ball joint splitters

[4lf4-155]

On a budget for both money and time and need to do the front and rear bushes.

Looking at ball joint splitteing tools, the hit and hope fork type seem ok and I have used them before but do the the more expensive screw type make the jon significantly easier? are they worth the extra £'s if your doing maybe 1 car a year?

[garagewidow]

i purchased a sykes pikavant screw type years ago for a single use.

have used it many times since,wasn't that dear considering.and it will last a lifetime.the 'bash it with a hammer' type seem so caveman to me.

[dilbert]

I always used to take them apart without a separator. Never fatal, but sometimes painful.
I got one recently, because I had to do the CV boots on my current car.

Sods law is that this is the first time I've had to do them with a separator to hand, and all of the joints have had that other problem.

That's the one where undoing the nut, causes the taper to break anyway, and then the ball-joint rotates in it's socket with nut stuck fast to an impossible to access spigot.

I got the screw type, didn't really have to use it. You can get the screw type on e-bay for eight pounds.

Next time, I'll get a nut splitter!

Edited by dilbert on Wednesday 22 September 00:33

[Kozy]

Had the hit and hope type, couldn't get it to work at all.

All but set fire to the balljoint with a blowtorch and gave it a tap with a hammer and it seperated easily.