Penn 450ssg bale

Hadge · May 15, 2011, 09:05:32 PM

I have 3 penn 450 ssg reels. Two of them have a problem with the bale trip. I always have to close the bale by hand, no real big deal but I would like to fix it.

The bales trip about half way then I have to close them by hand at that point.

The reels are 6 years old and have been maintained well. I can only guess that the slight wear on the trip parts are the cause of this.
Has anyone see and fix this problem.

ReelSpeed · May 16, 2011, 01:53:09 AM

Does the bail open and close smoothly by hand? If so, then it is the trip mechanism under the spool. Some reels have a ramp that can wear down.. others do it differently. Honestly though, most people will tell you that it is really good practice to cast, then move the bail over by hand. This will keep the line twist to a minimum. I know it is more convenient to trip it automatically and can be a hard habit to break.

wallacewt · May 16, 2011, 02:15:23 AM

bail spring broken?

Alto Mare · May 16, 2011, 04:04:28 AM

Quote from: Hadge on May 15, 2011, 09:05:32 PM
I have 3 penn 450 ssg reels. Two of them have a problem with the bale trip. I always have to close the bale by hand, no real big deal but I would like to fix it.

The bales trip about half way then I have to close them by hand at that point.

The reels are 6 years old and have been maintained well. I can only guess that the slight wear on the trip parts are the cause of this.
Has anyone see and fix this problem.

Wow you made 3 mistakes, just kidding

. I would replace the bail spring first as Wallace mentioned, when the spring gets weak the bail usually stops half way. It could also be something else, but the bail spring is a good place to star. I use these reels a lot, mine are a little larger than yours and I do like to close the bail by hand as ReelSpeed mentioned , it is a good practice.

Bryan Young · May 16, 2011, 04:23:58 AM

It's also quite possible that the bail was bumped (bent) a little and it's binding at the connection points.

alantani · May 16, 2011, 02:53:26 PM

unless the bail spring is actually broken, you can usually fix it. often the ends of the bail springs get bent out and "opened" up too much. if you can bend them back so that the ends of the springs have more of a bite and stay in the holes they are supposed to stay in, you can often get them to work again.

Hadge · May 16, 2011, 10:45:39 PM

Thank you guys,
I always close the bale by hand myself but some of my guests don't.
I think you guys are right the bale spring must be weak. I also think the slight wear on the joint at the spring is a bit of a culprit as well.
I will reply with the fix IF I figure it out. It may be awhile as I am putting my saltwater reels away and will break out my Lake Michigan trolling reels now.
Thanks for the help.
Hadge

Plane Fish N · July 15, 2012, 03:01:59 AM

Hello all,

I am new to this forum but thankful that Alan has put it together for all of us.

I just bought a used Penn 450 ssg and the reel looks extra clean however the bale does not flip back at all. It is fluid when you move the bale to cast but when you crank.... NOTHING!

I usually hand flip my bales but as has been mentioned on this thread, many of my guests don't know how to do this.

Can anyone recommend why the bale won't flip back at all? There is no tension or anything.. It just spins freely with the bale open or closed.

Thanks for any help.

Cheers

Alto Mare · July 15, 2012, 03:39:50 AM

Funny, that reel doesn't appear to be graphite. About the bail, it could be any of the parts related to the trip cam. Try with the trp cam itself first, part #28c-450. The part might look good to the eye, but replacing it will usually do the job and it's only about $1.50. The 450ss is the smallest reel that I use and really like it, I wouldn't go any lower, I don't like the way the smaller ones are put together. Good luck!
I have some pictures here on the 450ss, but my computer is acting up and I'm not able to send you links. Sorry!

Plane Fish N · July 15, 2012, 04:15:12 AM

Quote from: Alto Mare on July 15, 2012, 03:39:50 AM
Funny, that reel doesn't appear to be graphite. About the bail, it could be any of the parts related to the trip cam. Try with the trp cam itself first, part #28c-450. The part might look good to the eye, but replacing it will usually do the job and it's only about $1.50. The 450ss is the smallest reel that I use and really like it, I wouldn't go any lower, I don't like the way the smaller ones are put together. Good luck!
I have some pictures here on the 450ss, but my computer is acting up and I'm not able to send you links. Sorry!

First of all, thanks for the reply.

Secondly, you are 110% correct. I added a pic of my 450 ss which is fine. It is the 450 ssg that I am having a problem with and yes, It is GRAPHITE.

Is your fix the same for this particular reel then?

Sorry for the mix up and I have removed the pictures.

Also, I know you said that you might have pictures. Is there a way to see where the trip cam is located and how to repair this? Does Alan have a video on how to do this?

Thanking you in advance.

Cheers

Alto Mare · July 15, 2012, 03:11:08 PM

Except for the housing, reels are exactly the same. I was able to borrow one of the kids' laptops, here is the link:
http://alantani.com/index.php?topic=4065.0
The part is just above the ratchet on picture #7. As I mentioned earlier, it could be other parts related to it but this is a good place to start. Hope you find this helpful! Sal

alantani · July 15, 2012, 06:16:48 PM

the bail is bent in such a way so that it does not put pressure on the spool. you have to be able to disconnect one side or the other and it should rest evenly in place and not be bent in such a way that the screws have to force it to stay in place. it that is the case, then it will not "flip" back closed easily, even if the bail spring is in place. the bails are commonly bent and that is usually the reason that they will not flip closed easily.

does this make sense?

Hadge · July 16, 2012, 01:50:40 AM

Plane fish N,

I would recommend replacing the bail spring.
Had the same problem and the spring did it.

Good luck

Alto Mare · July 16, 2012, 02:00:35 AM

You might be right Hadge, but from what Eric is explaning about the bail not flipping back at all, my guess is still the trip cam....but you never know.

Hadge · July 17, 2012, 11:04:57 PM

Quote from: Alto Mare on July 16, 2012, 02:00:35 AM
You might be right Hadge, but from what Eric is explaning about the bail not flipping back at all, my guess is still the trip cam....but you never know.

Alto,
You have a good point, I guess I didn't read the post very well.
But that being said I have had two separate problems with the 450ssg's bales.
One a weak spring that cause the bale to close half way and the other just this March was a busted spring which resulted in the bale not moving at all.
I do like the 450ssg's but they do have a few weaknesses.

Have a great day
Hadge