Members bill2750 Posted January 18, 2015 Members Report Posted January 18, 2015 I have an opportunity to purchase either one of these machines. Unfortunately they are 150 miles apart so I can't compare them side by side. Is there a distinct advantage of one over the other that would help sway my decision. This is assuming that both sew well, and have been maintained. Both have clutch motors. Thank you, Bill Quote
CowboyBob Posted January 19, 2015 Report Posted January 19, 2015 The 111w155 is the newer one & will sew alittle heavier. Quote Bob Kovar Toledo Industrial Sewing Machine Sales Ltd. 3631 Marine Rd Toledo,Ohio 43609 1-866-362-7397
Moderator Wizcrafts Posted January 19, 2015 Moderator Report Posted January 19, 2015 Also, the 155 has a safety clutch in case you jam thread in the bobbin mechanism. The 103 doesn't have this feature. Quote Posted IMHO, by Wiz My current crop of sewing machines: Cowboy CB4500, Singer 107w3, Singer 139w109, Singer 168G101, Singer 29k71, Singer 31-15, Singer 111w103, Singer 211G156, Adler 30-7 on power stand, Techsew 2700, Fortuna power skiver and a Pfaff 4 thread 2 needle serger.
Members bill2750 Posted January 19, 2015 Author Members Report Posted January 19, 2015 Thank you for the information Bob & Wiz. I probably can't go wrong with either machine. It will boil down to how well they sew and have been maintained I think...price is quite a bit better on the 103 though. Quote
Members Constabulary Posted January 19, 2015 Members Report Posted January 19, 2015 I´d probably choose the 111w155 because of the safety clutch!!! Quote ~ Keep "OLD CAST IRON" alive - it´s worth it ~ Machines in use: - Singer 111G156 - Singer 307G2 - Singer 29K71 - Singer 212G141 - Singer 45D91 - Singer 132K6 - Singer 108W20 - Singer 51WSV2 - Singer 143W2
Members bill2750 Posted January 19, 2015 Author Members Report Posted January 19, 2015 Well I missed the 111w155 but the 111w103 is still available for $200 with table. The seller says he get a birds nest underneath and has no idea how to fix it. I'm hoping it is just out of adjustment and a good mechanic could get everything in order pretty easy. Being new to this, is there anything that could be terribly wrong and not fixable making it a boat anchor? I'm going to take a look at it and see if there is something obvious. Maybe turn it over by hand to make sure nothing is striking the needle and then try to run it. Any ideas? Quote
Members Constabulary Posted January 19, 2015 Members Report Posted January 19, 2015 Maybe just a timing or thread tension problem. The Singer 111w series are one of the few older machines you still can get almost every single part for. I´m sure one of the LW member can help you to setup the machine again. $200 is not too bad but I´d try to get a better price -maybe $150 or so. How is the overall condition? Quote ~ Keep "OLD CAST IRON" alive - it´s worth it ~ Machines in use: - Singer 111G156 - Singer 307G2 - Singer 29K71 - Singer 212G141 - Singer 45D91 - Singer 132K6 - Singer 108W20 - Singer 51WSV2 - Singer 143W2
Moderator Wizcrafts Posted January 19, 2015 Moderator Report Posted January 19, 2015 Make sure the internal drive belt is not cracked Quote Posted IMHO, by Wiz My current crop of sewing machines: Cowboy CB4500, Singer 107w3, Singer 139w109, Singer 168G101, Singer 29k71, Singer 31-15, Singer 111w103, Singer 211G156, Adler 30-7 on power stand, Techsew 2700, Fortuna power skiver and a Pfaff 4 thread 2 needle serger.
Members bill2750 Posted January 20, 2015 Author Members Report Posted January 20, 2015 The machine was listed for $300, said he would take $200 over the phone and accepted $150 cash. I don't know what the internal drive belt is, unless it's the same thing as the timing belt. It looks OK. Overall it is in good condition. When cranking over by hand with a doubled thickness of duck fabric, the top thread is catching on something under the needle plate and breaking. If I turn it over by hand without the needle being threaded, there does not seem to be any strikes or unusual noises. I then ran the machine without thread and the clutch motor works fine and the machine seems to operate very well at various speeds. So at this point I don't know anything about this machine or how it works. Any suggestions would be appreciated. I will locate a manual and go from there. So far I feel pretty good about it...time will tell. Quote
Moderator Wizcrafts Posted January 20, 2015 Moderator Report Posted January 20, 2015 You are correct. I meant the timing belt. It must be inserted in a specific position relative to the top to bottom shafts for the timing to work. But, it also drives the feed dog and hook, so in a way it's also a drive belt. I am going to repair a 103 this Wednesday. The belt needs to be installed, the timing adjusted, the latch opener adjusted and feet changed to smooth bottom feet. Quote Posted IMHO, by Wiz My current crop of sewing machines: Cowboy CB4500, Singer 107w3, Singer 139w109, Singer 168G101, Singer 29k71, Singer 31-15, Singer 111w103, Singer 211G156, Adler 30-7 on power stand, Techsew 2700, Fortuna power skiver and a Pfaff 4 thread 2 needle serger.
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