The feed dogs on this machine do not drop. You flip a lever on the bed that elevates the plate over the feed dogs. I find it difficult to get the plate and everything else back in place on several of them, so do not use these slant needle machines for any darning or free motion quilting. I have two 404s. One works very well with dropping everything back in place, the other is an exercise in frustration. One of these machines had a straight pin shoved down into the lifting mechanism. I hope you are removing the needle and presser foot to have better access while working on it.