Bushing vs. Bearing

[xaf]

I posted this in the Diawa section and only got Alan's input.  Thought I might get a better response here.

There is a thread in the Shimano section on replacing the drive shaft bushing with a bearing on Torium reels.  I was servicing my Saltiga's and realized that they too have a bushing at the bottom of the drive shaft instead of a bearing.  What is the real advantage of a bearing over a bushing in this case?  Would replacing the bushing with a bearing improve performance/prevent wear?   Has anyone made this upgrade? 

[Nessie Hunter]

IMO ~ a bushing in that location is better suited..
Less problems, easier to service (it will get missed by most).
Last forever with min care.
No need for bearing, you would probably never know it was changed...

[Dr. Jekyll - AKA MeL B]

i don't have a daiwa reel but did the conversion from bushing to bearing. it was more of problem (imo) than an improvement  because the bearing's dimensions were not exactly the same. i had to make the shims from parts that came with my other reel and  guess what no noticeable improvement. in the end i put the bushing back because it's a better fit, no shimming necessary. but it was a learning experience for me. btw the reel is a calcutta 400bsv.       

[franky]

I've also looked at that and wondered...

To me, when the part is that deep in the reel, I have my second thoughts about having a ball bearing in there.  I do service and try to protect my bearing the best that I can, but can you imagine someone else who doesn't take care of their bearings as much and the thing freezes up in there?   It will be a real PITA to get it out.  At least the bushing will not have that problem.

Also, the cranking on the handle is already smooth with that reel.  By adding the ball bearing to the bottom of that gear sleeve, I don't think you will be making a noticeable difference any more than what the bushing has to offer.  

It will not increase your "freespool", it will not increase your drag stopping power, and it will not improve your casting skills....  All it will do is that you can now say to your friends "unlike your torium, my torium has a ball bearing at the bottom of the gear sleeve and it costed me "X" amout of dollars...

IMO, I would just leave the bushing in there.    

[redsetta]

Frank (Nessie) nailed it - x2.

[xaf]

Thanks for the responses.  Franky pretty much said the same thing I was thinking. I thought maybe I was missing something since there is the thread on upgrading Toriums by adding a bearing.

[0119]

Is a bearing really an upgrage from a bushing?  A friend of mine has a Abu 6000 thats close to 50 years old.  It is smoother and further casting than any reel I have ever handled.  Its caught cuberas, kings, tarpon, pacific snook that had to blow the record away.  Ive offered to buy my friend any reel he wants in trade for that reel.  Compare it to a weel worn Smith K frame revolver.  Newer, fancier have come along but nothing compares.

[basto]

I think the centre of a phosfer bronze bushing is softer than the inner race of a stainless ball bearing, therefore the bearing will wear better, but I`m not sure if it would cope with salt as well as the bronze bushing.  Competition distance casting reels have bearings on the spool.

[reefmonsta]

I have a couple torium 30's as well as several trinidad 50's that I use for casting / ulua fishing.  I swapped the bushing for a bearing on one of my torium 30's but wouldnt say that its a created a significant (open for interpretation) difference.  I guess we could rephrase the question, "Assuming price was not an issue, would you rather have a bushing or a bearing under the drive shaft?"

Does shimano throw that extra bearing in there just to justify the cost difference between the the torium and trinidad?  Even better, should I swap the bearings under my drive shaft in my trinidads for bushings? 

[CapeFish]

The torium must be one of the most popular shore fishing reels in South Africa. We do a lot of wade fishing where reels are often submerged for hours. Converting the driveshaft bush to bearing was made popular by one our best local reel mechanics. The reason he started doing it was that the bush had a tendency to corrode and get stuck in the frame and it does happen, I have seen it on friends reels too. It also wears away the driveshaft. So you sit with the problem that you can at worst have to replace the frame if the bush is badly corroded or at best the driveshaft. With the bearing you only have to replace the small cheap little bearing. Mine have been in my reels for >5yrs now and never been replaced and gets a bit of extra grease once a year. Far less hassles and an easy conversion that works.