Tie rod boot replacement?

[40Farmall]

All of my tie rod boots are torn and falling off. Any idea if a replacement like these from energy suspension can be used instead?

http://www.truckspring.com/Search.a...uct-Type:Tie-Rod-End-Boot&a=Price-Range:15-30

They seem more durable and I've always had good luck with their replacement parts in the past. Far better than the stock parts (on my trucks).

 

[North Idaho Wolfman]

If you can find the right size I don't see why they wouldn't work.

 

[tcrote5516]

The problem I see there is the auto based tie rod boots generally protect from the shaft down to the pocket where the ball sits in a 90deg orientation. Our tierods are more linear in setup and need a boot to go from input to output shaft.

If you figure it out and post a part number that would be awesome because the OEM quality is a joke!

 

[40Farmall]

I ordered these:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B004ALM29M/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o01_s01?ie=UTF8&psc=1

The old ones were torn so they had to be replaced. I ordered 12 because I have a friend with the same problem and it is always good to have spares.

The bad:
The OEM boots have wire holding the bottom on which is a very good seal. These do not have that and I don't believe you can use the wire on the Energy Suspension boots as there is no lip to catch. Also the ES boots are not as flexible.
When I shake the tie rod the ES boots slide around a good bit. Not sure the long term impact of that (as it could allow dirt/debris back in although as it slides the grip of the boot creates a 'wiper' function I believe)

The good:
It is a tight fit and I do believe it will keep dirt out of the bushing.
The ES boots won't tear in the field when I am bush-hogging. They really appear indestructible!
Very cheap compared to replacing with OEM, particularly since the OEM are easy to puncture.