See below... Written up by RT's Andrew Custis..... and sorry for the poor cut & paste.
FACTORY TECH - DIY
over a century and the maintenance is
neutral as the drip rate is monitored
Packing Gland
minimal.
since we use the wet exhaust for
additional cooling to the packing
Adjustment with
Whether it is the first time you are
assembly.
putting your boat in the water for
Andrew Custis
the season or your first time cruising
- Loosen the two nuts away from each
on your new boat, the stuffing box
other.
Andrew Custis is the Customer
should be checked for the proper drip
- The narrower of the two nuts is simply
Service Manager for Ranger Tugs and
rate although adjustment isn't always
used as a backer to keep the large
Cutwater Boats.
necessary.
nut from spinning loose as the shaft
rotates.
At Ranger Tugs and Cutwater Boats
we've always used a conventional
stuffing box as apposed to a dripless
system. Simply put, we feel that the
conventional stuffing box is safer and
more reliable. The trick to adjusting
the stuffing box on your boat is to
achieve the proper drip rate. You
don't want it too tight and you don't
want it too loose. The general rule of
thumb is to make sure that the drip
rate of the gland is about 1-3 drops a
minute. Having the assembly too tight
can cause the packing to wear out
prematurely and having it too loose
allows excessive water into the bilge
and engine compartment.
Some telling signs that a stuffing box is
dripping more than the ideal amount
could be:
-Your bilge pump cycling while you are
on the boat.
- Noticing misting of water spray on
your engine or engine compartment
after a cruise.
RIGID OFFSET
E-110 SERIES
CHANNELLOCK OIL
FILTER PLIERS
• To allow more water to drip from the
assembly, you would spin the large nut
towards the front of boat by rotating it
counter clockwise.
LARGER "ADIUSTING" NUT
- To slow down the drip rate, slowly
tighten the large nut towards the stern
of the boat until the proper drip rate is
achieved.
SMALLER "LOCKING" NUT
- Once the adjustment is made, tighten
the narrower nut to the position of
Tools for adjustment: I use a set of the larger packing nut to secure them
Ridgid offset hex wrenches (model #
in place. It is important to maintain
E-110) but many people use oil filter
the same position of the larger nut to
pliers (both pictured above).
ensure the drip rate does not change.
The adjustment on the stuffing box is
something that should be monitored
and maintained just like the engine
in your boat.
With all of that said,
you should not let this type of system
scare you. They have been around for
Typical rules for adjustment if
needed:
Notes:
- Boat must be sitting in the water.
- Packing nut size measured out at 2-3/8"
or 60MM
suggest that the engine runs in
- Procedure is identical for Ranger Tugs &
Cutwater Boats-
