MAINTAINING LEVER DRAG REEL

This article was published in the February 2003 issue of Rod and Line Fishing Magazine.

The mainstay of sea fishing reels is the star drag and the lever drag reels. Both these types of reels are been used, with the lever drag reel slowly getting more popular. Whatever reel you used, you still have to take care of it so that it can serve you for a long, long time.

If you are one of the lucky few that ‘God must have spent a little more time on you’ then you can afford to change to a new model with every launch. On the contrary, should you be like me, where the ringgit and I have the same magnetic pole, then you have no choice but to streeeeetch your ringgit to the fullest. In other words, maintain your reel to prolong its life so that you can squeeze the last drop out of it.

As the star drag reel is quite similar to the bait casting reel (covered in the January issue of Rod & Line) I will concentrate on the lever drag here.

All reel bodies are either made from metal or polycarbonate. No matter what material is used they still need to be looked after, cleaned and lubricated so as to give you trouble free service.

Shown here are the low and high gears. To unscrew the hexagonal nut turn it clockwise. Apply grease to the gear teeth only.

THINGS TO HAVE:

1.       As any job worth doing is worth doing well, I suggest we should be well prepared for the job at hand. Therefore a little preparation at the beginning can save you a lot of heartaches later.

A tray where you can put all your parts in proper order so that they cannot be misplaced is good to have around.

The gear assembly dismantled. Clean properly and oil all parts. Gear teeth must be grease.

2.       Any tools supplied are a must as they are specially made for the job.

3.       Solvent (petrol or kerosene) for cleaning the parts should be in sufficient quantity for the job. Do ensure that any naked flame is not near you while working as the solvent is flammable liquid. Working in a well-ventilated area is definitely very sensible.

4.       For cleaning out dirt, grease and grime, a good stiff oil painting brush is very suitable.

5.       Lubricants in the form of molybdenum oil and grease are very much preferred in this case.

6.       Toilet and soft cloth are very absorbent material. Being soft they do not scratch your reel bodies too.

7.       Any device like a big safety pin is very useful for keeping all the bearings and washers in their proper sequence.

The right side plate with gears removed. Grease the brass bush and bearing. oil the anti reverse dog. Check for damage to the dog spring.

8.       A can of water repellant spray is a must, as it will help to loosen all the grit and grime stuck on the reel.

9.       Box sockets, Allen keys and screwdrivers of the correct sizes must be used to prevent damages to your reel parts.

10.   Lastly, the schematic drawing of the reel is a must. I have ‘friends’ who came to me for help with all their dismantled reel parts in a box. If you have lost your diagram, try your regular tackle shop dealer. Of course a cup of coffee or a bottle of coke does smoothen the path to a photostat copy. Failing which, I think you have to relearn your ‘jacking’ skill.

The spool and all the assembly parts. Oil all parts and grease all bearings. Make sure the drag washer and the drag pressure plate is free of oil and dust.

DISASSEMBLING THE REEL

All lever drag reels work on almost the same principle. I have chosen TLD30 II as an example here. Most other reels are almost the same with a little difference here and there.

a.       Unscrew the pre-programmed dial, lever shaft body and the drag control lever.  Clean and grease especially the shaft body for tightening the drag.

b.      Remove all the screws and detached the side cover of the reel.

c.       Please use a proper size socket and wrench to unscrew the hexagonal nut holding both the drive gears in place. Remember that the screw threads are anticlockwise or left-hand thread. Clean all parts dry and grease.

d.      Lift up the pinion gears, clean and grease.

e.      Gently use a bent paperclip to lift up the bearing. Check for corrosion by spinning on a pencil. Replace if it is not turning smoothly. Clean with solvent and grease the gears and the bearing.

f.        Clean the right side plate, the brass bush and the anti-reverse dog. See that the spring of the dog is in good condition. If not replace by using thin spring wire (lock pin springs or wire leaders will do).

g.       Now gently lift up the spool (do not lose the cross pin of the spool shaft). Unscrew the drag cooling shield wit the tool supplied. Wipe the drag washer clean with a piece of tissue paper to remove dirt (do not leave any tiny pieces of tissue behind).

h.      Unscrew the click gear on the left side and slowly pull out the main shaft, bearings and spring washers. Arrange them in their proper sequence. Clean, oil and grease them. For the lever drag reels I normally use grease for the bearings as smooth casting is not that important here. The main problem here is they encountered a lot of friction and pressure. Re-assemble all the parts.

i.         Oil and grease the click mechanism on the left side plate of the reel.

j.        Put a few drops of oil to the handle knob and gear changing mechanism.

k.       To reassemble just reverse all the steps you have taken to disassemble the reel.

Oil the handle knob and the gear changing mechanism.

THINGS TO REMEMBER

A.      As the lever drag reels are mostly used for sea fishing (bottom and trolling) they faced a lot of very harsh conditions. The saltwater will no doubt encourage electrolysis where it will corrode and fuse different metal parts together. Therefore servicing reel regularly is a must.

B.      All gears and bearings must be greased. As the reels are used mostly in hard fighting conditions, a well-lubricated reel will definitely last longer.

C.      Any spring. Circlips and small parts must be detached with care as they can easily get lost in some crevices in your house.

D.      The drag cooling shield, drag washer and pressure plate must be kept clean from dust, dirt, grit and oil.

E.       Spray a layer of water repellant on your reel and wipe dry before every trip.

F.       After a trip out to sea, the reel must be rinse with a slow running stream of water. Push the lever to the full position to prevent water from seeping in to do any damage. Wipe off the excess water and spray on the water repellant before storing.

G.     After fishing all reels must be detach from the reel seats of the rods. More so if the seat is made from metal as they might fuse together by the saltwater.

H.      One week before each trip do take out your reel to check its condition. It will be disaster when you discover that your reel is not working right in the middle of the sea, miles away from nowhere.

I.        If possible fishing line must be strip from the spool, soak in fresh water, dry and re-spool onto a clean spool.

J.        When tightening the screws, do not over tighten as the threads might be stripped.

Always pull the lever to the "Off" or "Free" position before doing any adjustment to the pre-programmed dial.