I recently installed a 5" lift on my 2001 Ram 1500... but I have not been able to remove the stock pitman arm to replace with the drop pitman arm included with the lift. I've already broken 3 pitman arm pullers in the process. I've tried soaking it with PB Blaster, Kroll oil, heat, a 2lb sledge... you name it. It WILL NOT budge.

With that said, my steering box is leaking pretty badly from the pitman shaft and from up top near the cap somewhere. So I'm considering replacing the entire steering box (with that damn pitman attached to it) with something tighter with less steering slop. I've seen the brands Borgeson and Redhead a lot on this forum, but are there any other brands that people have run with good results? Any luck with rebuilding stock boxes? Hell, any tips on removing that PITA pitman arm???

Looking forward to hearing the responses from you knowledgeable Ram folks to give me some options and opinions. Thanks in advance fellers.

 

There is also Blue Top. Though last I checked, they were out of stock on the dodge boxes. That's been a while though, so, might be worth checking into. Easiest is RedHead, those are a direct swap. The borgeson box needs some modification, or their 300 dollar intermediate shaft to be a bolt-in. Redhead ain't cheap, but, they have the reputation as 'the best'.

 

There aren't a lot of options anymore. I'm on my second Redhead as the first was sloppy and squeaked. But they're the only solid and viable option out there. They are super tight and will take a long time to break in to where the wheel has any return. But it beats seesawing all over the road.

My pitman arm came off in the parking lot with a breaker bar lying on my back. The pullers should be tightened just to add tension, then whacked. If you try to pull with the tool, it will break every time. I guess you need more heat too. If it's glowing red it will either come off or drip off.

 

Yeah, I've heated it up and smacked the hell out of it and it won't budge. I've removed about 15 pitman arms in the past while lifting Jeeps and such and none of them were a pain in the a$$ like this one is. Thought about reconnecting the drag link and taking it to a shop to have them deal with the headache and break their damn tools trying to get it off. Lol. Or just replacing the entire steering box with the pitman arm still attached to it and taking the whole thing out to the desert with my 300 win mag for some pay back. 😎

 

I was prepared to just get a replacement pitman arm if mine was solid too. That's the way I would go. Cheaper than a shop busting it loose.

 

Problem is that I can't get my pitman arm OFF!! Lol. I tried again tonight with no luck. Got that sucker red hot and beat the hell out of it again and nothing.

I'm thinking its time for a new steering box that I can install and attach my new drop pitman arm to that. I'm thinking all the heat and beating the **** out of my old pitman arm trying to get it off has actually damaged my steering box as well.

 

You said you were replacing the steering box. Get a new box and new arm. Install together. What's the problem?

 

I agree, just replace the box and pitman arm...that’s what I plan on doing as well.

 

I'm not sure that I'm replacing my box yet... I'm still exploring my options. My post was asking for different options in steering boxes other than Borgeson or RedHead... or for experiences from rebuilding the stock box and to keep running that... AND, I'm asking for suggestion on removing my stuck pitman arm. A couple of suggestions on brands came up (which I'm grateful for) and I've been researching those.

The point is that I'd rather not buy a new steering box if I can remove my stock pitman arm and rebuild my stock box. I already have a new drop pitman arm that came with the lift kit, I just can't get my stock pitman arm off of the steering box to install the new one... so I'm looking for suggestions on how to remove my stuck pitman arm... and if I can't, then what are my options in buying a new steering box? That's the problem.

 

You mentioned replacing it in your first post due to it being worn out. You should definitely get a new Redhead. It's the only viable option and will bolt up. They aren't perfect but with a lift kit, the age of your truck, and the trouble with the box you're having, it makes sense.