spool bushings vs. spool bearings

[beachbob]

are there any significant advantages for bushings over bearings?  i can't think of any, can you?

[Irish Jigger]

  I can. In my experience bushings don't rust and seize, ball/roller/thrust/AR  bearings all do.  Ball bearings are a nice sales ploy but expensive to replace and have a very short life.(Salt water environment.)

[beachbob]

  I can. In my experience bushings don't rust and seize, ball/roller/thrust/AR  bearings all do.  Ball bearings are a nice sales ploy but expensive to replace and have a very short life.(Salt water environment.)

how do bearings rust and seize?

[Keta]

Grit and saltwater in the roller and ball bearings destroys them.   

[Ken_D]

 I can. In my experience bushings don't rust and seize, ball/roller/thrust/AR  bearings all do.  Ball bearings are a nice sales ploy but expensive to replace and have a very short life.(Salt water environment.)

how do bearings rust and seize?

Hio, BB....unless a bearing is full ceramic, including the spacer to hold the balls evenly, in a salt environment, bearings will corrode. Stainless steel will eventually corrode. But what the makers are doing: many of them use blued ferrous metal as the cage to hold the balls evenly, which corrodes ~real~ fast in reels where the operator neglects to oil or grease them, as per Keta's above.  

[dobrobill]

The more expensive more bearings. I guess the ploy is to get our money when we toss out things.
Use - clean  - oil - use - clean - oil.   etc.
Good fishermans cycle....

[beachbob]

Grit and saltwater in the roller and ball bearings destroys them.   

how does grit and saltwater get into the bearings?

[Keta]

Spray and/or immersion for salt water, grit just gets into odd places.  Grit gets into bushings too but it does not damage races and balls.   There is a place for roller/ball bearings but for many of our needs bushings are as good or better.

[beachbob]

interesting - so far most everyone seems to think that bushed spool shafts are better than those nasty spool shaft bearings.

[Keta]

They both have their place. Flylining live bait or distance casting benifit from bearings, trolling and bottom fishing not so much.

[beachbob]

They both have their place. Flylining live bait or distance casting benifit from bearings, trolling and bottom fishing not so much.

bingo.  there is no way i'd want a bushed spool for a revolving spool surf casting reel.  i don't skish and i'm reasonably careful with all my reels and whatever was used for a fishing session gets externally cleaned, then spools and bearings pulled and cleaned and relubed.  the smooth, dependable feeling and speed of  bearings is *essential* to a surf casting reel. 

[Keta]

Unless it gets immersed in the surf often (saltwater and sand), then a bushed reel can out perform a reel with bearings.

[beachbob]

Unless it gets immersed in the surf often (saltwater and sand), then a bushed reel can out perform a reel with bearings.

are you saying that a clean/lubed bushed revolving spool reel is capable of longer casts than a clean/lubed bearing spooled casting reel?

[Keta]

Not necessarily, a marginally clean bushing can work better than a marginally clean roller bearing.  If you service your reels often roller/ball bearings theoretically cast better.

[beachbob]

in the 50's i started off beach and boat fishing using bushed spool reels ... never again, at least not for me.  i keep pretty meticulous care of my reels, and i'm sure if i didn't i'd be singing a diff'rent song.