Economical Machine for Harness making

[mlhem]

Hi all,

I have been make horse tack for about 4 years now and hand stitching everything.  Although, I enjoy hand stitching, my work load has increased quite a bit so now I find that it would really be nice to have a machine to help with the sewing.  I would probably not sew anything over 3/8" thick but I would like a walking foot machine with reverse.  Trying not to break the bank so any recommendations would be helpful.  Thanks so much!

[catskin]

If you are making harness you WILL have to go over 3/8 thick.  Cowboy 4500  will do what you need.

[mlhem]

Thank you.  Most of what I make is under 1/4" and not made for heavy work.  Mostly just headstalls & breast collars but it may not hurt to have a machine that will handle more.

[Wizcrafts]

1 hour ago, mlhem said:

Thank you.  Most of what I make is under 1/4" and not made for heavy work.  Mostly just headstalls & breast collars but it may not hurt to have a machine that will handle more.

Will you be sewing stirrups and next to hardware (dees, buckles, loops)? If so, the Cowboy CB3500 or Cobra Class 3 will do the job because they take the same raised throat plates as the long arm 441 clone machines. If you don't have to sew round shapes, or around dees, a CB3200 will handle the work. If it is still too expensive for your budget, and if the bottom appearance isn't so important, the CB2500 will do the job.

All of the above machines can sew as little as 6 or 7 ounces. The 3500 and class 3 sew over 3/4 inch, while the 3200 only sews up to 1/2 inch (actual). The 2500 is limited to 7/16 inch and is bottom feed only, with aggressive teeth on the feed dog.

All of these can handle from #138 through #346 thread.

[DonInReno]

The most common machines you’ll hear about are less expensive copies of the Juki TSC 441.  Cowboy, Cobra, Artisan, Techsew, and half a dozen others have full-size copies and some with shorter arms and less capacity.  Some are better made than others and the amount of support you’ll get with a new machine varies from none to a lot.    

Used machines aren’t common, but they do pop up every month or two - usually it’s more a matter of being lucky enough to be close to the seller since shipping these heavy machines is a pain.  

If you already sew on smaller machines, have a high tolerance for problem solving, and have some extra time, if needed, to sort out potential problems with a used machine you’ll find something almost new for under $2k.  

There is a lot written here about every version out there it’s just a little challenging to find it.