ATD 12 handle binding at max drag setting

[j28]

I recently purchased an Atd 12 And used it for Bottom fishing grouper. I put The preset on max and the lever on max so I could muscle the grouper away from his hole with minimal line loss. The Handle was a little harder to crank which i thought was normal for lever drag reels.  It seemed to get harder to crank as the day went on. The crank seemed a bit jerky in low gear and needed enough muscle in high gear to where I wouldn't want to use it for deep drops again. I know the Avets lock up at max drag but i thought accurates didn't have that issue being that you get freespool at max settings. I took it back to the shop where it was purchased and no one seemed to have a knowledgeable opinion about it. I tried out an atd 30 they had and the crank was alot smoother and easier at it's max setting. Their gonna have some one come look at it and talk to the accurate rep. I this normal for the atd 12? If so, is there a fix? Any input would be appreciated .

Thanks

Jim-

[alantani]

right main side plate bearing.  it cranks easily in freespool, right?  and the spool spins easily?  then throw it into gear.  the higher the drag setting, the tougher it is to crank.  that's a right main side plate bearing. 

[j28]

I got a message from my friend that works at the tackle shop and he said the "former" rep from accurate said it shouldn't be doing that and they are going to send it in to accurate. So the right main side plate bearing is defective? I just got that reel less than a week ago and used it once. I hope the warranty will cover it and they don't try to blame me for operator error/misuse.  Thanks for the input.
I'm really digging this site, soo much brain candy . Can't wait till i am able to service all my own gear!  Will you be posting another tutorial on the rest of the ATD 12 breakdown, some time in the future?

Thanks again
Jim-

[alantani]

it takes salt water only a few days to corrode a bearing.  the bearing is not defective.  they all do that because they are not packed with grease.  i tried to tell them that once.   

[Jim]

There are 2 bearings on the handle arm shaft, and I've never had an issue with them even after the reel went swimming on a backup rig. The tolerances inside on accs are sooo tight, it could just be that shaft not quite having enough clearance, but that would manifest at all drag settings . . .
Did the reel still freespool perfectly? If so that would eliminate any concern about the spool not releasing from the spool shaft and creating alot of handle resistance that way.
Post an update when you get it back, I'm curious too!

[JGB]

Since the right side plate bearing has already been called, here is another possibility:

The left side plate bearing or the spacer washer may be out of tolerance or the bells have flattened causing the  need to increase the tension knob setting higher. This can put the right side plate bearing in contact with the main gear at high drag settings. This shimming issue can be problematic with push bar drags like Penns and ATD's. You might be able to tell is the spool is shifted slightly to the left. Also a deformed left side plate or loose screws can allow this to also happen.

[j28]

Just got back from the shop where i purchased the reel and they told me that they didn't send it in. He explained to me that an engineer from accurate told him that it was normal and needed to be broken in like a car. Well if my car came off the lot feeling like the parking brake was partially engaged at wot,  i wouldn't think it was normal and i definitely wouldnt try breaking it in. I don't know if im over reacting or not. Its frustrating having no experience with accurates. All the other lever drag reels ive tried out including atd30 and 50 were not half as hard to crank at max drag settings, brand new. I asked them to humor me and send it in.  On top of that I was told that everyone from accurate was at a trade show in Vegas, and it would be two and a half to three weeks before i get it back. So i guess i'll let you all know next month if there's something wrong with me or the reel.


Jim-

P.S. If anyone has an ATD 12, can you let me know how yours is at max drag settings, IE. slightly harder, noticeably harder or the same?
       I realize its all relative but i'm hoping for a same or almost the same.

THX.

[alantani]

i've got the entire line of atd's.  there only a slight amount of increase in resistance when cranking in free versus cranking at 15 to 25 pounds of drag.   it is barely noticeable.  i'm sorry, but there is no "break in" needed for these reels.  in all fairness, though.  find a brand new atd 12 somewhere and compare.  it is true also, that everyone is at ICAST in las vegas today.  wish i was here, too!

[Jim]

Just a follow up to this thread. I've got my oldest atd30 apart on my bench that suddenly started manifesting this same thing.
Roll drums . . .

The right side shaft bearing is corroded!
Boca Bearings to the rescue.

Oh yeah, just in case someone else needs to know 9x20x6

[j28]

It's been a while, but to follow up on my original post I got the reel back and the resistance problem in the crank was fixed. When i asked what the problem was, I was simply told not to lock the drag down so hard in the future and not to worry about the money involved with the repair. It was all pretty vague. Well i just started dusting off my fishing gear again when i came across the ATD 12 and my thoughts returned to this post. I have only used this reel that one time before sending it in and putting it away and a question comes to mind. How do i avoid this problem in the future. How do i achieve max drag without damaging the reel?
why are there settings from A to O on the drag if the full range cannot be used without damage to the the reel? I'm also noticing that the gears aren't turning smoothly. That is to say, I can hear and feel the gears turning especially when the arm reaches the twelve O clock position during the crank and if i pull slightly outward on the reel handle as i crank, the vibration and noise as the arm passes the 12 0clock position becomes pronounced. It does not occur when it is in low speed. Is this normal or do i need to have it looked at again before heading out to the gulf? Oh, and to be specific it's a topless model.

[Bryan Young]

The main high gear probably got slightly damaged during the fish fight at the high drag.  still useable, but will not be as smooth unless you replace the gear.

[j28]

Thnx for the reply. It doesnt really bother me just wanted to be sure it wouldnt cause any further damage. I will just use it til the gear wears out or becomes problamatic.

[SoCalAngler]

Accutate gave some good advice IMO. Maxing out the preset and lever will damage most lever drag reels. Accurate does not really publish their drag ratings, or did not in the past, but the ADT reels can get a heck of a lot of drag without over taxing the reel. You may want to set your drags according to the line test you will be fishing with the reel.

[j28]

Got curious today so I tore the reel down. The interior was super clean. No signs of corrosion or saltwater intrusion. There was no real visible damage to any of the teeth in any of the gears but they were looking a little dry so i cleaned them off and  greased them down. Set my drag to 20 lbs. at strike on H preset. The reel cranks really smooth now. I read somewhere that the ATD 12 has 40 lbs of drag pressure.

[EvoX]

Hi, just joined this forum and what a great site!

I have a BX2-600N and has a similiar issue recently in regard to having to put in great effort to
turn the handle at max drag and zero free spool even drag level was at free spool.

After reading through this topic here, I gathered that the culprit could be what is mentioned here, the
side plate RIGHT bearing.  Will appreciate if someone could point me to the part number on the accurate
parts list as printed so that I know exactly which one to replace. Is it part number #16?

http://www.accuratefishing.com/pdfs/bx2.ipb.pdf

I remembered Alan posted somewhere about changing this bearing to a thrust bearing.  Anyone tried replacing
to a thrust bearing and the effects?

Also can a falty spool bearing (part number #36) also cause the increased effort to turn the spool?

Thanks in advance.