Reel Repair by Alan Tani

General Maintenance Tips => General Questions and Trouble Shooting => Topic started by: LAHossman on March 13, 2020, 11:43:08 PM

Title: Senator Drag Upgrade
Post by: LAHossman on March 13, 2020, 11:43:08 PM
A customer of mine has a 6/0 Senator. He asked me were there any upgrades to help get a little more max drag.
I upgrade small bait casters and spinners with Dawn's Smooth Drags all the time. He asked about extra washers,
but told him there was a certain tolerance anymore would bind the reel. I have seen the stainless double dogged bridge
and the mention of stainless main gear and sleeve. Need the education to pass along to others. Thanx
Title: Re: Senator Drag Upgrade
Post by: RowdyW on March 14, 2020, 02:24:24 AM
If the reel has 3 thick asbestos drag washers it can be upgraded to 5 thinner Penn carbon fiber drag washers. That can be further upgraded to a 7+1 drag kit that uses thinner metal washers. The ultimate set up is a 5 eared washer set up that either uses an insert into your present gear or a special ss set of gears that are machined for the eared washers. There is no double dog bridge yet available for the 114. Do you have the 114 6/0 or 114h 6/0? They each use different drags. The  SS gear sleeve & SS dog are heavy duty setups when using drags stronger then the factory setup.          Rudy
Title: Re: Senator Drag Upgrade
Post by: afj516 on June 26, 2021, 05:49:38 PM
I have been trying to upgrade my Penn 114H + 114HL by swapping out the under-the-main-gear-fibre washer for a ht100 carbon equivalent.  I contacted Dawn over a t Smooothdrag and she said that she has the part.  I can buy them as singles if I need.  I would buy the whole 7+1 Carbontex set and get the stainless set of years if I was starting from scratch.  It is a more affordable option to a reel that already has significant line capacity. Turns out that there is no e-commerce page that I can navigate to.  She just sends me an emaiil with a PayPal connection after I call or email or mail h e r my order. 
Andrew
Title: Re: Senator Drag Upgrade
Post by: Wompus Cat on June 26, 2021, 06:22:59 PM
Quote from: afj516 on June 26, 2021, 05:49:38 PM
I have been trying to upgrade my Penn 114H + 114HL by swapping out the under-the-main-gear-fibre washer for a ht100 carbon equivalent.  I contacted Dawn over a t Smooothdrag and she said that she has the part.  I can buy them as singles if I need.  I would buy the whole 7+1 Carbontex set and get the stainless set of years if I was starting from scratch.  It is a more affordable option to a reel that already has significant line capacity. Turns out that there is no e-commerce page that I can navigate to.  She just sends me an emaiil with a PayPal connection after I call or email or mail h e r my order. 
Andrew
.


That's the way I buy stuff from her . Just pay it and she will ship it no prob. Nothin fishy...lol
If you don't have a pay pal account might be a problem but you can use your CC on paypal if needed .
Title: Re: Senator Drag Upgrade
Post by: Swami805 on June 26, 2021, 07:26:16 PM
I don't know that swapping out the washer under the gear will help much since there isn't much surface on the ar ratchet gear ,might help a little. I'd buy that 7+1 and be done with it. A bit more than you might use but much smoother
Title: Re: Senator Drag Upgrade
Post by: Wompus Cat on June 26, 2021, 07:37:10 PM
Quote from: Swami805 on June 26, 2021, 07:26:16 PM
I don't know that swapping out the washer under the gear will help much since there isn't much surface on the ar ratchet gear ,might help a little. I'd buy that 7+1 and be done with it. A bit more than you might use but much smoother


Yep the best way is what Swami is telling you .
But if you are just trying to keep  the worn drags you have from bottoming out with the Star then  putting a Regular Thick disc on the Bottom instead of the thin one it will give you more height but that's it not really any more Friction to speak of.
Title: Re: Senator Drag Upgrade
Post by: afj516 on June 26, 2021, 08:13:45 PM
Ill keep that thick fibre washer fix in mind if I come to need it, but the 1 in 7+1 is actually that very washers carbon equivalent.  I just upgraded my Daiwa 50H with an HT100 washer under the main gear and it has increased the drag significantly. 
Any tips for seating/buttoning down a freshly installed  drag stack?
Title: Re: Senator Drag Upgrade
Post by: oc1 on June 26, 2021, 08:47:31 PM
The usual dogma here is to put a slippery Delrin washer under the gear for smoothness and thinner washers inside the gear for more drag.
Title: Re: Senator Drag Upgrade
Post by: afj516 on June 27, 2021, 06:25:00 PM
Then why and where +1?
Title: Re: Senator Drag Upgrade
Post by: RowdyW on June 27, 2021, 06:34:16 PM
Quote from: afj516 on June 27, 2021, 06:25:00 PM
Then why and where +1?
Because the delrin washer gives smoother performance. Put the +1 in your spare parts box.  ;D
Title: Re: Senator Drag Upgrade
Post by: Tiddlerbasher on June 28, 2021, 12:02:35 AM
Yup! ⬆
Title: Re: Senator Drag Upgrade
Post by: Donnyboat on June 28, 2021, 01:09:16 AM
Also a delrin washer under the star will help to turn the star down when you have a fish on. good luck, cheers Don.