Laurie Posted January 16, 2010 Report Share Posted January 16, 2010 I set aside today to do my new Edgerider wheel install and just spent the last 1.5 hours being pi$$ed off. :mad: There is no way I am able to budge the tiny little screw on the solenoid - on either one. I can take the nut off but the screw won't move. Even my dh tried it. Why is it on so tight? I'm afraid that if I try much harder it will strip the screw and then I will be screwed. In the instructions that came with the wheels, it says to pull out the solenoid cartridge. Can I do that instead? Do I need to undo the tiny screw at all? And what do I need to do to pull out the cartridge? Unscrew or loosen anything? I really want to get these on and I can't believe I didn't get very far. And, would it be easier to take the head off the frame to put them on? I can set it on some sawhorses. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Katydids Posted January 16, 2010 Report Share Posted January 16, 2010 Laurie, you are talking about the screw on the pin that is coming out of the solenoid, right? There is a tiny nut on the other side of the pin. Did you remove it? The screw should come out pretty easily. hmmmm I don't know why yours is not. You do still need to take the solenoid off, but I have never been able to get the bolt out without removing the pin too. You can remove just the solenoid and try to get the bolt out without removing the pin. Take the nut off the solenoid and just pull it out off of the pin. You will have a locking washer and the spring too. So just pay attention to the order that they go back together. Hope this helps. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Laurie Posted January 17, 2010 Author Report Share Posted January 17, 2010 Okay, I got the screw off. I have to take the solenoid off first, remove the wheel and then use a pair of pliers to clamp the handle of my screw driver to give me enough torque to turn the screw. It was really in there tight!!! Now, I got the first edgerider wheel on. I noticed the SR encoder wheel is a bit pushed out of shape and looks like it needs to be raised up a bit. I thought I saw something about that in another post so I am off to look. If you see this, Patty, before I get back with a note of success, will you tell me how to do that? Can I loosen the hex screws on the encoder wheel and raise it up? Thanks!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Katydids Posted January 17, 2010 Report Share Posted January 17, 2010 It's #6 in the instructions. At least the ones that i have on my site. You need a small allen wrench and loosen the set screws on the encoder wheel and adjust it up or down (as needed) on the shaft, then tighten the set screws back up. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Georgene Posted January 17, 2010 Report Share Posted January 17, 2010 Laurie, I also installed the Edgeriders this week. It took me 2 days. I didn't think I would ever be able to budge those little screws either. Mine were VERY tight. But I finally had success. I had a quilting friend help me and I definitely appreciated having some extra hands and some extra brain power to try and figure out what to do next. Thank goodness for the photos in Patty's instructions. I had some setbacks. Patty (Katydids) helped me through that. Thank you Patty. I didn't have the right bolts -- I had the wheels sold before the longer bolts were added. But Patty told me what I needed, and our local hardward store had them. Well, almost. I needed 1-3/4", but I got the 2" (all they had) and they worked fine. The other setback was the spring came off that bolt that goes through the little silver cylinder (selenoid I think). We didn't think we'd ever find that little bitty spring. It took us at least an hour on our hands and knees with magnets and hands feeling around the carpet. But, alas, we did find it finally. Overall, the installation was not easy, BUT it is so worth it. I MEAN REALLY WORTH IT. WOW. I can't believe the smooth glide I have now. I can place the machine head at one end of my 14 foot table and give it a push to the other end, and the first time I tried this, I had to run and catch it so it wouldn't hit the other end. I haven't done a quilt since I put them on, but one is on the frame now. I can't wait. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Laurie Posted January 17, 2010 Author Report Share Posted January 17, 2010 finally - i got them on. After getting the screws loose I had no trouble. I did get the encoder wheel adjusted - saw the directions for doing that in the manual - just like Patty said they would be! The only other issue I had was in "shimming" the frame while taking off the rear axle and while putting on the front carriage wheels. The new wheels are quite a bit higher than the old wheels and I had to raise the carriage even more in order to get the bolts to go in nicely. All in all, it worked. After I clean up my tools I'll see if I need to make any adjustments. Once I do some machine maintenance I'll be able to put on a practice piece and play. Thanks, Patty, for being there when I needed you! I love this group! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DoryJM Posted January 17, 2010 Report Share Posted January 17, 2010 My wheels have been installed for a bit now; I had some trouble with the SR not reading, but moved and adjusted things a bit and now the SR is perfect. Thanks to Patty's help and easy directions, the install went well. Plus, we put the wheels on the new 2009 machine with the 2007 right there to look at--that made things easier. I'm still having trouble getting them adjusted correctly, though. The wheels on the table seem to be a bit tight, so we'll be playing with them tomorrow. I expect that after a bit of tweeking, they will be one of the best investments I've made. They are incredibly smooth--even as stiff as they are, they're smooth! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Georgene Posted January 17, 2010 Report Share Posted January 17, 2010 Dory, mine were stiff at first too. Until I realized my mistake. On the back left wheel that touches the main rail, where the black box is, I had the washers in the wrong place, which kept the wheel from turning smoothly. The directions say put 3 washers below and 1 above the wheel, which I did. BUT, then I realized I had to put the 3 below DIRECTLY below the wheel and not below the bracket for the encoder box. It makes a lot of difference. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DoryJM Posted January 17, 2010 Report Share Posted January 17, 2010 Thanks, Georgene...going out to check it right now! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Laurie Posted January 18, 2010 Author Report Share Posted January 18, 2010 I loaded some fabric today and played with the new wheels. Wow, are they a big difference!!! I feel as if I have lost control and that I may need to do some tweaking. I like them but need to tighten them up a bit, maybe. All in all, I think they are worth the money and hassle installing them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DoryJM Posted January 18, 2010 Report Share Posted January 18, 2010 Lots of tweaking and my wheels are perfect now. I ended up tightening them more than the manual suggests for the original wheels. Then I did some ruler work and a panto--they are so smooth!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Katydids Posted January 19, 2010 Report Share Posted January 19, 2010 Originally posted by Laurie I loaded some fabric today and played with the new wheels. Wow, are they a big difference!!! I feel as if I have lost control and that I may need to do some tweaking. I like them but need to tighten them up a bit, maybe. All in all, I think they are worth the money and hassle installing them. Yay! It does take just a bit to get used to the feel. It is almost as though you are skating on ice! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mary Beth Posted January 19, 2010 Report Share Posted January 19, 2010 These wheels are next on my list. I tried them at MQS on a new Millie and loved it. Maybe first on my list should be the new Millie...then the wheels Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DoryJM Posted January 19, 2010 Report Share Posted January 19, 2010 The wheels will make your Millie feel new!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Linda S Posted March 2, 2010 Report Share Posted March 2, 2010 I just got my edgeriders in the mail last night. Wish I had paid attention and seen that Patty was a dealer, I would have ordered through Patty! Anyway, it was too late to put them on when I finally picked up the mail last night, so I know what is on my agenda for this evening. I hope the tips you all have shared here help me have a successful install. Linda Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mary Beth Posted March 2, 2010 Report Share Posted March 2, 2010 Linda, are you installing these wheels yourself? or will you have help? I am just wondering because it is hard for DH to get the time to help me. So if you do this on your own, I would like to know how it goes Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
QuiltFaerie Posted March 2, 2010 Report Share Posted March 2, 2010 I got mine installed on Sunday but had to have help. I am not a chicken and am pretty good at this stuff as I set up my machine myself but I needed boy strength that I did not possess. I swear it was easier for me to set up my Millie that swap these stinking wheels! I called Amy yesterday because I have a broken wire going into my Solenoid that controls the vertical channel lock. Think it was a problem for a while but me messing with it did it in. It never seemed like it locked the way it should and my guess is that the wire has been hanging on by a thread. Also, I did a booboo on my install and put the 1/2 nut back on between the wheel and the carriage. Do yourself a favor, don't do that!!! If you do, your back bumper will be useless. But, here is what Amy told me about that stinking little screw. If you got yours out, You are lucky. The only way mine was coming out was if I smashed the darn thing or blew it up. APQS hits it with Lock Tight to keep it from vibrating lose when the machine is running. Mine will out live me. Long story short, at lunch today, I pulled my back axle off the machine and it is now winging its way to Amy to replace the broken Solenoid and pull that 1/2 nut off for me also. I hope to be back in business by next week. What little I stitched though, boy oh boy was that smooth. I think I am going to love my new wheels. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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