DWK

I have searched and really did not find anything other than the usual stuff.
My pitman arm refuses to come off.
I have soaked it in PB Blaster for 2 days, I broke my puller on it, so I carried it to a local shop. The mechanic and I tried 3 different pullers and put a huge bind on it. We hit with a hammer while under pressure etc.... It still refuses to let go.
I am at a point of about to take a die grinder and cut it off, but I worry about the heat that will generate.

Any suggestions to removing this thing?

bradler

wow, that sucks. these arm can be apin to get off. heard of people melting all the seals trying to heat arm while also using a puller. then there are those that used a picklefork/separator and pulled the sector shaft out of the box.

I would think cut-off wheel nice and slow, stopping to let it cool down a few times, would be the lowest risk way to get that thing off...

98whitelightnin

I would heat it a little but not red hot.

funcruise

I once had an old Ford that the pitman arm refused to let loose using a puller so I got the torches out and heated it up pretty good, tightened the puller, gave it a crack with the hammer and that broke it loose. Didnt seem to do any damage to the steering box seals....

annabelle

Pickle fork and small sledge hammer.

DWK

Please explain.

bradler

combine all the above advice and crank down the puller, put a little heat to it w/ torch, then give a couple blows with picklefork + small sledge if that doesn't get it i would cut it off before damging box...

D45

I used a Snap On CJ119 puller with a little heat.

I tightened the Snap On puller all the way down and then attached a flex handle bar attached to the puller, with a long pipe slid over the slide bar, for added leverage.

Myself and a friend pulled on it and it came right off with two pulls.

I dont think my compressor had enough PSI to pull down the pitman arm.

I was shocked the flex bar (Snap on) held up and did not breack.

Ace

I had to cut the last one I took off. The one on the 1st Gen took a 13-ton puller. The jaws on that didn't fit the '07 so I just cut it with a cut-off wheel like Bradler said.

DNRCustoms

I've had lots of problems with snapping pullers, I would stay away from the heat.. Just use a wiz wheel, cut it about 3/4 through and use a chizel as a wedge in the slot you just cut.. few good pops with a hammer and it will crack the rest of the way through and it will pop right off..

bradler

"I've had lots of problems with snapping pullers"

I ended up getting a bigger puller, but i had to grind down the top of the old arm and bottom of the box a little to get it in there. probably same amount of work as just cutting it off. and if you do like ^^ said then you won't be at risk of damging the sector shaft splines!

DWK

I got it off. A buddy showed up and gave me a hard time saying it was no big deal. I offered to let him try. (I had just got home with a new puller and ground down the ends). I was about to use a cut off wheel also.
He climbed under the truck, put the puller on. I gave it a few good hits and it poped off. Now I will have to hear about this for the next few months.
I told him all of my previous trys had loosened it for him. lol
thanks to all that replied.

Rollin'_Coal

I did mine with a zip-cut on an angle grinder, just cut it most of the way, then put a chisel in the gap from the cutting wheel and crack the remaining depth with a sharp hammer blow, came right off.

Pooter

Only problem there is possibly causing damage to the steering box case, and its not exactly just pulling the arm off, its kind of wedging the fork in against the shaft/case to pull it off.

Pitman arm pullers work great, just get it on tight, give it a couple of taps then hit it with an impact, practicaly falls off in your lap.

Mocho

Mine took a $20 cheap puller few hits with a hammer, and that was it. If you know were to hit it it comes off like nothing. No fancy equipment needed, a cheap puller works great.