The one tool I see beginners grab for brake jobs that always causes problems

I work at a shop outside Denver and I keep watching new guys reach for the pickle fork on brake jobs. Every time, they end up tearing the boot on the ball joint or tie rod end, then we gotta order a whole new part. In my experience, if you just tap the knuckle with a hammer and a drift punch, the joint pops loose way cleaner. I spent three hours last Tuesday helping a kid fix a lower control arm he mangled with a fork. The shop owner finally told him 'no more pickle forks on suspension work, period.' Has anyone else noticed people leaning on that tool when they should step back and think first?

2 comments

2 Comments

murray.cole23d agoMost Upvoted

My neighbor uses a pickle fork every time and has never torn a boot once lol.

emmam3223d ago

Your neighbor might have gotten lucky or knows exactly what he's doing. A pickle fork puts a ton of stress on the rubber if you angle it wrong, and it's real easy to slice into the sidewall when you pry it off the rim. I've seen guys split boots right down the middle with those things because they got in a hurry.