Proper way to lubricate Aftco rollers on your rod

Lil John · 04-24-2006, 08:19 AM

I have four "all roller" rods and need to lube the Aftco rollers. Two of the rods use reels with Momoi 30lb Diamond and two rods have reels with 50lb Trilene. What is the best way to lube the rollers? Should I cut off my swivels and reel the line back on the reels before lubing the rollers? I assume some lubes will weaken these lines if they come in contact with it? I have a few small tubes of "Reel-X"...is this stuff good to use on the rollers as well?

I guess I am looking for something that can be used to easily lube the rollers before each trip when the rods/reels are already rigged and ready to fish.

Tireless · 04-24-2006, 08:51 AM

I cut off my swivels at the end of a fishing weekend and tie the line to the reel. This makes transporting and storage easier and I don't run the risk of nicking the line when doing so. I put new swivels on the line the night before I fish or when I am on the boat. I occasionally put oil on the rollers and move them using a pencil eraser to work the oil around. I think it is better to store the rollers fully oiled.

lawaia · 04-24-2006, 09:14 AM

Lil John - Check out the info on this link. It's got the answer to your questions, straight from AFTCO. See especially the "Caution" at the bottom of page three.

Door#3 · 04-24-2006, 12:30 PM

I was just cleaning up some old rods with Aftco tip tops. They had metal sleeves, not what was described in the catalog (Aflon bearing). 2 out of 4 were pretty gummed up and not rolling. I disassembled, cleaned, and lubricated with light reel oil. Now they roll well. Don't over tighten.

So the newer ones don't need much maintenance. The older ones, might need to be disassembled once in a while. I'm not in favor of lubricating from the outside.

eggbeater · 04-24-2006, 03:45 PM

I usually get a length of 1/8 nylon.Outrigger stuff.Loosen the roller.Wrap the line around the roller and pull back and forth till free.Don't overtighten.I do it at the start of each season and have never used any oil.

ubettcha13 · 04-24-2006, 04:17 PM

I have been cleaning rollers for awhile and this is how I do it disassemble clean off all corrosion with corrosion x then reassemble with vaseline goop it on everything Then wipe spotless they don't always roll with no tension but under load they always roll and don't sqeak or chatter as the vaseline tightens the tolerance for a better roller IMHO

Captain Spike · 04-24-2006, 05:36 PM

Quote:

eggbeater - 4/24/2006 8:45 PM

I usually get a length of 1/8 nylon.Outrigger stuff.Loosen the roller.Wrap the line around the roller and pull back and forth till free.Don't overtighten.I do it at the start of each season and have never used any oil.

That's the way I do it but I do use 3 in 1 oil. If I buy a used rod I strip the rollers out and lube the bushes before I use it but once that's done the line wrapped aound the roller and worked back and forth works great.

capt crunch · 04-24-2006, 06:03 PM

I got this from an Aftco rep some time back:

After every fishing trip, roller guides should be rinsed well with fresh water.

If you use the rod a LOT, about once per year, you should:

• Disassemble the roller guides.
• Clean and inspect them.
• Lubricate them by putting a small amount of waterproof grease on the outside of the black stainless-steel sleeve bearing.
• Reassemble, with a drop of blue Loctite on the screws.
• Note: The screw should be good and tight – there is no need to leave it “loose” to avoid binding the bearing. According to the Aftco rep, if the roller binds after you tighten the screw, then something is wrong with the guide.

Door#3 · 04-24-2006, 10:03 PM

Crunch, the feedback from the Aftco rep does not match my experience, at least on the older (5 years plus) tip tops. When disassembled the bearing sleeve does not seem to be long enough to deal with frame compression when/if the screws are tightended too much. I could be wrong about this, and would like to be corrected if I am, but that is my experience FWIW.

I like the loctite idea. No need to tighten too much then :-)

Lil John · 04-24-2006, 11:27 PM

Thanks for the outstanding feedback. As part of my post-trip routine, I normally rinse off the rods/reels with Salt-X. One of my newer rods (only 1 year old) was making noise indicating the rollers needed lubing while I was reeling in a Tuna last weekend - I could hear the rollers making that "noise". Since Aftco is saying their newer rollers don't require regular lubrication, I wonder if my Salt-X routine is stripping some of the lube??