Lower balljoint won't come out, help!

[Onyxtinct]

The knuckle is still connected to the axle on my 2wd ranger because of that stupid lower ball joint, which is rust welded in there I guess because I've tried alot of things to get it out(I did get the upper balljoint out of the axle but not the knuckle). I even rented a picklebar which didnt help. I haven't tried heating it up yet because I sprayed a ton of liquid wrench on there and I think its flammable, I also have only been using small hammers but I can get a mallet or sledge hammer if needed. If you have any ideas please help!

 

[Shran]

They can be stubborn. Pickle forks are only helpful if they're wide enough to get around the ball joint stud - some are not. If yours is wide enough, that's your best option. Beat it with a bigger hammer! 2-3lb sledge is what I'd use. Sometimes you can tap the stud from above but there's not a lot of room.

Keep the lower ball joint nut threaded on a couple turns in case it lets go, that way the whole knuckle doesn't fly off. And don't be tempted to beat on the knuckle itself... it's pretty easy to bend it.

Heat may help. Even a propane torch can be hot enough sometimes. Liquid Wrench is definitely flammable, but it does evaporate...you could just wipe off the excess too... it'll smoke for a bit and nothing will be left.

 

[Onyxtinct]

Well, I tried a wider fork and got the sledgehammer, that did the trick apparently. A couple hearty hits to the back of the fork and the knuckle fell off, good thin I put the castle nut on a little ways too otherwise I'd be buying a new disc probably. Thanks a ton for the help!