rear drive shaft boot - Should there be one?

[86mud]

Hi all

I have been replacing uni joints on the tailshafts of my 109 truck cab. There is a boot on the front drive shaft which I am about to replace.

I notice that some places sell the boots as a pair. My rear tail shaft did not have one.

Should it?

Thanks

[S3ute]

Hello from Brisbane.

Can't give you a definitive answer - leave that to others - but I think they are pretty much a case of optional and probably desirable.

None of our farm trucks ever had them and they ran for years without apparent detriment. Probably more important to have the female section of the slider facing in the right direction to minimise ingress of water and dirt from the road.

Having said that, I am about to fit a set of boots to my present truck as part of a general overhaul of the shafts. Not sure if the size and orientation of the four clamps have much effect on the balance of the shafts - possibly not.

Cheers,

[chazza]

The parts book doesn't show one for the rear.

I think regular and frequent greasing will be sufficient to protect it,

Cheers Charlie

[JDNSW]

Boot on either shaft's slip joint on all Series Landrovers is optional equipment. More often fitted to the front, because the rear is much better protected.

John

[S3ute]

Hello again from Brisbane.

The usual advice for overhauling and re-assembling drive shafts is the mark the two ends for alignment to ensure the balance is least affected. Makes sense.

The boots are usually retained by two radiator type clamps which would not be typically balanced. Does it matter how the screw sections are aligned (e.g. 180 degree offset to each other) or are they sufficiently light to have no effect on the overall balance of the shafts?

Don't have the relevant expertise, so its an innocent question if not naïve.

Cheers,

[JDNSW]

Hello again from Brisbane.

The usual advice for overhauling and re-assembling drive shafts is the mark the two ends for alignment to ensure the balance is least affected. Makes sense.

The boots are usually retained by two radiator type clamps which would not be typically balanced. Does it matter how the screw sections are aligned (e.g. 180 degree offset to each other) or are they sufficiently light to have no effect on the overall balance of the shafts?

Don't have the relevant expertise, so its an innocent question if not naïve.

Cheers,

The two clamps must be at 180 degrees to each other and should be in the opposite sense so the tails balance more closely.

John