Modify my Penn TRQ300LD

[alantani]

http://www.bloodydecks.com/forums/fishing-reels/139152-modify-my-penn-trq300ld.html#post1292081

How do I silence my Penn TRQ300LD when I crank in the line? (Not the clicker sound)Thanks.

martin, the short answer is, you don't.

your lever drag reel has a double spring loaded dog system. that clicking sound means that the dogs are engaging with a "snap" and are locking into place properly. you could pack it with grease to make them just a tad quieter, but if that grease hardened and those dog's "missed," you (or your knuckles) would be in for a world of hurt. okuma has a "silent" double dog system in some of their lever drag reels, but it requires more space on the right side plate and extends the handle farther out. the boss series of accurates have a double anti-reverse roller bearing system which is fine, but these bearings are at some risk of corrosion. i have a full set of accurates that i am very happy with, but understand that there is still some slight risk. the double dog system that you have in your reel carries a near 0% risk of failure. like an ak-47, you can drag it through the mud and come up firing every time.

you are probably accustom to some of the newer star drag reels with a "silent" anti-reverse system. there are three anti-reverse mechanisms found in star drag reels of this class. the first is a silent anti-reverse roller bearing. the original shimano calcuttas had only a single anti-reverse roller bearing as it's only mechanism. here is an anti-reverse roller bearing from a trinidad 30. i have found that this roller bearing will hold up at drag settings of up to 18 pounds. after that, it will slip. 18 pounds appears to be the physical limit of this roller bearing. over time, it can weaken and slip at even lower drag settings. the lowest i've seen is 12 pounds.



the second is a spring loaded dog that clicks like crazy. here is a double dog setup from a penn baja special. these work sequentially. only one is engaged at a time, which is fine. they offer 100% reliability, but they're just noisy.



and the third is a silent ambassaduer style dog that has "springs" that grab the ratched gear and move into position when the ratchet gear moves slightly backwards. the older ambassaduer 4000, 5000 and 6000 series reels had single dog as their only anti-reverse mechanism. this is from a trinidad 30.



here is where you get into trouble. the ratchet gear has to move backwards slightly in order for the dog to engage. over time, the "tweezer-like" springs can weaken and/or the point of the dog can become deformed. this is from the same trinidad 30. on the left is an old one, on the right is a new one.



if the dog does not catch properly, the ratchet gear will keep on moving. um, backwards. you see the problem. the ratchet gear is connected to the drive shaft, the drive shaft is connected to the handle grip, the handle grip is connected to your hand, and your hand is connected until that handle goes flying back and breaks your knuckles. hey, it's happened.

so who has what? the progear albacore and classic series reels have double spring loaded dogs and an anti-reverse roller bearing. the star drag torques have the same set up. the boss series accurates have a stack of two anti-reverse roller bearings. most other reels have just a double or single dog and just click away. all of these reels hold up just fine.

and then there are the trinidads, toriums, saltigas and saltists with totally silent anti-reverse systems. these reels have an ambassaduer-style dog and a single anti-reverse roller bearings. these are the ones that are of concern. quieter is not always better......