Penn V 6500 / ssv6500 rotor warped w/heavy drag

[Bubba.Gritz]

Used my Penn ssv6500 to jig for AJs off a head boat.  Have learned the best chance I have to land a really big AJ is to lock down the drag.  The ssv6500 has the Slammer drag system and is rated for 30lbs of drag. 

So I did hook one of those big guys who repeatedly ripped out line against that tight drag until late in the fight -- had him almost close enough to see color -- he made one last dive and broke my 80lb leader at the knot. As I reeled in slack I realized my handle would grind to a stop at one point in the rotor rotation.  Looked/felt like a bent spool shaft. Had a spare rod/reel so just switched. 

I was convinced it was a bent spool shaft -- then noticed the rotor itself was spinning "off-axis"-- i.e., the rotation of the rotor was warped. Specifically, the side on which the line roller is located was clearly "bent" or pulled up slightly causing rotor rotation to "rub" on one side. Thought then that had to mean a bent pinion gear itself on which rotor sits.  But reseated the rotor, torqued it back down, and rotor seated back down level as normal.  Now wondering whether the rotor nut stripped a thread or something on top of the pinion gear -- but didn't appear to have done that (there did not appear to be any damage to the pinion threads where you lock down the rotor w/nut).  The nut was indeed hard to get off initially, but then screwed back down okay.  Now everything working fine.  Still not certain whether it was the rotor itself, pinion gear or what.  The spool shaft was fine and not warped/bent.  When the drag is locked down I can barely pull any line off with gloves, but fish was ripping out line on repeatedly runs/dives.  Concerned that the Slammer drag system is stronger than the reel can actually tolerate, so may have to avoid locking it down in future.  Will experiment more but reel seems okay now (but am skeptical of that).

Anyone recognize these symptoms?  Rotor not warped, spool shaft is true -- deductively seems like it has to be the top threads on the pinion and/or the rotor nut. 

Thanks -- Joel 

[nelz]

Wow, they don't call those fish "donkeys" for nothing!    Yeah, I'd say most reels can't safely handle the max drag pressures they advertise.

If it's all working ok now, maybe something was loose from the factory?

[JasonGotaProblem]

I have this reel. I remember Alan Hawk saying these cannot handle the drag pressures they can create so I've been using it gingerly. I believe his experiences involved stripped threads as well.. Thank you for sharing your experiences. I look forward to hearing the follow up observations next time you fish it.

[Bubba.Gritz]

Very interesting to hear re: the SSV6500 drag (i.e., A Hawk said it couldn't handle the max drag pressure).  I wondered why the VI series switched to a convention drag system (they removed the V's Slammer drag), and perhaps this is why?  Parts were so relatively cheap I just ordered a new pinion gear, rotor nut, and rotor washer (NOTE: there's a chance that rotor washer was missing -- can't remember seeing it or replacing).  Will inspect the old pinion threads under a magnifying glass when I tear it down to replace and report back. 

[Bubba.Gritz]

Wow, yes, Alan Hawk recorded what looks like the exact same problem I experienced:
See http://www.alanhawk.com/reviews/spf.html

He has video to demo the rotor tilt I also experienced under heavy drag pressure.  I did not see the damage to the pinion threads, but pretty sure same thing happened there as well.  Will look more carefully at those threads.  See video -- but my rotor tilt was much more pronounced than this:


(Apparent) short version: can't lock down the drag on this reel.  Slammer drag generates more pressure than the reel hardware can support, specifically the pinion gear threads that lock the rotor down. 

Thanks -- Joel

[Gfish]

Great report Joel! I remember reading that review, but have since forgotten which model it was. I can see myself finding a good deal on one, then finding out the hard way, but not now...

[JasonGotaProblem]

Great report Joel! I remember reading that review, but have since forgotten which model it was. I can see myself finding a good deal on one, then finding out the hard way, but not now...

I read and remembered the review. But when i saw one in near new condition sold by some goof for $40, well I did it anyway. I just know that i can't crank down the drag. Or trust it to be truly sealed.

Or chase AJs apparently.

[Gfish]

Darn! Maybe order up some extra pinions.

[Bubba.Gritz]

Well, it's otherwise a good solid reel, and the drag is great. Until (obviously!) it is not. 
So will continue to use it for other applications.

But will probably retire it as a primary jigging reel. Will experiment with the drag more to see if I can get a feel for how much drag I can apply without risking this problem again.

My Daiwa BG 6500 worked great after I put down this Penn Spinfisher V 6500.  Locked the drag down on it, too, and although it's not as strong as the Penn's, the drag slipped smoothly on big fish without any apparent issues.  Of course, I did get cut off when I couldn't stop a strong fish from digging back down into a wreck. With jigging I accept that I'll just lose some of those battles, but now starting the search for a reel that can apply more drag reliably.

Thanks -- It was an instructive experience and thread.

// Joel

[Bubba.Gritz]

Brief followup on the Penn SSV6500 & drag.

Replaced pinion gear and rotor nut. Old pinion did display damage to threads, and I went ahead and replaced the rotor nut just in case it was compromised in any way. 

Tested locked down drag with new gear -- knowing that I was risking damaging the reel again.  Stopped pulling when drag pressure reached 34lbs (rated at 30lbs) -- it was clear the reel/rotor was under a great amt of distress so didn't want to risk it anymore. 

Tore drag down, found the carbon fiber discs under the spool (i.e., the Slammer drag) completely dry, so greased them down with a thick coat of Cals drag grease.  After reassembly tested again.  Now locked down drag generates about 30/31 lbs of drag, but reel, esp rotor, still looks/feels under great stress.  So still not gonna locked this drag down for jigging, but will back off at least 1/4 turn, and just a nudge past that.  A 1/4 turn drag down to 24/25lbs or so, which I feel is getting close to the hardware's maximum drag pressure. 

Still will demote this Spinfisher V 6500 to a backup jigging reel. But now have a better feel for its reliable maximum drag settings.  Hopefully the Cal's grease will keep the drag slipping smoothly however the drag is adjusted.

I tested the drag with a full spool of line, then tied a surgeon's loop knot with three loops. Attached loop to a digital scale and slowly but firmly pulled line while watching the scale's display.  For comparison, my Daiwa BG 6500 with drag knob turned as tight as possible generated an even 30lbs of pressure (rated at 33lbs), but did NOT seem to be in noticeable distress. That'll be my primary jigging reel until I can afford something more substantial that can generate -- and tolerate -- a higher drag setting. 

FYI -- Joel