square rachet

[garyrapp55]

My press doesn't advance/index consistently. If I stroke it several more times it will. I thought I'd worn out the plastic square but when I pulled it out, it looked ok. It does have some play but I expected it to be visually obvious. Is this a symptom of a worn square or is there another problem? Additionally, is anyone making an upgraded version, possibly aluminum?

[GasGuzzler]

I had to replace my square drive plastic thingie once.

[farmerjim]

I have had to replace mine(lee 4 hole classic turret press square ratchet auto index) twice. I bought 10 of them about 12 years ago for less than 50 cents each, But I now see them at around 2 bucks at several places.
Glad I stocked up big on reloading supplies years ago.

[horseman]

Considering that there are only two pieces that make it index and one is a steel rod I'd say that it's probably the plastic square ratchet part. No "upgrade" part that I know of and I don't think a metal piece in it's place would be a good idea as it could possible cause other damage(s) if compromised. It's a "sacrificial" part. Pretty simple and effective way to make it work. On further thought It's quite possible that the "collar" could be worn as well. So three pieces not just two....

[Dancing Bear]

Midway USA puts them on sale for $.45 each. Regular price is $1.99! I purchased two when I ordered dies.

[GasGuzzler]

My guess is 2-5K rounds of lifespan for the square thing.

[Fyodor]

I use the pro1000 and the clasic turret. Both have plastic ratchet inserts. I bought some spares when I bought the presses, but I never had a broken insert yet.

Usually the problem is somewhere else. First, disassemble the press, clean everything and lube with your prefered lube. In the past I used ball bearing grease, because it doesn't drip, but I have switched to automatic transmission oil. The lubing intervals are much longer with that.

With all LEE equippment: Do not assume you know the machine. Use the steps given in the manual and follow them exactly. LEE manuals are very good, and the machines are low cost, so I found that doing the steps in a different order, or just similar as given in the manual, sometimes result in strange behaviour of the machine. So even if I loaded tens of thousands of rounds, and took apart the presses dozen times, I still check the manual. The number of hickups have greatly reduced by that.

[GasGuzzler]

With all LEE equippment: Do not assume you know the machine. Use the steps given in the manual and follow them exactly. LEE manuals are very good, and the machines are low cost, so I found that doing the steps in a different order, or just similar as given in the manual, sometimes result in strange behaviour of the machine.

THIS

[Dancing Bear]

I use the pro1000 and the clasic turret. Both have plastic ratchet inserts. I bought some spares when I bought the presses, but I never had a broken insert yet.

Usually the problem is somewhere else. First, disassemble the press, clean everything and lube with your prefered lube. In the past I used ball bearing grease, because it doesn't drip, but I have switched to automatic transmission oil. The lubing intervals are much longer with that.

With all LEE equippment: Do not assume you know the machine. Use the steps given in the manual and follow them exactly. LEE manuals are very good, and the machines are low cost, so I found that doing the steps in a different order, or just similar as given in the manual, sometimes result in strange behaviour of the machine. So even if I loaded tens of thousands of rounds, and took apart the presses dozen times, I still check the manual. The number of hickups have greatly reduced by that.










of controlling it both on the down and up stroke
I did a lot of reading on proper operation and never had any issues.I just now semi-retired it due to buying the Lee classic turret.

[Royce]

I have to replace the plastic parts on my Lee Turret presses occasionally. They wear out so I keep spares. They are sold on eBay, I generally keep two or three of each on hand since the postage costs more than the parts.