"IF" the machine is in otherwise good condition, yes it's worth replacing the gears. As much as I dislike plastic gears, the T&S machines are still made better than modern junque.

The rubber feed dogs can be replaced with metal ones. Our T&S 778 has metal ones. The rubber ones being replaced sometime in the past.


Joe

I'd forgotten about the feed dogs. My 648 also had bad rubber feed dogs. I switched them out for metal ones with no problem.
Rodney

I still can't wrap my mind around the bobbin winding setup.

:)

A well adjusted self winding bobbin or whatever they're called is great. When they get out of adjustment, they're a real bear.

As for the gears - you can buy them separately but there's no point. Now, which gears are broken? Top gears, bottom gears or the feed / hook drive gears? If I was going in, I'd do them all, personally. Don't rip it apart more than once. Each one of those gear sets will require timing afterward.

Timing isn't hard. I would say download the 401 manual and read what it says about timing. http://parts.singerco.com/IPsvcManuals/306W25.pdf

I have a ton of info on my site about timing. Having said that much though is likely enough to get me censored again. Simply put though - this is all that timing is:

• In order for the stitch to be formed correctly, the needle must provide the thread “in time” for the hook to grab it.
• Or put another way: the hook must be in the right position “in time” to grab the thread when the needle is down.
• Additionally, the feed dogs need to be “in time” with this whole process, in order to not pull on the fabric while the needle is still inside it.

Yeah, that's so different from the norm that I have to read the manual almost every time I use the machine.


Joe

I can see how that is, it doesn't make a lot of sense. My first machine used one of those bobbins, so I thought it was "normal". I still sometimes cringe when I have to use one now though...

I have a couple of T & S Golden 750. They sew nicely, and I've used them for backup while my son was tuning up my 328K, but they're not my preference. The gears do shell out, and so did the feed dogs (feed dogs replaced with metal). My favorite now is either my 403A or my 328K so I don't use the T & S's very often.

Jeanette

I parted one out and sold on eBay. I made a little profit!

I decided I'm going to fix it. I don't believe the gears are all that expensive.

I just watched a series of YouTube videos by more350power.

He was replacing gears in a Touch and Sew.

The videos were very thorough and it doesn't look all that hard to do.

I'm going to try and do it before the year is out.

It came with too much stuff to just let it go.

All the manuals, cams, attachments, a buttonholer and a circular sewing attachment.

If I can get this thing up and running I'm going to have a lot of fun with it.

Go for it! Not having watched the video, I would give one tip. Try to mark the shafts where the set screws are with a sharpie or something and match up your new gears to those marks. That will give you a really good starting spot as far as timing. It should avoid 180 degree timing issues and hopefully just a little nudge here or there.