So the time has come for new steering parts. After 100k+ miles, severe offroading, and 40in tires, the stock parts are ****. Going to replace pitman and idler with MOOG parts and add the cognito kit.

Heres the issue. I cannot get the pitman arm off the steering box. Getting a puller in there is damn impossible because the crossmember is literally 2-3 inches from the the bottom of the pitman.

Does anyone have experience or hints for me? The crossmember is in the worst spot.
Do i need to drop the sway bar?
Thanks dudes

 

When I changed my pitman arm first I took out 2 of the 3 bolts that hold the gear to the frame and was able to tilt it enough to get a pitman arm puller on there, but ended up breaking the puller. You might have to apply heat to the arm while using the puller.
I ended up taking the gear off the truck and used a 5-ton jaw puller and heat to get mine off. Also I took the skid plate and front bumper off. The bumper is pretty easy to remove, just 4 bolts and disconnect the DRL lights. Good luck, it is a PIA but worth the money you save vs. taking to a shop.

 

Also you will have to disconnect the steering shaft from the gear so you can tilt the gear.

 

Thanks for the quickness man!

I removed the skid plate, but the bumper isnt in my way at all, probably cuz my 3in body lift.
Gonna try to remove 2 bolts from the steering gear and ill post back

 

I took all 3 bolts off the frame going to the steering box, moved it away from the crossmember and beat the hell out of the pitman arm while using an impact on the puller. Worked great.


Also I just adjusted my steering box and that made a huge difference.

 

Heat it with a torch the metal will expand and make it easier . Just finished the exact same setup .