There are a lot of procedures that are easier to carry out when either the tie-rod end or the ball joint must be separated from the knuckle but are not being replaced. If the boot isn't torn, then there is no need to tear it up and replace it by using a pickle fork.

Back when I was parting out old air-cooled Volkswagens, I could not get tie-rd ends on some of the beams to break free of the knuckle. I was smacking them with a sledge hammer -- nothing. Everybody I spoke to kept telling me, "Use a big hammer". Uh huh. I'd succeeded in breaking two pickle forks to no avail. Near as I could tell, those things tend to bond after having sat for a decade or more.

As luck would have it, a guy from the VW forums was driving cross country, and he stopped by my place to pick up some parts for a customer. I showed him the chassis I'd been working on, and explained how I couldn't get the tie-rod ends to pop. He dug around in his toolbox (that was in his 1963 Bus) and emerged with a tool I'd never seen. It cupped the tie-rod body, while the screw portion levered against the bottom, which was positioned to the threaded stud. That thing popped the tie-rod end out like butter. He basically told me to use the right tool for the job and life will be so much better. His advice has served me well.

**UPDATE**
I finally found a picture of the proper tool for separating the steering knuckle from a lower ball-joint. As the threaded portion is turned, pressure is applied to the ball-joint stud. Two examples of using this so as not to tear up the boot : 1) when replacing the CV axle or, 2) replacing the strut.

 

While it always advisable to use the proper tool for the right job, sometimes it is simply not possible due to cost or time restraints.

 

Yeah, I have a real hard time spending a hundred bucks or more for a tool I may use twice, and then not use it again for a decade or so......

 

If i was working on a someone else car for money, than yeah, this changes things. But on my own vehicles I agree with this statement.

 

When I was doing it for a living, I had no problem spending on tools. (in fact, I rather enjoyed it.....) Also, it was tax deductible.

 

It depends on the tool and what the job entails. I threw away those dangerous strut spring compressors in favor of a more expensive clamshell compressor. I may only get two or three uses out of the more expensive tool, but that far outweighs damage to property or medical bills (or worse).

It never ceases to amaze me how people will balk at buying or renting the proper tool for the job but will spend countless hours trying to fabricate some kind of Rube-Goldberg device as a work-around. These same people seem to justify expensive rims & tire combinations or other pricey add-ons. Pay once, cry once but have the satisfaction of doing it right, and in some cases, safely.

If there is a concern the tool will never be used again, it can be sold to someone else.

<steps off soapbox>

 

I prefer to use my awesome MacGyver skills and jury rig any tool I need from what I got.

 

I have the advantage of having a friend that ran his own shop for a lotta years. He still has most of his tools, so, if I don't have it, he most certainly does, so there is zero need for me to buy a tool I will use twice in a decade.

 

Anyone have an extra motor lying around? Here is a nice sport for sale!

https://madison.craigslist.org/cto/5442817061.html

 

****, I could buy that and put my motor in that truck! lol