Example applications

Example Gum Rubber Boot and Sleeve Applications

Three of the builds we are asked for most, what each part does, why it wears out, and the measurements we need to quote one. These are descriptions of the work, not customer stories.

Concrete batch plants

29 inch truck discharge boot for a ready-mix batch plant

Where it goes

Hangs off the bottom of the batcher and drops mix into a ready-mix truck. Some plants call it the elephant trunk.

Typical build

29" ID × 1/2" wall × 24" long, pure gum rubber, tan 40D. Frequently tapered, running wider at the batcher than where it enters the drum.

Why this one wears out

It carries the full weight of a load on every drop, the drum moves under it, and drivers back into it. A 3/8 inch wall runs at this diameter but a 1/2 inch wall is what stops it being a recurring purchase.

What we need to quote it

A phone photo with a tape measure laid across the opening, plus the length, is enough to quote it. If it steps down, we need both diameters.

Have a boot problem like this? Send the spec.

Photo coming soon Batch plant charging chute discharging into a ready-mix truck drum

Grain, feed and agriculture

8 5/8 inch flex connectors on grain elevator spouting

Where it goes

Between a bucket elevator head and a spouting run, at distributor outlets, and on bin fill drops.

Typical build

8 5/8" ID × 1/4" wall × 12" long, pure gum rubber. Sized to go over 8 inch nominal pipe, which measures 8.625 inches across.

Why this one wears out

This is the size where cold-bonded seams give out first. The band clamp squeezes the glued overlap, the seam creeps, and it splits at the clamp line. A hot vulcanized overlap is cured rubber with nothing in it to peel.

What we need to quote it

The spouting outside diameter, the wall you want, and the gap plus overlap. An old part number works if the part is gone.

Have a boot problem like this? Send the spec.

Photo coming soon Grain bins and bucket elevator spouting at a farm grain facility

Cement silos and terminals

Tapered silo band between a cone and a bin activator

Where it goes

The only connection between a silo cone and the bin activator hanging under it on isolation mounts.

Typical build

Built to the two flange diameters, for example a 24 inch large end down to an 18 inch small end, 3/8 inch wall. Band clamps can be quoted with it.

Why this one wears out

The activator vibrates constantly to keep material flowing, so the band flexes thousands of times an hour. It is the worst place on a bulk plant to put an adhesive seam.

What we need to quote it

Large end inside diameter, small end inside diameter, and the vertical gap between the flanges. If the activator hangs offset rather than centered, send a sketch with the offset.

Have a boot problem like this? Send the spec.

Photo coming soon Cement silos with a pneumatic tanker connected at the loadout

What these have in common

None of them are catalog parts. One is an odd size almost nobody stocks, one is a tapered cone that has to be cut for two specific diameters, and one is a heavy-wall sleeve in the worst wear position on a plant. That is the ordinary case in this shop, not the exception.

They also need very little information to start. A measurement and a photo, or an old part number. Nobody has to send a drawing.

Every one is hot vulcanized, which some plants call heat vulcanized. See the sizes involved: 29 inch batch plant boot, 8 5/8 inch gum rubber boot, and tapered rubber boots.

Have a part like this?

Send the spec. Quote back within 24 hours.

Build My RFQ

Will-call pickup

Pick up your order in Englewood

AG Rubber Co
2780 Raritan St
Englewood, CO 80110
303-339-1240

Will-call hours: Monday to Friday, 7:00 AM to 4:00 PM

Local plants: call ahead and most standard boots are ready for same-week pickup.

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