Replacement pivot shoes and bars, 1/2" depth, coil balance

Home Owner from Maryland

Dec 7, 2019 10:26 am

I managed to break my pivot bars and cams in the pivot shoes when removing my 2004 series 0901 double hung vinyl windows (maker unknown), constant force coil balance, to fix a broken pane of glass. Looking to find the right replacements for the shoes (1/2"D x 1 1/4"W x 1 1/2"H) and bars (2 5/8"L, single hole at 1 1/8"), pics attached.

When looking through the inventory on this site, I can reasonably find 1/2"D x 1 1/4"W shoes, but I'm having trouble finding them for coil balance.

Thanks for your help!

4 user uploaded images

4 Replies

Bob from SWISCO

Dec 10, 2019 11:42 am

Thanks for posting. This looks like our 15-177 Pivot Shoe. This shoe uses our Series 152 Coil Balances. Look for stamp codes on the springs to determine the needed spring weights. If you are uncertain, give us the exact weight of your window sash and we'll work out what you need. For a new pivot bar, see if our 26-226 matches your old one.

Home Owner from Maryland

Dec 10, 2019 1:08 pm

Thank you for the response!

I agree, the pivot shoe looks exactly like 15-177. The only difference is my depth measurement was not a full 9/16". Is that just an error on my part or something to do with the plastic piece holding the cam in, or is there a danger of it being too thick for the channel?

My existing coil balances (they say "8K", I assume means 8 lb) are in fine shape, though I will adjust them anyway because before the window wouldn't shut the last 1/4" or so. I assume there's no need to replace them if the shoe is the same?

It does look like 26-226 is the only pivot bar you have where the head matches mine, though I didn't measure that and will have to verify. The one from SWISCO is a bit longer and the holes don't match, but I assume the length doesn't matter (I'll do a sanity check when I'm there next) and I can drill a new hole.

Thank you very much for all your help.

Bob from SWISCO

Dec 11, 2019 12:25 pm

Great, glad to hear the 15-177 matches. Concerning the thickness, there could be a lot of reasons why you aren't getting 9/16". Your shoe could be a little worn after years of use, or it could just have been something made by a different manufacturer who made it a little thinner. All I can say for sure is that our 15-177 is our best option for you.

As long as your coil springs are in good condition then you can reuse them. That's one benefit of using coil balance systems.

The overall length of a pivot bar doesn't matter, no. The most important measurement is the distance between one of the hole centers to the tip. Only one hole has to match your original, since most pivot bars only use one screw to install.