Separator Forks
3 products
The separator fork is driven between the knuckle and the control arm and levers the ball joint apart. Crude but effective, and the fastest route on a joint that is being replaced anyway. Three fork openings cover ordinary passenger car work.
When the fork is the right call
The separator fork is the blunt cousin of the press-out tool: you drive it between knuckle and control arm with a hammer and the wedge does the rest. Fast, cheap and almost always effective — but the boot is destroyed afterwards and the joint goes in the bin.
That is exactly why it is often the right choice. On a ball joint that is being replaced anyway, damage is no objection and the fork saves five minutes per wheel. If you are only replacing the control arm and the joint has to stay, use a press-out tool instead.
Mind the fork opening: it should just fit around the threaded stud, not around the taper. Too wide and the fork slips off under the hammer blow; too narrow and it will not go in. 18, 23 and 29 mm together cover almost all passenger cars.