I have had my longarm machine since 2010 and over the years through use the rails wore down. They actually got so bad that I started sanding them down to try to keep them smooth. I recently changed my rails, well when I say “I” what I actually mean is my husband changed my rails. Living here in Ireland I knew that I would need to be able to do basic maintenance on my machine myself and I really do try to keep it clean and oiled regularly. It’s a great machine and a real workhorse so I would hate if it broke down to the point that I couldn’t fix it. I thought I would post some pictures of my old rails and now my new rails as for anyone thinking they may need to replace the rails on their longarm quilting machine, I can tell you it is like having a new machine! The difference is amazing. I’m just sorry I didn’t do it sooner. The new rails are aluminium rather than plastic so they are so smooth. The only downside to doing this job was that the new wheels are a little bit wider than the old ones which meant that the stylus holder for my lazer no longer fitted but a nice guy in work kind volunteered to file the hole bigger for me so that it could fit. This might be something for longarm manufacturers to consider when upgrading their machines.