Need Help Setting Up Cowboy Cb3200

[RoosterShooter]

This is actually a minor question that just came up. I have my CB 3200 setup and ready to go. However, when I go to adjust the Pressure Foot Pedal on the table ... it doesn't want to lift. I'm a fairly strong guy, and I can't get the presser foot to raise up with the pedal. I have the chain set a couple of links up on the pedal side and on the last link on the machine side.

Anyone have a fix?

[JLSleather]

Nope, sure don't. But if the feet lift with the hand lever, then possibly your chain is binding somewhere.

[Red Cent]

Does it operate when you take the chain off the pedal and pull down with your hand?

[Wizcrafts]

I'd be following the path from the chain, to the pivoting long rod on the back of the machine, to the place where it makes contact with the lifter block that raises the outside "presser" foot. If the block is set too high, the presser foot bar may not be getting lifted by the floor pedal. If the hand lifter releases the thread tension but not the foot pedal, that is most likely what is wrong.

[RoosterShooter]

I followed the chain and there is no resistance.

If I remove the chain and try and push down on the bar with my hand it does not move. There is only a little 'play' in the bar with eyelets in it, but the presser foot doesn't budge.

I can lift the presser foot with the manual lifter / lever, but it doesn't work when I try and use the pedal lifter.

Edited December 17, 2014 by RoosterShooter

[Wizcrafts]

I followed the chain and there is no resistance.

If I remove the chain and try and push down on the bar with my hand it does not move. There is only a little 'play' in the bar with eyelets in it, but the presser foot doesn't budge.

I can lift the presser foot with the manual lifter / lever, but it doesn't work when I try and use the pedal lifter.

Okay, the problem lies between the lifting bar and the presser bar. You'll have to remove the faceplate to troubleshoot this. If it is held on with two bolts, remove the top thread, loosen the bolts holding the faceplate to the left side and pull the plate off. Lie it down with the inside face down, so the bolts stay put.

With the face plate off, locate the presser bar, which is the rear most bar that goes down to the outer foot. It's downward pressure is controlled by a hollow threaded adjuster screw directly on the top of the head, with the presser bar protruding from the hole in the adjuster. Loosen the locknut on the adjuster and unscrew the adjuster, then remove the pressure spring that surrounds the presser bar. The presser foot and bar should now be movable with your fingers.

You will find a solid metal block inside the head, screwed onto the presser bar. When you engage the hand lift lever (with the ball knob), the block will move up. Note the distance between the bottom of the block and the crank on the end of the foot lifter rod. Move the rod and see what is blocking it from lifting up the block as the hand lifter does (but higher). When you see what is wrong, loosen whatever screw is holding it too far down and free it. Lower the hand lifter and push down on the presser bar on top of the head. Reposition the lifting piece on the foot lift mechanism until it is just under the lifting block. Tighten that piece in place.

Reinstall the pressure spring and adjuster, hook up the chain if you had removed it and test the foot lift pedal. It should move freely and lift the feet almost as high as the fully raised tip of the needle.

I'm not at my shop and cannot give you any better help without opening up my CB4500 and hoping the parts are the same as your machine. My terminology is just user terms, not technical labels from a parts manual.

If in doubt, post some close up photos of the presser bar and the parts mounted to it, inside the head, with the faceplate removed.

[Wizcrafts]

Also, can you see anything on the outside-rear side of the machine that is preventing the lifter rod from moving down at the back end and up at the front? Is it perhaps binding on the big pivot bolt holding it to the machine? Is the lever that separates the top tension disks jamming the lifter due to not being placed squarely on the round stud on the lifter, near the front of the machine? Or, might that disk separator be jammed against the thread guide by the top tension disks?

[RoosterShooter]

Thanks Wizcrafts.

I'll try your suggestions in the A.M. and get back. I've been burning the candle at both ends for the past few weeks and need to get sleep while I can.

Thanks again.

[RoosterShooter]

I tried one thing before I turn in for the night.

Being the 'New Guy' that I am to the Cowboy ... I had the manual lever in the UP position while trying it last!

I lowered the manual lever and am now able to move the lever on the back slightly with my palm, but it's still under a whole lot of tension. There is still no way to lift it with the pedal.

[Wizcrafts]

When you get back to the machine, back off the top pressure adjuster screw (over the presser foot). Stop just shy of it popping out of the head. That will lessen the pressure on the foot and lift parts. If it's still hard to raise the foot via the foot pedal, something is mis-adjusted or binding in the lifter path.

Sometimes just rotating the top pressure adjuster a few degrees can free up a slightly tight or binding presser bar. They hole may have been bored off center, or the presser bar could have a woop-de-doo on it up top.

[msdeluca]

I had a similar problem on my 3200. I called Ryan at Neel's Saddlery. There are a couple of parts behind the face plate that are binding and need to be lapped to increase clearance. On my machine, I could use the hand lever to raise and lower the presser foot, but the pedal assembly would raise the presser foot with great difficulty and then the presser foot wouldn't lower all the way back down to the needle plate.

He told me that they have had to trouble shoot this problem on a couple of machines. I did what he told me and the foot pedal operation works properly now. It was easy and took about 30 minutes to resolve.

There is also a guide screw in the left side of the front walking foot bar that runs up and down in a vertical slot that faces the left end of the machine. The screw was binding against the side of the slot. I took a file and flattened the side of the guide screw to eliminate the bind.

I would imagine that Bob at Toledo is aware of the problem as well.

Call whomever you purchased the machine from and they will walk you through it.

If you can't get help, let me know and I can take pictures of what I did.

[RoosterShooter]

Fixed. I did exactly what msdeluca suggested via Ryan Neels and it fixed the issue. Tolerances are just a bit tight out of the box on the CB3200 and have to be relieved.

[msdeluca]

Glad you got it worked out.