Do any of the loaner tool balljoint presses work?

Vtx531 · Jan 4, 2026

I'm to the point where I'm ready to press out the old ball joints. It looks like the usual rental stores have big master sets available for rental these days. Anyone know if they have the right adapters for our Jeeps included in these big sets?

I would rather not have to buy a set if I don't have to but everything on my Jeep that hasn't been worked on recently is pretty seized up so I think I need to use the right tool for this to work.

GregBelleville · Jan 4, 2026

Vtx531 said:
I'm to the point where I'm ready to press out the old ball joints. It looks like the usual rental stores have big master sets available for rental these days. Anyone know if they have the right adapters for our Jeeps included in these big sets?

I would rather not have to buy a set if I don't have to but everything on my Jeep that hasn't been worked on recently is pretty seized up so I think I need to use the right tool for this to work.

View attachment 664495

When I did my ball joints I checked my local AutoZone and they didn't have the adapter for our jeeps so I ended up buying an Astro Mechanical press that included it. You might have better luck finding a loaner in your area, it's hit or miss.

JKP · Jan 4, 2026

Almost all will have the basic set.

Probably going to have to search for the loaner Jeep adapters or just buy them.

macleanflood · Jan 4, 2026

Harbor Freight ball joint press plus this works for me...

https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B07DJ5JTW7?tag=wranglerorg-20

-Mac

Abendage · Jan 4, 2026

My local Autozone rents the puller as well as the master adapter kit. Not sure it’s identical to the Jeep specific adapters but there was enough variety in there to make it work.

TurboTJ · Jan 4, 2026

macleanflood said:
Harbor Freight ball joint press plus this works for me...

https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B07DJ5JTW7?tag=wranglerorg-20

-Mac

That is what I used.

lBasket · Jan 4, 2026

I've used the OEM tools one from AutoZone multiple times

Vtx531 · Monday at 10:15 AM

I rented a press and adapter kit from autozone. It has all the cups I need except the angled one for installation so going to go with the amazon link. Thank you. I don't want to mess with pressing the ball joints in and the press not being straight on there.

Autozone adapter kit was 57310 "It includes all the receiver tubes and removing/installing adapters needed to work on many GM, Ford and Chrysler 2 and 4 wheel drive pickups, vans and SUVs". Doesn't have the correct angled adapter.

hear · Monday at 11:57 AM

I may or may not have borrowed one from Autozone that had a DIY'd angled cup that I forgot to put back in the case when I returned it. I know from experience.

No, you don't.

I mean, well, I guy I know. Him and Veronica Vaughn got. it. on.

No, they didn't.

But you can imagine if they did.

JeepDrivesBest · Monday at 12:01 PM

The AutoZone master kit worked for removal on my TJ but I had to buy the angled cup separately for installation since those kits never seem to include it.

lBasket · Monday at 12:10 PM

I made a detailed engineering diagram on how I do it without a fancy angled cup

PirataCoqui · Monday at 12:11 PM

I tried a kit from Auto Zone that was painful and didn't really work for me... ended up with this setup, and it worked great:
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07FVS1RHJ?tag=wranglerorg-20
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07D9D8M9H?tag=wranglerorg-20

I used the same kit to install my front axle bushing(with some help from an air hammer to remove them)

lBasket · Monday at 12:12 PM

PirataCoqui said:
I tried a kit from Auto Zone that was painful and didn't really work for me... ended up with this setup, and it worked great:
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07FVS1RHJ?tag=wranglerorg-20
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07D9D8M9H?tag=wranglerorg-20

I used the same kit to install my front axle bushing(with some help from an air hammer to remove them)

Damn these keep getting cheaper

Vtx531 · Monday at 1:28 PM

Well, I decided to give it a try with the tools I had. As others said - it worked. The bottom ball joint went in pretty smoothly. The top was a tougher - It looked like the balljoint started to go in a little crooked so I removed it and started over. Then I used the axle nut washer as a shim to help get it started straight, then I took the shim out and it pressed in fine the rest of the way. Not bad at all.

The hardest part was removing the old ball joints. They were seized pretty bad until I got the propane torch out. The bottom joint popped free about 10 seconds after applying the heat and the top one took a bit of heating and tightening repeatedly.

lBasket · Monday at 1:31 PM

Vtx531 said:
Well, I decided to give it a try with the tools I had. As others said - it worked. The bottom ball joint went in pretty smoothly. The top was a tougher - It looked like the balljoint started to go in a little crooked so I removed it and started over. Then I used the axle nut washer as a shim to help get it started straight, then I took the shim out and it pressed in fine the rest of the way. Not bad at all.

The hardest part was removing the old ball joints. They were seized pretty bad until I got the propane torch out. The bottom joint popped free about 10 seconds after applying the heat and the top one took a bit of heating and tightening repeatedly.

View attachment 664718
View attachment 664719

Vtx531 · Wednesday at 11:58 AM

Ujoints were part of this project too, I screwed it up the first time around. The seals were on extremely tight and I somehow ended up with two seals on one of the crosses. Not sure how I did that but the new ujoint got ruined trying to remove it and I had to start over with another one. Second time around I removed and reset all four of the caps and seals first before installing it and then they were easy to slide on/off and install.

I needle scaled all the heavy rust on everything and just painted with rusty metal primer. Will finish with Rustoleum low gloss farm and implement paint that I've been using for most of the frame and undercarriage. Not sure how long it will hold up on this now-retired garage queen before rust starts to come through but my sandblast cabinet is blocked in the back of my garage and I wouldn't have wanted to sandblast the axle tube C anyway with it being on the Jeep and still having the gear set and bearings in it.

Oh - I flipped around the dust shield on the outer axle to the correct way that Mr Blaine talked about previously too.

akajibio · Wednesday at 12:16 PM

Vtx531 said:
I'm to the point where I'm ready to press out the old ball joints. It looks like the usual rental stores have big master sets available for rental these days. Anyone know if they have the right adapters for our Jeeps included in these big sets?

I would rather not have to buy a set if I don't have to but everything on my Jeep that hasn't been worked on recently is pretty seized up so I think I need to use the right tool for this to work.

View attachment 664495

amazon has this tool with the adapter

hear · Wednesday at 12:27 PM

akajibio said:
amazon has this tool with the adapter

Make sure you don't share the link.

macleanflood · Wednesday at 12:35 PM

https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B07DJ5JTW7?tag=wranglerorg-20

akajibio · Wednesday at 1:57 PM

hear said:
Make sure you don't share the link.

https://redirect.viglink.com/?forma...zon.com/gp/aw/d/B07DJ5JTW7?tag=wranglerorg-20

Do any of the loaner tool balljoint presses work?

TJ Addict

TJ Addict

TJ Addict

I break sh!t

TJ Enthusiast

TJ Addict

Branch Manager

TJ Addict

Can't type

New Member

Branch Manager

TJ Enthusiast

Branch Manager

TJ Addict

Branch Manager

TJ Addict

TJ Enthusiast

Can't type

I break sh!t

TJ Enthusiast

Similar threads