leaders not straight

[Horseface]

I recently bought a new Freedom and stitched a casing for leader grips on the take up and backing leaders.  When I load a quilt I have noticed that I get a bit of sag at one side and that the leader grips are not aligned straight with the take up roller.  Starting at the left side its straight and then gradually I can see that it drifts away to the point where its a half to three quarters of an inch away from the take up roller.  So I think its safe to say that the leader is out of square because the casing is stitched straight all the way along.  I'm new to long arm quilting and I "assumed" that the leaders would be square since everything is brand new.  My question is, is it standard practice to check for squareness of leaders on a new system?  If so, I do wish I had known this in the beginning.  I guess I'm going to be taking the casing out and squaring up the leaders.  Any input would be welcome for this newbie.

[micajah]

I would try this first, before you undo any sewing, let your leaders down all the way toward the floor and measure their width from where they are attached to the bar to the floor edge/corner of the leader - this will tell you if the leaders are uneven from one end to the other. If you find that one side is wider than the other, take that end off the bar and cut it to square it and stick it back down on the bar.

[ffq-lar]

Before you do any drastic trimming, make sure your rollers are exactly parallel, both with each other and the floor. The eye bolts of the back roller determine the height from the floor and must all have the same number of threads showing. Ditto with the threads of the bolts of the front roller---those one stick out towards the front and if one side is farther out it will make your backer sag on one side, making you suspect the leaders and not the rollers. Your photo looks more like sag than uneven leaders. If it was set up by a dealer, this should have all been checked. If you set it up, it's not stressed enough in the instructions how crucial this step is to good results. Good luck!

[Gator]

APQS does a great job at ensuring the leaders are square.   Before taking anything apart, unroll and re-roll your leaders watch to see that the ends (sides) of the leaders are rolling straight.  The side seams should lay nicely on top of each other as you roll them on the take up roller.   Leaders can roll uneven if you don't keep an eye on them.  If everything is rolled correctly, then measure them.   Remember, you can always contact APQS support for answers also.   Anything is possible but when I find one side sagging more then the other, it's usually the way I rolled them, forgot my side clamps or my curtain rods under the side clamp elastic. 

[Horseface]

I checked the eye bolts and counted the threads and there is a difference of two threads between the ends of the front backing roller and a difference of one thread between the ends of the take up roller.  Would that difference have an impact on the leaders?

[Horseface]

if I was to unroll the leaders would I be unrolling them all the way out ?

[Gator]

I wish I was near enough to come help you!  I live in Michigan.  Use your own judgment on how far to roll them out to check the leaders for a straight roll.   As you roll them out check the edges to see if they are evenly lined up,  if they look like they are overlapping or under lapping the previous roll,  keep going until you see an even edge again  then re-roll.  Sorry, hard to explain in writing.

[Horseface]

Thanks everyone for the input so far.