rack has to come out.

Inner joints vary: some have spanner flats, others a hex or splines, so check the tool’s head suits yours, then measure across the joint. The 12398 inner tie rod tool covers 33–42mm.

Worn Suspension Arm Bushes: Can I Change Them on the Car?

Often, yes: a bush kit takes out the old bush and fits the new one with the arm still on the vehicle. The VSE4780 rear trailing arm bush tool, for example, does this on several Ford, Mazda and Volvo models, such as the Focus, without dropping the rear axle.

Many kits are vehicle-specific, so match the make, model and bush. Where a press frame won’t fit, a large C-clamp such as the 18780200 takes the pressing to the vehicle; once the arm is off, a workshop press does the job.

Wheel Bearing Kit or Press: Can I Change the Bearing on the Car?

Often, yes, but check the bearing type first. A bolt-on hub unit unbolts from the steering knuckle. A pressed-in bearing must be pressed out of the knuckle, and the new one pressed in.

An on-vehicle kit does that pressing in place with a screw, plates and legs, so the knuckle need not come off for a press. The 08135500 wheel bearing kit, for instance, frees the hub and bearing on the aluminium multi-link suspension of Audi and VW models. Its maker warns that the usual heavy hammering can damage knuckles and ball joints or crack the aluminium wishbone.

What Should I Check Before I Buy a Suspension Tool?

• the ball joint size and the room around it, against the separator’s capacity and screw depth
• the inner track rod joint’s diameter and shape: flats, hex or splines
• the make, model, year and which bush or bearing
• the bearing type, bolt-on or pressed-in, and its size
• what else the kit needs, such as a press frame and 12-tonne ram for the 18777100 or a pump for the CV040

Not sure which kit fits? Browse the suspension tools range, or contact the PartsForMachines team by WhatsApp, telephone or email with the vehicle, the job and a photo of the joint or bush.

Product options, delivery options and returns terms are shown on each product page. A 30-day return policy applies to eligible items.

Frequently Asked Questions

A nut, bolt or bearing is seized solid: what else can I try?

Heat often helps. An induction heater such as the 96021100 (for 110V supplies) heats steel parts in seconds, and the expansion frees seized nuts, bolts and bearings without an open flame. A suspension arm lever such as the VS3815 helps separate parts in place.

How should I look after a separator’s force screw?

Keep it clean and greased: many of our separators and pullers call for molybdenum disulphide grease on the screw before use. On the 7131 HGV ball joint remover, the force screw counts as a consumable, with replacement part number 60439.

The ball joint fought me: should I replace it anyway?

Yes, if its rubber boot is split or nicked. The boot keeps the grease in; once it splits, grease leaks out and the joint wears faster, so fit a new joint while the arm is apart.

Bushes only or a complete arm: which works out cheaper?

Renewing just the bushes spares you a whole arm, which Sykes Pickavant says saves cost and time. Its 18777100 kit does this for Discovery 3 and 4 and Range Rover Sport front lower arms, on the vehicle, in many cases without removing the wheel.

Which kit suits Land Rover radius arm and panhard rod bushes?

The 18775700 C-clamp kit suits the Defender, Discovery 1 and 2, Classic Range Rover, P38A and older Series models. Its shaped press pieces service radius arm, panhard rod and other bushes on the vehicle with minimal strip-down.

Can HGV slotted spring bushes be changed without removing the axle?

Yes. The CV040 hydraulic bush tool works on the vehicle without removing the axle, and its 12-tonne cylinder presses through parallel working elements so the bush is not distorted. Applications include Volvo FM12, Renault, MAN TGA and DAF trucks; it needs a separate pump.

The old inner race stayed on the hub: how do I get it off?

Use an inner ring extractor. The GO025 inner bearing ring kit grips rings of about 60–80mm around their whole circumference, even when flush with the hub, and draws them off without tilting.

How do I get a strut out of a tight split knuckle?

Ease the clamp open with a knuckle spreader such as the 08141100. It holds split hubs open by up to about 15mm, turns with a 10mm spanner, and its double end suits upper split hubs and lower ball joint clamps. Don’t tighten it beyond 13Nm.