Bearing replacement maintenance/upgrade

[mistaredone]

I have a 7+ year old Shimano Stratic 4000fh that has served me well over the years. I figured I'd give it a little tlc in the off season. I looked up bearing replacement for this reel and Boca ceramic seems like the popular upgrade for this reel, be it the lightning or the orange seal. Anyone have experience with this? What bearings do you recommend, where do you source them and any other maintenance or upgrades you would recommend? Thanks

[Old Ironmaker]

Is it acting up? Is this preventative maintenance? I clean my Shimanos I use for Smallies a few times a season and have some that have lasted over 20 years without changing any bearings, springs or brake pads just cleaning and a drop of machine oil. All my other reels will get a good cleaning over the winter and that's about it. I always have been if it ain't broke kind of guy. That Stratic should last you years without any changes or upgrades, mine has I just keep it clean. I just did the math and that reel is cast for Smallies about 200 times in a day everyday for a few weeks after the opener.

[porkpie]

I've never replaced bearings in a spinning reel, but all my casting reels have bocas. They are easy to deal with and good quality. Unfortunately for you I think the 35% off sale they had going on is now over. Worth looking into though!

[Andy]

I once purchased parts from Mike's Reel Repair with no problems. It's out of BC. mikesreelrepair.com

The website has a decent search feature and with a quick look I saw a number of search results for a Stratic, including bearings. If you weren't sure of what you needed, an email of call would likely setu in the right direction.

The other place that I have had excellent help from is Rocky's reel repair in Orillia. I needed a small washer that I was going to order from deep in the US, but the shipping was crazy. Rocky's had it, mailed it to me and I had it in days. Aikmans in Mississauga has some stuff too.

 

I have tinkered with a number of my reels, so I get what you're saying about giving it a little TLC. It's fun and it helps kill some time when the weather sucks. Good luck. Andy

[Tjames09]

I bought orange seal ceramic bearings off ebay for significantly cheaper than the Boca, I believe they are made by the same company.

[aplumma]

I have switched out 10 of my bearings in my Shimano's from Boca bearings. The first one convinced me to do the other 9 with longer and smoother casts resulting. I had one set that had a wrong bearing size and with a phone call I had the correct bearing sent to me with no hassles an apology.

 

 

Art

[Lape0019]

I will say Boca makes a good product as I have had a set of their Abec 7 bearings in a Gen 2 Revo S. From research, there is no need to go higher than Abec 5 bearings but the orange seals allow you to easily service the bearings as the seals are easily removable.

 

Secondly, You are not going to see any distance gains on a spinning reel. unlike a baitcaster where the spool bearings have an impact on how fast the spool rotates, a spinning reel only has the weight of the bait and the shape of the spool to control how fast or smooth the lines roles off the spool. You may find the reel feels smoother during retrieve but you will not gain the same amount of performance by upgrading bearings on a spinning reel as you will on a baitcaster.

[OhioFisherman]

I don't know anyone that has upgraded bearings in a spinning reel, on a casting reel it is fairly common, on a spinning reel you will gain what? Lape has the right idea, on a casting reel it will gain some casting distance.

[mistaredone]

The idea at the end of the day was to keep the reel in tip top shape and burn some time in the winter rather than checking the action of new lures in the bath tub lol my wife thinks I'm crazy. I guess I'll just diss assemble, clean and lube the Stratic and spend the money on the bocas for my bait casters

[Old Ironmaker]

If you have a pet Puppy, tie a swivel from your rod and reel to it's collar and throw a stick, if you can reel in a Pit Bull with medium or even light tackle you are all set for the next season. There is no such thing as being bored in the Winter. I only did it in the basement. My neighbours thought I was a little off already.

[GBW]

If you have a pet Puppy, tie a swivel from your rod and reel to it's collar and throw a stick, if you can reel in a Pit Bull with medium or even light tackle you are all set for the next season. There is no such thing as being bored in the Winter. I only did it in the basement. My neighbours thought I was a little off already.

When my kids were younger we played "fishy - fishy" in the backyard with a rubber sinker so daddy could practice with a biatcaster...

[Lape0019]

By All means, if you want the reel to be in tip top shape, go out and buy some new bearings. I just would not buy bocas for a spinning reel unless the factory ones are no longer offered. I would suggest a trip to the Shimano online parts store and buy the bearing you want to replace there. The price difference will be noticeable and you will have a like new spinning reel.

[Tjames09]

I have a 7+ year old Shimano Stratic 4000fh that has served me well over the years. I figured I'd give it a little tlc in the off season. I looked up bearing replacement for this reel and Boca ceramic seems like the popular upgrade for this reel, be it the lightning or the orange seal. Anyone have experience with this? What bearings do you recommend, where do you source them and any other maintenance or upgrades you would recommend? Thanks

 

http://www.ebay.com/itm/ABEC-7-Hybrid-CERAMIC-Bearings-SHIMANO-STRADIC-4000FG-COMPLETE-Bearing-/391552251340?hash=item5b2a5535cc

 

 

This is the guy I bought my bearings off of. I looked into it and I believe all orange seal ceramic bearings are made by the same company, BOCA just buys them and rebrands it and sells for more.

 

 

That link above is 5 bearings for $32 US.

[OhioFisherman]

http://forums.tackletour.com/viewtopic.php?f=47&t=60338

 

They argue bearings there too!