Pros and Cons of zipper boots

Tow4 · May 21, 2012

Don, I got mine from eriksmilitarysurplus.com. They were $31.75 back in Febuary.

The TM has the directions for doing the zippered boots. It's pretty easy, you don't even need to jack it up. Here is the link to my thread on boot replacement.

http://www.steelsoldiers.com/deuce/83357-replaced-steering-knuckle-boots.html

bsorcs · May 22, 2012

I put a couple of these nasty-green silicone puppies on in November of 2010. About 4k of highway and around-town miles since and no cracks/leaks/etc. Probably should not have said that!

With everything clean, single-person install was not difficult. I'll follow the same route in the future. Clamps are a neat idea.

Motorcar · May 22, 2012

RedBeard... you may not be able to just "unzip" them and put them back together, chances are that the pull part that zips together has been cut off after installation rather than just letting it hang. They were designed to ease installation/replacement and not go on and off multiple times. Also, it may be near impossible to get all the grease out of the zipper to allow good sealant to adhere. Got mine from Erik's and have had no problems so far.

197thhhc · May 22, 2012

I have access to about 4 different kinds of zippered boots from my suppliers. I am inthe process of checking their quality and where they are made then I will start carrying a full line of zippered and non zippered. Should be within the next 2 weeks.

Redbeard I would leave the old ones on until they rip. I have never had luck reusing them .

Heath_h49008 · Mar 15, 2013

Necrothreading...

Did we ever get a run down on the "Good zippered" vs "Bad Zippered" boots?

Varyag · Mar 15, 2013

I have been running the Kia ones from korea for about a year and they seem to be holding up. I take a close look at them as part of normal PM and they are holding up fine. I got them from Erik's.

m16ty · Mar 15, 2013

In my experience,the only remotely good zipper boots are the genuine military boots. They still aren't as good as the silicone non-zipper boots.

197thhhc · Mar 21, 2013

Has anyone tried the black zipper boots with rivets. If so how are they holding up. They look a little better than the zipper boots I have on my truck now.

shenkmen · Mar 22, 2013

I've tried them. Same garbage as the others. Cracked in 9 months. I've tried the gold zippered and the silver zippered with and without rivets. All junk.

Wolfgang the Gray · Mar 28, 2016

Heavysteven said:
Pro there easy to install
Con they not water tight

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

When you say they aren't water tight, does that mean you shouldn't take it fording or you shouldn't let the garden hose splash water on them when washing the truck? Just want to be sure I understand your meaning to the correct level.

MikeON · Mar 29, 2016

I installed non-zipper "silicone" boots in Dec. 2012. They lasted less than 3 years and 330 miles of very easy driving. I'm thinking of having them analyzed to see if they were really silicone. I now have non-zipper rubber boots installed.

dilligaf13 · Mar 29, 2016

bsorcs said:
I put a couple of these nasty-green silicone puppies on in November of 2010. About 4k of highway and around-town miles since and no cracks/leaks/etc. Probably should not have said that!

With everything clean, single-person install was not difficult. I'll follow the same route in the future. Clamps are a neat idea.

Are there multiple manufacturers of those lime green silicone boots or are they all the same?

Wolfgang the Gray · Mar 29, 2016

I read through the thread and may have missed it, but this question gnaws at my mind like a rat on cheese.

What is the purpose of having boots with zippers? From what I've read here, people put them on & leave them until they wear out & need replacing. A zipper (to me) would seem to indicate they are made to be opened and closed frequently (like the fly on jeans). I looked at the boots on eBay, both with and without zippers, but can't see what advantage they would offer.

Someone throw me a bone, please. :shrugs:

rustystud · Mar 30, 2016

Wolfgang the Gray said:
I read through the thread and may have missed it, but this question gnaws at my mind like a rat on cheese.

What is the purpose of having boots with zippers? From what I've read here, people put them on & leave them until they wear out & need replacing. A zipper (to me) would seem to indicate they are made to be opened and closed frequently (like the fly on jeans). I looked at the boots on eBay, both with and without zippers, but can't see what advantage they would offer.

Someone throw me a bone, please.

The original factory ones where made of a rubberized leather and didn't last all that long. So they had zippers to help in installing them without removing the whole wheel assembly. Later the military went with rubber ones but kept the zipper. There are after market ones available since the NOS ones are usually junk now (remember being made of rubber and now old) but the after market rubber ones are cheaply made. The silicone ones came out recently and at first they seemed to be a great fix, but I think to many companies are making them out of cheap materials and they are not holding up like they should.

Wolfgang the Gray · Mar 30, 2016

rustystud said:
The original factory ones where made of a rubberized leather and didn't last all that long. So they had zippers to help in installing them without removing the whole wheel assembly. Later the military went with rubber ones but kept the zipper. There are after market ones available since the NOS ones are usually junk now (remember being made of rubber and now old) but the after market rubber ones are cheaply made. The silicone ones came out recently and at first they seemed to be a great fix, but I think to many companies are making them out of cheap materials and they are not holding up like they should.

Ahhhhhhh, now the light comes on. I kept reading about people pulling the wheels apart to relube everything so I didn't think installation was the purpose of the zippers. Thanks for the info. Someone needs to get the molds for the boots & start making quality units here in the US.

rustystud · Mar 30, 2016

Wolfgang the Gray said:
Ahhhhhhh, now the light comes on. I kept reading about people pulling the wheels apart to relube everything so I didn't think installation was the purpose of the zippers. Thanks for the info. Someone needs to get the molds for the boots & start making quality units here in the US.

That would be great but remember you have a limited market. Also if you make them too good then after you sell off the first batch no one will be buying anymore as they will not be replacing them !

Wolfgang the Gray · Mar 31, 2016

rustystud said:
That would be great but remember you have a limited market. Also if you make them too good then after you sell off the first batch no one will be buying anymore as they will not be replacing them !

Charge a bit more & accept a limited run. Could also make them to order.

rustystud · Apr 1, 2016

Wolfgang the Gray said:
Charge a bit more & accept a limited run. Could also make them to order.

That would work, and I would be one of the first in-line to buy them !

aleigh · Apr 1, 2016

I've never seen any of these in person but from the pictures I've seen on the Internet and given that they were originally coated leather I wonder if they could be made from heavy Cordura or one of the other ballistics. The abrasion resistance of that material is good, and it's waterproof / greaseproof. Could be doubled or tripled or backed with tarp if it needs foundation. Temperature resistance would be poor with Cordura though. I sew heavy things for other projects and these don't look that complicated but I am mostly just wondering out loud.

Wolfgang the Gray · Apr 2, 2016

aleigh said:
I've never seen any of these in person but from the pictures I've seen on the Internet and given that they were originally coated leather I wonder if they could be made from heavy Cordura or one of the other ballistics. The abrasion resistance of that material is good, and it's waterproof / greaseproof. Could be doubled or tripled or backed with tarp if it needs foundation. Temperature resistance would be poor with Cordura though. I sew heavy things for other projects and these don't look that complicated but I am mostly just wondering out loud.

You could always prototype?

Pros and Cons of zipper boots

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