trinidad/torium dog spring upgrade

Bryan Young · July 31, 2013, 06:28:01 PM

Send Alan Tani a PM. He has a few left.

keneke · October 17, 2013, 09:31:46 PM

Aloha All,

Okay, I'm a lurker, but coming out into the open now! Haha! You guys got me all amped on wanting to upgrade my newly acquired Torium 50 and Trinidad 30A. I recently bought these to reboot my fishing interests after many years of not going and started to read the articles on this site. Basically it told me that I had, now two brand new reels, that could possibly fail on me at the worst possible time. For myself, it was only a natural urge to get it right before anything bad happened. Losing "the big one" in whatever way you fish is one of the worst feelings for any fisherman or woman! I should know since I was a boat owner and lost a few large ahi on the way into the fishbox! So in order to fix this problem I had PM'd Alan to try and get some parts, but he is a very busy man. Then I called Shimano and they told me that MAYBE by the end of the 2013 year they would get some TN-DC spring and pawl parts in stock. So that leaves me to ask if there is anyone out there that has the parts that I could buy from? I am sure a lot of unknowing folks would like to buy them too if they read what I have on this site. For my 2 reels I would need 4 of each, TGT-0047 and TGT1303. Or just the 4 ea. springs and I can buy the washers (TLD-0047) from Shimano. Just thought I would ask, since Shimano is out of stock.

Regards to All,
Ken

Bryan Young · October 18, 2013, 02:58:49 PM

Aloha Ken,

Alan is catching up gradually. Please be patient. Alan just got a bunch from Jim (I should have gotten some as well, but didn't).

You would definitely want to upgrade the drag washers on the Torium. They have a solid carbon drag and it sticks something aweful when pulled long and hard. Contact Dawn at SmoothDrag.com.

The Trinidad 30A should have Carbon Fiber washers in them already.

Bryan

keneke · October 18, 2013, 06:10:39 PM

Alohas Bryan,

I didn't mean to sound like I am in a rush and I know Alan is very busy. I see him and your green "online" lights often while I am reading the threads. Therefore, it is very apparent you two spend lots of time working on this site. Anyway, yes the Torium is a scare when I found out that the handle can go berserk. I wanted to change out the pawl configuration and the drag washers if ever the big strike happens. Since I am a newbie, I googled the washers and got the carbontex washers from another site. I wish I had seen the SmoothDrag.com listed on this site earlier so I could have gotten them from those guys/gals. I also googled the spring and pawl for the Trinidad DC and found that Mikes Reel Repair in Canada may have had some. At least the order went through with the emailed "reply" receipt. I don't know for sure if they have them in stock or not. Nevertheless I ordered enough to upgrade both reels with a few back ups in case those stainless steel springs fatigue and break or the pawl wears beyond its proper intended geometry. I just hope I don't have to try and make them myself since I am in the metal working business and could be successful with some concentrated effort. Springs are certainly not fun to make since the stainless steel springs back open when you go around your die posts in the bending process. But enough of that and I may have procured everything I need to do the work myself. Please forgive me for PM'ing Alan and asking for help on here without doing the legwork myself first. Sometimes just reading an article can easily incite an urgent need to get things right before they break. I do thank all of you for your expertise and knowledge in the business though! It is a great feeling to know that help is out there and what better people than the guys who fish and fix rods/reels on a daily basis.

Sincere Regards,
Kenneth

Ellis Feibush · October 20, 2013, 01:55:03 PM

Quote from: keneke on October 18, 2013, 06:10:39 PM
Alohas Bryan,

I didn't mean to sound like I am in a rush and I know Alan is very busy. I see him and your green "online" lights often while I am reading the threads. Therefore, it is very apparent you two spend lots of time working on this site. Anyway, yes the Torium is a scare when I found out that the handle can go berserk. I wanted to change out the pawl configuration and the drag washers if ever the big strike happens. Since I am a newbie, I googled the washers and got the carbontex washers from another site. I wish I had seen the SmoothDrag.com listed on this site earlier so I could have gotten them from those guys/gals. I also googled the spring and pawl for the Trinidad DC and found that Mikes Reel Repair in Canada may have had some. At least the order went through with the emailed "reply" receipt. I don't know for sure if they have them in stock or not. Nevertheless I ordered enough to upgrade both reels with a few back ups in case those stainless steel springs fatigue and break or the pawl wears beyond its proper intended geometry. I just hope I don't have to try and make them myself since I am in the metal working business and could be successful with some concentrated effort. Springs are certainly not fun to make since the stainless steel springs back open when you go around your die posts in the bending process. But enough of that and I may have procured everything I need to do the work myself. Please forgive me for PM'ing Alan and asking for help on here without doing the legwork myself first. Sometimes just reading an article can easily incite an urgent need to get things right before they break. I do thank all of you for your expertise and knowledge in the business though! It is a great feeling to know that help is out there and what better people than the guys who fish and fix rods/reels on a daily basis.

Sincere Regards,
Kenneth

Ellis Feibush · October 20, 2013, 01:58:06 PM

Keneke, Give Bucko's Reel Repair in Fall River, Ma. They generally have a good stock of parts for the Torium. That's where I got my parts for these reels some time ago.

bluefish69 · October 20, 2013, 05:06:27 PM

Bucko's Phone # 1-508-674-7900

Mike

keneke · October 21, 2013, 05:06:56 AM

Aloha Ellis and Mike,

Thank you for the info about Bucko's and I will be sure to give him a call. The only dilemma is that the parts I need to do the upgrade are for a Trinidad DC which reel Shimano no longer makes, but supposedly makes the parts for. The very parts that folks go looking for when they read Alan's threads of upgrading these reels. I talked to a reel repair guy here in Hawaii by the name of Frank Yin and he said he use to have the parts for the upgrade, but ran out like everyone else. He also said that the upgrade cannot be accomplished on my Trinidad 30A. I guess he was alluding to the internals being different and would not suit the geometry of the DC parts. Nyet for the 30A, but that's fine since I will be using it for lighter fishing drag settings. I may end up making my own springs for the Torium 50, but that could also fail and leave me with a knuckle buster just like the ambassadeur pawl spring in the original parts setup. I use to make my own springs out of music wire for one of my drag dogs, but somehow they wouldn't last. Maybe it was the wrong alloy or the bends weren't in radial perfection so the crack propagation started at a stress riser in the bend and an failure situation developed. Oh well, all we can do is strive to make things better and the rest is left up to chance, Murphy's Laws, the laws of physics, and plain old good luck! Which is what fishing is all about! Lots and lots of good old fashion luck!

Regards,
Ken

keneke · October 21, 2013, 06:18:17 PM

Alohas again,

Okay, it was worth the effort to at least try so I called Bucko's and they don't have the parts for the upgrade. Does anyone have the diameter of the wire used to make the springs? It looks to be around 0.015 or 0.020 in diameter. I may try and make them to see how that works out. That or I will just have to be patient and wait for either Alan to help me out or Shimano to make more of those parts. Thanks guys.

Regards,
Ken

Bryan Young · October 21, 2013, 06:42:37 PM

Ken,

Are you located in Hawaii? If so, I believe Brian's Fishing Supply has the parts you need as well.

Bryan

keneke · October 21, 2013, 08:33:09 PM

Alohas Bryan,

I called Brian's and he did say he had the parts and would charge $15 for installation plus the cost of parts. Which would be 2 ea. kits of spring and pawl, as Brian's sells them. If there was any other issues within the reel he said he would address them at that time, just to avoid customer complaints later on for something that was not his fault. Luckily my reel is new, but it would be nice to have someone take a look inside to make sure everything is looking great. I should be telling him to install the carbontex washer kit at the same time, but I have not seen them in the mail as of yet. Maybe he carries them as well so I will tell him to install those so the upgrade is complete.

Oh and yes Bryan, I am in Hawaii on the island of Oahu. Sorry for not conveying that sooner.

Regards,
Ken

JGB · October 24, 2013, 04:49:48 AM

The DC dogs and springs are on back order status with Shimano (i'm still waiting for a 80 piece order). If you need them badly you can take the standard dog and rip the tabs off and file the sides smooth (remove the spot weld marks). As far as the spring I have not looked for an alternative.

Jim N.

Bryan Young · October 24, 2013, 06:27:25 PM

Quote from: keneke on October 21, 2013, 08:33:09 PM
Alohas Bryan,

I called Brian's and he did say he had the parts and would charge $15 for installation plus the cost of parts. Which would be 2 ea. kits of spring and pawl, as Brian's sells them. If there was any other issues within the reel he said he would address them at that time, just to avoid customer complaints later on for something that was not his fault. Luckily my reel is new, but it would be nice to have someone take a look inside to make sure everything is looking great. I should be telling him to install the carbontex washer kit at the same time, but I have not seen them in the mail as of yet. Maybe he carries them as well so I will tell him to install those so the upgrade is complete.

Oh and yes Bryan, I am in Hawaii on the island of Oahu. Sorry for not conveying that sooner.

Regards,
Ken

Aloha Ken,

I'm pretty sure that Brian's caries Carbontex Drag Kits for your reels as well. Give him a call so that he can order them if he is indeed out so that they will be there for your reel when you do take them in.

Please give my alohas to him when you see Brian.

Bryan

keneke · October 24, 2013, 08:24:19 PM

Hi Bryan,

I sure will pass on the "Alohas" to Brian when I stop by tomorrow, in morning sometime. I hope he will be open in the morning since fishermen are sometimes getting up late especially if the bite was on! Just kidding! I once went fishing the night before then got up dog tired to pack up my stuff and went to work in the morning. I can honestly say it was not easy! The worst part is my friend who was still at the beach came tearing into my workplace at around 8:30 AM and showed me his 55 lb. ulua in the trunk of his VW. I was happy for him, but I still had a long day ahead.

Yes, I did call up Brian and asked if he had the washers? He said he did have them so I will get a complete upgrade instead of a partial. Whew! With that taken care of, I am happy that I won't have to worry too much about my knuckles and fingers getting all busted up!

Maybe someday someone will come up with a fix for the Trinidad 30A which in the break apart drawing, looks like the same set up as the Toriums and gold Trinidads. I talked to Brian about the 30A and he said he may be able to do something, but wasn't 100% sure if it could be done.

Regards,
Ken

P.S. Thank you JGB for the info about the pawl and how to get them to work with a little finese'n. I did read Alan's post on the subject, but without the factory springs, it would have left me with taking the time to make my own. So Bryan came to the rescue and mentioned Brian's Fishing Supply, a local shop, that could take are of all my needs in one stop with the Trinidad DC parts. I called Shimano and they said maybe by the end of the year for the springs and pawls.

Kayaker · December 29, 2013, 05:00:10 AM

So, I did the drag upgrade to my Torium 20 and now my anti-reverse has had problems. I am guessing when I took apart dog/pawl, I may have damaged it, although it would be unnoticeable to the naked eye. Luckily, I didnt hook into the 30 lb class pelagic fish with this reel. Did cast into their boils...

So Shimano is replacing this system with a spring, and shim? Of course I dont mind paying for it.