I'm trying to pop free the lower ball joints on my 1500 NOT press them out of the lower control arm. I've got the nut loose but nothing seems to work.

I've used the big hammer method and hit the bottom of the ball joint, hit the knuckle in all sorts of places, tried to use the weight of the truck by lifting it with a bottle jack positioned on the end of the ball joint, I bought a 30$ tool that doesn't fit (probably meant for small cars). There is no auto part rental store around where I live.

All I can think of is a pickle fork which I don't want to use because I don't want to rip the boots. I'm installing new knuckles/spindles.

 

I used a pitman arm puller to get the upper ball joints off but It doesn't fit on the lower

 

I used a 5 ton gear puller on mine when I changed out the hub bearing. Make sure you leave the nut on cause when it does pop free, it pops fast and hard.

 

I combined my own ideas and got them out tonight. May not be the safest way but I put a bottle jack under the ball joint with the nut still on but loose and THEN hit on it with a hammer. The weight the truck on it and the vibration loosens it with no harm to the ball joint. Now to get the hub off ...

 

I just changed mine out today. Upper and Lower. With a jack on the lower control arm keeping pressure off the ball joint. I first, I loosened the upper control arm bolts allowing the hub to fall down easy when it releases from the ball joint.(yes I will need an alignment). Then with the front of the hub turned outwards, I took a balljoint separator (basically a forked wedge costs less than $10 at autozone), hammered it in between the hub and lower control arm. Then I put a long steel tube on the end of the separator for leverage and push down on it. While pushing down, (have a buddy help if you got one handy) and hammer on the hub where the balljoint goes through the hub. It should just pop on out after a few good swings. And remember the balljoint gets pressed down out of the lower control arm.