Yes the pitman arm does the work, and takes the main load of steering, but there is another factor. The twisting thrust load.

The drag link is offset _____--------------------_____

This offset causes input from the wheels/tie rods to put a twisting force on the drag link. This is particularly obvious in 4x4 (truck pulling) where the front tires try to toe in under power. To test this with both wheels off the ground take a pipe wrench and grab the drag link and attempt to rotate it. As you rotate it (which it should NOT) you'll see the toe changes quite dramatically.

The other test is to jack just the RF wheel off the ground and grab the wheel at 3 and 9 and try to steer it.

In Gary's case because the pitman was replaced all may seem tight as it is difficult to reproduce road forces, but trust me, the PISK that I linked above will make the steering MUCH more precise and hold toe more consistent.



Both arms attach to the same rigid drag link. Replacing one will give you the sense that the other is OK when it is not