Check your entire thread path. On another machine quilting forum a Gammel owner was having a similar problem. Turns out the thread was rubbing against a part of the machine. It had actually worn a groove in the finish and there was a burr that caused constant thread breaks. Her solution, go to the sporting good section at Walmart and bought some fishing pole line guides to act as thread guides. She glued them to her machine head at the appropriate places and no more frayed thread.
Judi Madsen of Green Fairy Quilts also experienced this problem. Only what was happening with her, is the thread was puddling around the bottom of the cone then hanging up on it and snapping. She actually blogged about it a few years ago. I think her solution was pretty simple but I don't recall what it was. Maybe she cut a piece of batting to lay the cone on, or she was leaving the snap ring open. I can't recall exactly but it was a thing one could easily overlook. Sometimes it isn't all about the tension or how tightly the quilt is loaded on the rack.
BTW, not all LA manufacturers take your money and run. My machine has awesome customer service with 24-7-365 phone support.
Last edited by feline fanatic; 07-20-2015 at 12:45 PM.