Also check the wheel bearings--many end up being adjusted too loosely or wear and the result is sloppy steering or lack of response to the wheel,and a wander or waddle as the truck goes over obstacles in the road..
I thought my K2500 needed ball joints,after using it to plow for 10 years which is rough on the steering box and tie rods,etc,from being turned lock to lock a million times 2 when plowing tight spots,but after I replaced the drag link ends that were sloppy,and making sure the box was adjusted right (ended up never touching the adjustment),and saw that the bolts holding the box on were tight,no frame cracks,etc--I decided to jack it up and check the ball joints..they were still tight to my surprise--but the passenger side wheel bearings were loose,I could pull the tire in and out at the 6 to 12 position about 1/16"...
I took the caliper off and took the hub off,made sure the bearings were not junk,and repacked them and put new grease in the hub ,adjusted them properly so there was barely any detectable play in them,and reassembled everything..now it steers and behaves MUCH better,though my steering colun bearings and the rag joint at the box are ready for replacement now,after 30 years..
I'd like to do the jeep steering shaft swap and ditch the rag joint and CV looking joint at the colum side someday..I've had a rag joint fail completely on the road,and it was NOT a fun ride,with ZERO control over the steering,I was lucky I was doing a slow u-turn in a parking lot when it broke!..
