Bearing Question...Penn 720 Spinfisher

[Prefessa]

Do they make Needle Bearings with Inner Races??? Or can one be fitted with an inner race?? I so  where can I get some??

The 720 Spinfisher reels are very common, moreso than its better relative the 722...they are Plain Bearing and sport a slower 4:1 gear ratio. Not a bad little reel but the plain bearing just has that extra resistance that is not nearly as nice.  The sleeve bearing inside is roughly  5/16" ID x 7/16"OD x 1/2" L.

I am sure a needle bearing exists in these dimensions....but open race SS needle bearing will wreak havoc on a bronze shaft chewing it up to dust in no time eventually causing the bearing to fail.

[johndtuttle]

Do they make Needle Bearings with Inner Races??? Or can one be fitted with an inner race?? I so  where can I get some??

The 720 Spinfisher reels are very common, moreso than its better relative the 722...they are Plain Bearing and sport a slower 4:1 gear ratio. Not a bad little reel but the plain bearing just has that extra resistance that is not nearly as nice.  The sleeve bearing inside is roughly  5/16" ID x 7/16"OD x 1/2" L.

I am sure a needle bearing exists in these dimensions....but open race SS needle bearing will wreak havoc on a bronze shaft chewing it up to dust in no time eventually causing the bearing to fail.

If by "plain bearing" you mean a Bushing? If I remember correctly then the variety of spacers a 722 uses are to fit a standard dimension bearing into the receptacle, fit the bearing to the pinion and replace the bushing of a 720. But I simply am not sure if the dimensions of the housing are the same and you can fit a bearing to a 720 with the other parts.

I'm afraid I sometimes sound like a broken record on this but I have never found a better source for this information than the penn reels customer service site on Stripersonline.com...The service manager will answer your post (or others very knowledgeable) and you will get your answer there for sure. These old classics have their following (I have a 722 and have caught trout on it) but all of the ins and outs of the series are not known to me.

[Prefessa]

John:

Been there done that...The Penn Rep over there didnt know...that is the kinda question a guy like Mike Quinn could answer. He is long retired! And is sorely missed!

In a nutshell....The 722 uses a 5/16 ID x 11/16 OD Ball bearing. So it will not fit into the cavity of a Penn 720 body which is ~7/16 D...That was my first Idea was to just swap out bearings and spacers.

So the only hope would be a needle bearing as the OD/ID is nearly Identical to most bushings.

The Problem with a needle bearing is the rollers are SS and the pinion gear/drive shaft is bronze. The open race design will chew up the pinion unless there is a SS sleeve to act as an inner race or the bearing had an inner race installed.

[johndtuttle]

John:

Been there done that...The Penn Rep over there didnt know...that is the kinda question a guy like Mike Quinn could answer. He is long retired! And is sorely missed!

In a nutshell....The 722 uses a 5/16 ID x 11/16 OD Ball bearing. So it will not fit into the cavity of a Penn 720 body which is ~7/16 D...That was my first Idea was to just swap out bearings and spacers.

So the only hope would be a needle bearing as the OD/ID is nearly Identical to most bushings.

The Problem with a needle bearing is the rollers are SS and the pinion gear/drive shaft is bronze. The open race design will chew up the pinion unless there is a SS sleeve to act as an inner race or the bearing had an inner race installed.

Gotcha and thanks for that very clear post. I follow you perfectly now. The trouble is that the difference between your ID and OD is only 2/16" or 1/8"...don't think you are going to easily find a needle bearing that thin meeting all your dimension requirements.

Your alternative is that you need the existing receptacle to be milled out (doubtful there is enough material or that it is worth the time/expense) OR to simply find a clean 722 on the flea bay and retire the 720. I got mine for like $15 bucks and it was super clean on the outside, just old grease on the inside had gummed up the AR dog plus I replaced the spring.

Sorry I could not be more helpful and probably like you I would hate retiring such a faithful old friend as a 720 would be. Maybe someone else will be able to help more.


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