CowboyBob

Glad to help.

I have sold both of these machines in the past & do not want to sell them now.There is a reason (build quality) why they are so much cheaper than a Consew.

Looks like a great buy.Years ago we used to rebuild alot of them & they would sew an easy 3/8" or more of leather.

Sean, I have sold a few of these yrs ago and some of the parts,screws and etc.will be hard to find and for that kind of money you should be able to get a used 206.

We have them in stock in packs of 10

Yes,lower the needlebar the difference between them which will be 1/4"

Yes, you could replace the needlebar if you want to use the 135x8 leather needles,BUT you can use the 16x4 needles which are real easy to get if you lower the needlebar the difference of the distance between the two.It really isn't that hard to do,just turn the machine so the needlebar is all the way down,mark it where it comes out of the casting it rides in either w/a magic marker,file or even a hacksaw(just a small mark) then look under the side cover & find the screw on the needlebar clamp that will be towards the bottom & lower it the amount needed. Sounds easy huh?

Ok,somebody must of raised your needlebar up to use 129 needles as they are small @ the top,leather needles in that size are very hard to get.You probably should lower the needlebar down to use a shorter needle like the 16x4 which you can get in a leather point real easy.The shorter needle will work better as it won't flex or break as easy.

Is your needle your using smaller @ the top where it goes into the needle holder than the 135x5?

We always sell 135x5 for this machine,they measure 11/2"& are 2,20 mm @ the top,the 126x9 measure 13/4" & are small 2.00mm & normally used in the walking foot machines,it could have been changede over the years to use either one,so measure yours & buy accordingly.

Rich, That canister is a lube pot for thread lube,if your not sewing real thick or fast you don't need to lube the thread.Yes,the 5100 is the same,if you go to our website on the Cowboy 4500 page towards the bottom is a threading video.,

When it gets jammed up like this put some oil all the way around the hook & like Eric said then undo the belt & rock it back & forth.

Take the belts off the reducer & spin it,Darren is right I've seen the bearings go bad too.

For the tension to work properly it needs to be around the one you mentioned on the side 1& 1/2x or else it'll do just what you say it's doing.

Have you tried to tighten the top tension any yet?

Looping on the bottom is the top thread.Either it isn't threaded correctly or it's to loose,make sure your going around the second tension on the side 1/1/2 x

I've head acetone is good.We have a dip tank with some diesel fuel,used atf & alittle used motor oil,it stinks but does the job on rusty heads.

You might want to check the nut on the motor that holds the pulley on.

Is it bad enough that you need to find a barrel of kerosene large enough to dip it in?

A larger size might help,what size ru using? On a Champion as your finding out you can turn it slowly by hand,watch & usually figure out the problem .

Champions have a part just above the shuttle that looks like a hatchet this is called a splitter,just above it is a little part called a loop opener check & see how much play(left to right) this has when starts to move to the right. Usually they are loose,either the roller or cam is worn.

Ususally you can get alittle more lift under the foot w/a foot lifter.

Yes,it will fit on the 105 too,the only difference between the 104 it's a flatbed & 105 is a cyl arm,on some machines the needlebar thread guide gets in the way but yes,it does fit & lets the leather go through with less foot drag.

You know how mistakes are they never happen where it doesn't show.

The thread guide @ the needlebar will geta groove in it,Try running some thread through the front of it & pull it back & forth to see if it shreds.