95% of the members here already know how important is to add plenty of grease to the bearing under the shaft of the main gear on low profile reels for saltwater, specially when they are brand new, some bigger or round casting reels suffer from the same bearing under the main gear, so if you do this procedure when the reel is new or almost new it will save you lots of headaches on the future.
I made this short video to show the guys who are starting in reel maintenance and fishermen who like to service their own reels.
is in spanish (oops) but you will get the idea just seeing the video.
I've swapped those for bronze plain bearings on a few of my saltwater reels. I don't feel a difference.
Quote from: JasonGotaProblem on June 17, 2025, 05:29:06 PMI've swapped those for bronze plain bearings on a few of my saltwater reels. I don't feel a difference.
I did the same on some 1st gen Shimano trinidad reels, the owner was never worried about hosing the reels with fresh water after using them and every 6-12 months I had to change that bearing so, I swapped it for a bronze one and problem solved.
Thanks Alex. Great video. Bill
Yes.
What's a good source for bushings(assuming that's what yer referring to) to replace ball-bearings.
Quote from: Gfish on June 18, 2025, 03:58:05 PMYes.
What's a good source for bushings(assuming that's what yer referring to) to replace ball-bearings.
nice question amigo, I have bought my bushings on ebay since its easier to find a vendor who could ship to my PO box, there are some bronze bushing of a composite material called oilite which are supossed to be self-lubricant.
I try to get those for fishing reels but not 100% positive if are the best option ;D
I've bought some in 10-packs on eBay. I use. RC companies tend to have them in the sizes we need.