Have an 03 that I’ve owned since day one. Truck has an issue it has had since around 100k miles. Truck has 242k on it now. Truck pulled my TT very very well with no sway whatsoever. Ball joints were changed at 100ish and the truck has never been the same pulling wise. I’m currently on the 4th set of ball joints. Fresh ball joints, Thuren track bar, later style steering linkage, 6 bolt steering box, King stabilizer. All of this has 4K miles.
Anyway…since the ball joints were originally changed, the truck just doesn’t control trailer sway near as well. I’m not really sure how to describe it. But trailer def controls the truck. Trailer will make a move and steering input is needed to control the sway. Trucks feels sort of floaty at times. It isn’t a trailer issue as it does it with two different trailers. Last week I put one of my trailers on a Chevy and no issues. Hitch height was not right on the Chevy as I Didn’t want to reset hitch. Still pulled fine with very very little side to side movement of trailer.
I’ve been told that solid axle trucks are hard to get back to new pulling wise. Also read that front axle position is paramount in a solid axle truck.

I’m close to selling her and getting another rig. But still feel this issue should be fixable.

The control arms/bushings are still original. I have to think that if axle placement is a big deal that possibly they need replaced?

What I don’t understand is what could have been changed so much, geometry wise, from the original ball joint replacement? Alignment was done wrong and has been wrong 3 more times since?

Shackle bushings do need replaced, but not sure if that is the cause of the current issues. They weren’t bad at 100k miles.

Thanks in advance for any advice!!

 

I have an early '04 300,000km (186,411mi)
Your right, the steering input is merely a suggestion as to what the direction of travel should be....
Factory shocks, track bar, steering box

I have noticed it seems to be worse when I have new tires on and fully loaded.
It sometimes feels like it's dog tracking down the road and then wants to swap sides and track the other way. edit: kind of like pivoting on a point right behind the cab. Only when loaded (10 foot camper, and flat towing a Suzuki Vitara)

I wrote it off as being a combination of three things. Ruts in the road surface (pavement is not flat), new tires on that surface, and the infamously poor steering design.
At least the handling is predictable on mine.

There is an aftermarket bar that mounts to the frame rails that is supposed to brace the bottom of the pitman arm on the steering box. Apparently that seems to help with the wander.

 

Some ball joints can adjust the camber angle. Could it be possible that the new ball joints changed the camber? Have had the lifetime warranty Carli ball joints on my truck for years and so far so good. Only 'problem' with them is that every 2,000 miles they need greasing with a special grease.
I have the steering box brace on my truck and it helped. Very easy to install. After the third steering box I decided to break the bank and go for the 8 bolt modified steering box. That made a big difference.
Used to occasionally have the dreaded death wobble, but between the steering box brace, added shock on the steering and the modified steering box, the truck tracks straight and not even the slightest hint of death wobble at any speed.