Hi
@Mattcia123 ,
I find this most interesting as you may be in possession of a true packing gland on your shaft. It is not an original installation from Hunter Marine but an installation from a previous owner. The rest of the boating crowd is stuck with a piece of useless crap called a spud type packing as mine is shown here :
View attachment 226464
A few questions for your packing gland :
View attachment 226467
I have been searching for last 25 years and have been unable to find this stuffing box manufactured in anything less than 1-1/4" dia. Below is an exploded view of your packing gland for a 1-1/4" shaft :
View attachment 226466
But, getting back to your original question, take a crescent wrench and fully back off both of the lock nuts and then back off each of the adjustment nuts about 1/2 a rotation. This will "hopefully" allow the packing inside the gland to expand but this is doubtful if the packing is anything more than a couple of years old.
Keep an eye on the gland it for the first sign of dripping after a few hours of running. "If" you should be so lucky that it does leak, snug the gland follower (my edit of your gland) to the point where it has no slack.
If this were a new packing job, you would have no problem in adjusting the packing compression in one or two moves. Seeing as how this gland likely has old packing of an unknown composition, it's going to take a little time and a little fooling around.
Why am I obsessed with this gland ? Given a gland like this, a mirror polish on the shaft and teflon impregnated flax packing :
- it could be packed without damage to the new packing material
- it can be run dry .................... yes, you read that right
- it will run cool
- it could be run without re-packing for upwards of 10 - 15 years.
Anyone want to disagree ? ? ? ? ? I've got the practical experience and theories to prove spud type glands should not even be manufactured.
I've
almost been able to accomplish the above using a lousy spud type gland. So far six without re-packing and running dry. It's not easy but it can be done. Given a proper stuffing box as is proudly owned by the OP, and the proper conditions as outlined above, fully guaranteed. How, it's running in salt and or fresh water. Two of the most compatible substances to leak into a stuffing box.
Sure, you can make this gland fail rather quickly, same a spud type gland, by running in heavily silted water, having a rough prop shaft to start with, over-tightening the gland, running on the hard and a few other not too bright practices.
And please do not refer me to any big bull
manufacturers of packing glands. You know who they are and I'm a bit gun shy of being sued. They're smart people and they know how to make a quick and easy buck and they're doing it.