TRA001 - won't return from the fully plunged position

**MichaelC65** · 6th January 2021, 09:49 PM

Hi Everyone,
Totally Newbie here, so please excuse any ignorance!

I have a TRA001 which I bought from an ex Triton rep here in Australia a year or so ago.

It was working fine when I put it away a couple of months ago, however tonight I re-mounted it in the table, wound the unit up to clear the collet through the table top and set a bit in place.
Now, no matter what I seem to do, I cannot shift the unit from this position. I've tried:
- using the fine adjustment screw - I can see it turning the handle until it jams, in either direction, and cannot be used any more, so I have returned that to a roughly central position.
- Tried turning the handle with the lock turned to both the left and the right (I think I have the original TRA001, without the push-in lock button)
- Taken the unit out of the table, put it back into the "normal" orientation and tried all that again
- tried turning the handle with the locking ring both retracted and in its' "normal" out position
- Given it a really good going over with an air jet and tried all the above again
- checked that the plunge lock lever is in a freely moving position, so that's not holding things fast
- given the plunge guides/poles and the base light hammer taps to see if that frees something up, but it didn't budge an inch and I'm hesitant to just "get a bigger hammer" onto it.

While the handle will move a little using the finetune dial, I cannot move it at all myself, even exerting what I consider to be an unreasonable amount of force

Anyone with any ideas I would be hugely grateful. I don't get a lot of time to play, and I'm on leave this week and had some projects I wanted to get into.

Many Thanks,

Mike.

**Lyle** · 7th January 2021, 01:08 AM

Have you tried using the spanner on the collet and giving that a bit of a 'wiggle' as you turn the height handle. It might just be the locking pin jammed.
Sorry I have not had this happen to me, so I am just guessing.
Hope this may help.
Lyle.

**Hodgo** · 7th January 2021, 08:51 AM

I got totally stumped like this - until I read the manual

just a long shot, are you pulling outward on the orange ring on the control knob when you try to turn it?

**MichaelC65** · 7th January 2021, 09:21 AM

Thanks Lyle - I'll give that a go.

**MichaelC65** · 7th January 2021, 09:24 AM

Thanks Hodgo - yes I'm pulling the orange ring outwards so that is it "retracted" into the control knob when I'm trying to turn it. I've also tried it the the lock-knob (in the centre of the control knob) in both positions to see if that makes a difference, still with no luck

**verawood** · 7th January 2021, 10:15 AM

Welcome Mike

and good luck

**Lappa** · 7th January 2021, 10:13 PM

Ray Girling in the UK is the expert on Triton Routers. Here are his instructions on dismantling the TRA001.
Dismantling the Triton TRA001 3¼HP Router

If you are still having problems, maybe PM him - rayintheuk I think?

**MichaelC65** · 7th January 2021, 11:41 PM

Thanks for everyone's suggestions.
I managed to get it moving again this morning, though now I can't get it all the way DOWN to the point where the spindle locks to allow the collet to be moved (though I was able to work the lock manually.
No idea what the issue is, so I think I'm going to buy the metal fine adjustment screw from the UK, and ~ a month later when it gets here I'm going to strip the whole thing down using Ray Girlings instructions and give it a serious once over.

Really appreciate that this forum gave me intelligent answers - so happy I found these forums!!

Mike.

**Treecycle** · 8th January 2021, 09:17 AM

It might be worth spraying some sort of lubricant around the guide shafts and letting it soak down into the bronze bushes. You say it has been stored away for some time and the surfaces between the bushes and the shafts may have dried out making them grab. They do tend to get a buildup on the bushes due to the dust mixing with the original lube in the bushes and this can dry out making them very grippy. The rack and pinion only works on one guide post so if the bush on the other post is at all grippy it will easily jamb up when you try to wind it up or down.
You say that you are going to get a new worm gear for the fine adjustment but it has nothing to do with the movement once you pull the orange ring in to wind the router up and down with the black handle. The fine adjustment gets disengaged during this action.

**MichaelC65** · 12th January 2021, 12:09 AM

Brilliant - thanks Dallas. I'll give it a decent squirt of either silicon spray or WD40 this weekend and see if that helps at all.

Cheers.

**lyricnz** · 12th January 2021, 08:50 AM

Disassembly isn't that hard, I used the guide, took me maybe an hour to service mine. I reckon your rack and pinion is full of cruft - clean it well (toothbrush time - even a little bit of caked-on gum seems to impair movement), and put some silicon lube on it, will probably be fine.

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