I have a question

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Gunslinger1$
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I have a question

Post by Gunslinger1$ » Sun Sep 23, 2018 11:53 am

Hey everybody out there in mule land, has anyone tried using zip ties on the dust boots instead of wire?
Just a thought.


muleman7
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Re: I have a question

Post by muleman7 » Mon Sep 24, 2018 12:49 am

I posted a while back about some boots that had the letters MMA on them and they had no groove on the inner lip of the boot for the safety wire. They were secured with a panduit tie. Both boots were leaking from this area because the panduit tie worked off the boot and the boot off the gear cover housing. If you will notice the gear cover housing slopes away from this mounting area and either a tie or hose clamp will not stay in place when the boot flexes and is wet with gear lube. The groove is there to retain the wire and is the proper way to secure the inner lip of the boot.

The outer lip of the boot that secures to the steering knuckle is held in place with a flat metal band and a word of caution the band is tapered and the small side of this taper MUST be positioned outward so it will work on [towards the steering knuckle] not away.
Last edited by muleman7 on Tue Sep 25, 2018 5:27 am, edited 1 time in total.
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Gunslinger1$
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Re: I have a question

Post by Gunslinger1$ » Mon Sep 24, 2018 2:13 pm

Well I would think if the grove is not there, it would'nt matter much what you use. I just thought using a zip tie could be tightened a little more without cutting into the boot and would give more surface area to contact the housing with less chances of leakage. I was just wondering if anyone had tried it. maybe I will.

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Re: I have a question

Post by muleman7 » Mon Sep 24, 2018 4:32 pm

You can always try but the zip tie face is slightly behind the bead of the boot.The groove keeps the safety wire in position and it is up to the installer not to over tighten. I tighten the wire at 3:00 o'clock [being right handed] and after tightening I rotate the boot so the twist of the wire is at 12:00 o'clock and bend it down to align with the boot. while rotating I can feel the drag to determine the force of the wire and distribute the sealant. I use Mariner's Choice Never-Seez after cleaning the groove with round abrasive cord.

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Re: I have a question

Post by Auto Shop teacher » Mon Sep 24, 2018 5:25 pm

While I have no idea if a zip tie would work in this application, I do know that the area by the one way finger is prone to bunch up material such as the rubber boot as the plastic has to make a right angle turn. Then there is the issue of whether the grease is going to affect the plastic that the zip tie is made from.

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Re: I have a question

Post by Chuck W. » Tue Sep 25, 2018 9:16 am

FWIW - I have tried the zip-tie on the inner boot and had absolutely zero success. Wire is the only real way to go, but you need to find a wire that will work. The best wire I ever used was telephone lacing wire, second best was some small diameter SS wire from Ace Hardware.
whether the grease is going to affect
I REALLY hope you are not putting grease in the drop housings, best way to destroy the needle bearings, 90wt OIL only!

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Re: I have a question

Post by Gunslinger1$ » Tue Sep 25, 2018 2:57 pm

muleman7 wrote:
Mon Sep 24, 2018 4:32 pm
You can always try but the zip tie face is slightly behind the bead of the boot.The groove keeps the safety wire in position and it is up to the installer not to over tighten. I tighten the wire at 3:00 o'clock [being right handed] and after tightening I rotate the boot so the twist of the wire is at 12:00 o'clock and bend it down to align with the boot. while rotating I can feel the drag to determine the force of the wire and distribute the sealant. I use Mariner's Choice Never-Seez after cleaning the groove with round abrasive cord.

Image
I appreciate the info, but I've had mules for many years now and am aware of the proper way to do it, I was just kicking a thought around to see if anyone had tried it. thanks

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Re: I have a question

Post by Gunslinger1$ » Tue Sep 25, 2018 3:08 pm

Chuck W. wrote:
Tue Sep 25, 2018 9:16 am
FWIW - I have tried the zip-tie on the inner boot and had absolutely zero success. Wire is the only real way to go, but you need to find a wire that will work. The best wire I ever used was telephone lacing wire, second best was some small diameter SS wire from Ace Hardware.
whether the grease is going to affect
I REALLY hope you are not putting grease in the drop housings, best way to destroy the needle bearings, 90wt OIL only!
I knew if anybody had tried it, it would be you Chuck. your word is good enough for me. and no, I use only the correct gear oil. Grease only goes where it is supposed to. Hope you are doing well my friend!!

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Re: I have a question

Post by Auto Shop teacher » Tue Sep 25, 2018 7:54 pm

I put grease on the balls and tulips of the constant velocity joint only, the gear cases and drop axles are all full of GX90. Is greasing the balls going to cause a problem? It is all we use on car and truck CV joints.

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Re: I have a question

Post by muleman7 » Wed Sep 26, 2018 3:22 am

Grease your balls there should be no problems. In fact engine builders use assembly lube so the engine does not initially start up running dry. And cam manufactures suggest lubing the cam lobes and lifters to reduce run-in premature wear.

The Mule Bendix CV Joint runs in a bath of lube and the grease would eventually dissipate as the lube is heated from the mule traveling.

Most modern cars with front wheel drive CV Joints do not run in a bath of gear lube and must be greased.

When I do a total tear down of the Drop Gear Housing I hand pack grease into the 205 bearing on the axle shaft and wipe a small amount onto the needle bearings and tapered bearings of the Bottom Gear. When installing new Hub and Axle Bearings [5208 and 205] I remove the shields if present.
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Re: I have a question

Post by Chuck W. » Wed Sep 26, 2018 8:03 am

I have seen many mules with leaking boots where the owner, instead of making a correct repair, will replace the top 1/4" pipe plugs with grease fittings and pump the housings full of grease until it runs out of the split boots! The outer axle needle bearings almost always fail. What a mess to clean up!


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