ALL you Need to know about Fishing Reel Bearings

Fishing reel bearings fall into six categories these days: roller bearings, ball bearings, journal bearings, needle bearings, thrust bearings, and tapered bearings. Roller and ball bearings are the ones usually used, so I'll get into detail about these two.

OK, first off, let's examine the "tech specs" of fishing reel bearings, particularly ball and roller bearings. There are two "runway" tracks (technically called races) that the bearings, held in place by a cage, slide on while the bearing is spinning. To make sure the rollers and the cage don't come out, there is a round shield and a shield retainer between the two races. If you want to examine a bearing, first pop out the shield retainer with a knife with a pointed tip or a needle, being careful not to loose it (it acts like a spring), then take the shield off.

How about oiling your bearing? You should oil them at least every year to retain long life and to keep your reel smoother. First, you'll want to clean them. Putting some WD-40 on it and dabbing them on a paper towel or cloth is good way to get it done. Once you're done cleaning it, I would recommend putting drops of oil from an applicator in between the two races. Be sure to buy quality oil recommended by your reel manufacturer. I use Quantum Hot Sauce and has worked for me very well. If there is a shield and retainer on the bearing, there is usually a little opening in between the races, so just let the oil drip in between them. Make sure not to put too much in the bearing, a couple of drops will do. Many people make the mistake of putting to much oil in the bearing which shortens the life of it and makes the handle hesitate to move freely.

Roller bearings for fishing reels have cylinders, or metal tubes, which ride in between the races. This type of bearing usually takes on low speeds and high loads because the roller, or cylinder, is rolling on a wide race. There is usually only one of these bearings in a fishing reel.

Fishing [http://www.theartofangling.com/forum] reel ball bearings usually take on high speeds and light loads because of less friction caused by the thinness of the race. Ball bearings do look different than roller bearings in that roller bearings are generally larger and have much wider races than ball bearings because of the long cylinders used roller bearings verses the tiny balls used in ball bearings.