I took it apart. The ball looks pretty round and the cups don’t look worn. But when I put it back together and snug it up, by the time I back the screw off enough to line it up with the cotter pin hole, the play is still there. Shouldn’t that spring be keeping some tension on the cups? I didn’t remove the spring because I couldn’t get a hold of it. Is there a trick to that?

My dad always told me, "Don't force it, get a bigger hammer".