Machines Down

[Mojo]

I had 2 single needle machines go down today, our long arm and our Chandler. Both suffered timing issues.
I worked till 10 PM tonight on them and got the timing back in and they are running great. No idea how the timing got so far off.

This is the first time I have had a machine go down in over a year and a half so I cannot complain.
I did notice the hooks were getting worn so ordered 2 new ones and will replace them next week. I installed a new needle bar on my Chandler 2 years ago. I also went through and replaced the take up spring assemblies on both Chandlers as they were getting tired. I am so glad I learned machine repair because we do not have a machine tech worth a crap anywhere around us.

I consider myself lucky as all of our machines get heavy use - day in and day out. Our twin needle Highleads have been amazing machines. They get the hell run out of them everyday - all day and never miss a beat. Our industrial Juki serger has been a solid performer as well.

Some of you may remember my first machine - a Chinese walking foot that was the biggest POS ever made. That machine is what taught me how to work on machines. I would sew for two hours and work on that machine for 4 hours. It never stayed in time, parts broke constantly. When I bought my Chandler I thought I died and went to heaven.

What has really helped me with our machines is our stitchers are all gentle on the machines. I had one stitcher a couple years ago that was rough as heck on the machines so I had machines going down all the time. It seemed she would take one down once a week.

We have back up machines and all of our tables have wheels. When a machine goes down we wheel it out of the way and move another machine in its place. Our sewing schedule as of late is a mess. We are so back ordered from phenomenal sales the last 2 months we cannot afford a machine being down for 2 hours let alone all day. We brought on a 3rd stitcher to help with the volume but we still are struggling to keep up.

Hope all of you are well,

Mojo

[Roy346]

I can feel your pain! I own a small clothing company and the CG 590 has done the job for almost 10 years now. Granted, I've had to replace the individual machine a few times, this is true. But I don't fault the machine itself, I run it hard for long periods of time. And they don't make them like they used to, you just have to make peace with the fact that sewing machines like everything else are made to be disposable these days. But this guy is totally worth its weight even knowing it'll die eventually!

Here are the best attributes of this machine: First, this is a fully mechanical machine (ie- not computerized) so I can open it up and clean it myself without needing to have it serviced. I clean my machine monthly so that saves a crazy amount of money and time. Second, it's fast and strong! I've tried many other machines and NONE of them sew as quickly or through as many thick layers. This guy is a beast! And I build corsets and tailored garments so that's just what I need. I often break needles on pins and steel boning but the machine keeps going! I service it once a year and that seems to be enough. Third: The price! This machine is basically the bridge between a home sewing machine and an industrial machine. And so, to buy an industrial machine of this caliber (which is a difficult comparison bc industrial machines are specialized so they either do straight stitch or buttonholes, etc) costs several grand. I can destroy dozens of CGs before hitting that price. You can buy a decent home sewer for about 100+ more but you won't be able to service it yourself and it won't have the same torque in the motor so it'll be slower. A home sewer might last longer than this machine but it'll cost you more in time and money. And honestly, from my experience I kill a home sewing machine in about 3-4 months, I've bought 2 of these machines in 10 years.