I am hoping someone could help me with this reel (Charter special TR2000 Lever drag). The reel is binding (ie handle hard to turn). Alan did a tutorial on this reel and mentioned that graphite frame can swell and rub against the spool, however the handle is hard to turn when the reel is in free spool as well.
My first inclination would be that the pinion bearing has failed really, really badly.
Just about every one of these reels I've seen that has been heavily used (i.e on a charter) has needed the pinion bearing replaced.
I sorted it out. For some reason the tolerance between the main gear and the brass sleeve was too tight. Actually I couldn't pull the main gear out of the side plate. I had to bash it out with the hammer. I sanded the main gear and the brass sleeve and this worked a treat. Unfortunately in bashing it out I mushroomed the thread on the main gear where the handle nut is attached so I have to order a new main gear.
I had the same problem...my handle became super hard to turn while fighting a salmon in Monterey Bay a few weeks ago....ended up losing the fish at the net...such a bummer.... When I got home and had a chance to break the reel down, I too had to tap the main gear out w/ a hammer. I found brass shavings inside and the brass sleeve that the main gear sits in was scratched up inside. Not sure how this happened and I suspect the shavings wedged somehow in the sleeve making it really to hard to turn the handle .I used some emery cloth and sanded down the main gear shaft and brass sleeve and it turns fine now. So strange. Glad that I'm not the only one who had a problem like this.
yeah, they seize up sometimes. if it still turned, i'm a little surprised that it took that much pounding. can you grind or file down the first thread and get the nut to fit?