Truck has many issues, among them loose steering. I took it in for a checkup, and it needs a new steering gear. How difficult are they to replace? What would be a reasonable amount for me to pay someone else to do this, versus me doing it myself?
You could do it, but many of the bolts are torque’d very tightly and having access to pneumatic (air) tools would make the job infinitely easier. You also need a Pitman arm puller. And, you’ll need to tighten those bolts back to a very tight torque to prevent them from coming loose on you later.
A possible cheaper alternative is to check the adjustment of the worm gear. This adjustment is on top of the steering box, and is a screw with a locknut. jack up the front end and set jack stands so both front wheels are off the ground. Loosen the lock nut and turn the screw a quarter turn clockwise then lock down the nut again. Check the freeplay. Repeat until the freeplay is reduced to a very small minimum. If the steering starts to drag or feel way too tight, you need to back off the adjustment, because it is starting to bind. If there is still too much freeplay, the steering box should be replaced.