Pros and Cons of zipper boots

Pros and Cons of zipper boots on the front of a m35a2 deuce. Need to replace both of mine soon. New to the Deuce, but a very good mechanic of 10+ years and just what to do this righ the first time.

Not a daily driver, maybe a weekend or two a month and maybe a dirt trail or two. No deep mud if I can steer away from it. Not a show truck but will love to show it off to all.

Pros- they are quicker to install.

Cons- they don't hold up very well.

That about sums it up.

I will say that I've got zipper boots on my truck right now. I've recently re-sealed and greased my front end but one of the boots has already ripped. I'll more than likely install another zipper because I don't really want to tear it all back down.

Boot quality of current replacement parts has been bad lately. If you have a quality boot it doesn't matter. As Ty said,the con of a solid boot is that you have to tear down the whole front end to replace. For me, that same issue is a pro. It forces me to do service work that I might otherwise put off.

First time non zipper so you can take it all apart and inspect it. After that first inspection I would probably go to zipper
and the time after that, back to the non zipper and tear it down. Ask when you order either one, where they're made.
I have to replace some already that only lasted a few years mostly sitting in the back yard(Chinese?)

Pro there easy to install
Con they not water tight

I installed solid boots first go around, second time I used zippered.

My truck came with new zippered boots from the military. They hold up fine and, given the quality issues with all types of replacement boots, I am not touching them until I absolutely have to.

Zippered boots seal well for normal use; you silicone the zipper after mounting; if you intend to ford a lot or drive in mud and water all the time, I'd recommend solid boots (and lots of grease). In the end, the boot that does not dry rot or fall apart will be the better boot - zippered or not!

m16ty said:

Pros- they are quicker to install.

Cons- they don't hold up very well.

That about sums it up.

I will say that I've got zipper boots on my truck right now. I've recently re-sealed and greased my front end but one of the boots has already ripped. I'll more than likely install another zipper because I don't really want to tear it all back down.

Click to expand...

HEllo,!!
I have done lots of searching, but i cannot find a step by step for replacing JUST the ZIPPERED boot!... all I find are one piece how to's

i dont want/ or have the time/ money to to a total tear down of both sides

i need replacement zippered ones for both sides where do you get them? (NOS)

thanks!!

rolling18 said:

HEllo,!!
I have done lots of searching, but i cannot find a step by step for replacing JUST the ZIPPERED boot!... all I find are one piece how to's

i dont want/ or have the time/ money to to a total tear down of both sides

i need replacement zippered ones for both sides where do you get them? (NOS)

thanks!!

Click to expand...

I got a set of zippered boots from deuceman51 (Troy). I haven't installed them yet but they seem ok. I also get my filters from him.

With modern silicone sealants, there is no difference in water-tightness or sealing when done correctly. Just make sure the zipper remains clean (masking tape?) and get some silicone under the zipper where the bands clamp. Zippers to the rear.

Also, clean the contaminated grease under the old boot.

rolling18 said:

HEllo,!!
I have done lots of searching, but i cannot find a step by step for replacing JUST the ZIPPERED boot!... all I find are one piece how to's

i dont want/ or have the time/ money to to a total tear down of both sides

i need replacement zippered ones for both sides where do you get them? (NOS)

thanks!!

Click to expand...

I replaced on of mine with the zippered boot and it's pretty simple if you look at how the old one is on when you take it off. Most difficult part is getting the boot and the metal ring to line up in the groove for tightening it. It helps allot to have a second set of hands and or some clamps.

I used new zipper boots from Erik's and they seem to be very good quality. There is a PS article in the TM sections I think that has a step by step for changing them out without the full tear down you want to avoid. It advises putting the "adhesive" (read sealer) on the inside of the zipper then on the outside after completion. I used "Goop" for its adhesive and sealing qualities as well as quick set up time, although black RTV should work too. Zippers face rear on the right wheel and forward on the left. Also the inner axle seal thread says to put the band bolts on top so as to not interfere when turning. If you don't find the PS article do a search on replacing zippered boots and it is in one of those threads too.

You almost need three hands...or your knees to hold the new one at the bottom while you work it around to the top. Remember...this is fun...

Boots

We ran zippered boots on our Mud Racing truck for three years before replacing
them, and we had no problems after running them HARD through deep water
and mud. They kept their seal very well considering the abuse we gave them!
I was very impressed. We replaced them with a new set of zippered boots.

My M109A3 has zippers, but my 5-Ton(M52A2) does not. We will continue to
inspect them regularily.

I think most of the bad rap the zipper boots get is the rubber quality of the reproduction boots. If you're buying reproduction boots you have three options. Rubber solid, rubber zippered, or silicone solid. None of the reproduction rubber boots hold up very well. To my knowledge nobody makes a silicone zipper boot. When or if they start making silicone zipper boots, that will be the way to go.

Silicone isn't too tear resistant. Sure, more resistant to oxidation but less resistant to tearing.

Now a Buna-N rubber one-piece or EPDM rubber would work well. As would a Aramid-fiber reinforced ether-based polyurethane.

I got a set of the green solid silicone boots from Erik's. I've been leery of the zipper boots because it would be difficult to be sure I get a set of the good ones. I plan to do a real good inspection when I install them. Clean and lube everything.

So far I love the zippered boots. The only real draw back is buying the "newer" asian made ones. They don't hold up too well. The rubber is inferior to the USGI ones. Keep you eyes open, the "real" ones pop up on ebay every once in awhile. I just bought two USGI NOS boots for $14 each shipped a month ago. They're out there.

THANK GOD FOR THE SEARCH FUNCTION! (for the noobs)
A couple weeks ago when I got down with a tape measuer to check the alignment on the front end of my 72 KJ M35A2, I noticed the axle boots appeared to be split horizontally and a little gooey around the split. Fearing the worst, (necesitating a front end teardown) I started researching the pros and cons of zippered boots. Last night I got under the beast to align the front end, and took a greasy-fingered look at the boots to find that my truck has zippered boots already. It looks like somewhere in the history of my truck, someone installed zippered boots but didn't silicone the zippers. Now that the zippers have had all that ickyness seep through them, I'm guessing I'll have to remove them to clean them out thoroughly to get any silicone to seal them properly. (My daddy taught me to do it right and you only gotta do it once). What I'm wondering is, can I remove them and expect them to hold up to removal, cleaning (degreasing) and reinstallation without falling apart, or should I just get another set and toss the ones I have now? I don't plan on doing any fording anytime soon, so is it something I can set on the back burner and not worry about for now, or is leaving un-siliconed zippered boots asking for trouble?

I have read this entire thread, I also need a set of zippered boots for the front of 109. Where can I get a set of decent zips....?

Any help would be appreciated.

Hey Don, I found a couple on ebay but one is shiny like the cheap ones and the other appears to be the government issue gold zippered ones but they're $48.95 each with free Expedited Shipping. I ran search for "M35A2 axle boots".

I'm another victim of inferior rubber zip boots. My truck came with solid rubber boots that had both sides crack. I had to cut them out and I replace them with zips from Memphis. About six months later the pass. side horizontally cracked (rubber felt like it thinned out then tore). Threw on another zip, now about a year later the drivers side zipper style opened up and is starting to drip. I also think that the rubber material used in that batch doesn't hold up to oil/grease for too long.

The style I had used had the gold zippers and upon opening the bags, the rubber felt thick enough to last and was a flat black color.