No, pickle fork is all you need, and a decent hammer to go with it. They also make a pitman arm separator, which can be substituted if you get the right size. It's a more civilized way of removing them, and it works better on really stuck ones.
As for checking, a large pair of channel locks is all that is needed. squeeze down on the joint, being careful not to grab the grease fitting, and see how far it squeezes in. About 3/8" is the absolute max allowable, depends on model, and what your driving habits are. Anything around 1/4" or more and I change them.
Last but not least, yes, you will need to get an alignment. When you remove the old one, measure the distance from grease fitting to grease fitting. Try to get it back to that same distance when putting the new one in, and you will be in the ball park to be safe to drive it in.