This "sucks"... the Hoover And Other Vintage Vacuum Cleaners

[RetroToday]

Back in the 1920's, door to door vacuum salesmen could get downright competitive, as these photos attest! Vacuum duels were even known to occur from time to time, and it's said that no carpet within reach of the combatants would be left unscathed during these furious contests for vacuum supremacy.

lol

I'm guessing that you won the duel because you're still able to type! Although, I think the Hoover would beat the Packard as far as cleaning power goes...
That is probably now the cleanest area rug in North America.

Great pics.

 

[Forgotten Man]

lol

I'm guessing that you won the duel because you're still able to type! Although, I think the Hoover would beat the Packard as far as cleaning power goes...
That is probably now the cleanest area rug in North America.

Great pics.

Oh, I took on a fellow vacuum collector, Damian, John was taking the photos! lol

Wow, those are pretty darn cool photos John... thanks for posting those!

 

[Forgotten Man]

Last night I did some sweeping... first with the broom in the dining room... then, I swept it all onto the rug... But, I then pulled out the Packard and took it for a spin. lol (sounds like I'm talking about a car huh? lol) It picked up all the big pieces without a hitch! I then went over the rug with my rarely used Hoover model 575.

It did a great job picking up all the deeper dirt. I love cleaning; it's so nice to see the place spick and span!

 

[jamespowers]

Last night I did some sweeping... first with the broom in the dining room... then, I swept it all onto the rug... But, I then pulled out the Packard and took it for a spin. lol (sounds like I'm talking about a car huh? lol) It picked up all the big pieces without a hitch! I then went over the rug with my rarely used Hoover model 575.

It did a great job picking up all the deeper dirt. I love cleaning; it's so nice to see the place spick and span!

Add two toddlers and both vacuums would get one heck of a work out every day. You might burn out a motor. lol
It is good that the packard picks up big pieces. I'll have to look for one of those. Could come in handy.

 

[Forgotten Man]

It is good that the packard picks up big pieces. I'll have to look for one of those. Could come in handy.

Depends on what you classify as big pieces... it takes leaves, dust bunnies, and softer items that can just suck right up. Rocks, coins and other large but hard objects will shatter a vain on the fan... the fans were made of cast aluminum on these things.

 

[jamespowers]

Depends on what you classify as big pieces... it takes leaves, dust bunnies, and softer items that can just suck right up. Rocks, coins and other large but hard objects will shatter a vain on the fan... the fans were made of cast aluminum on these things.

Better than the vanes on modern vacuums that are plastic. I have had some that had every single one broken off. :eusa_doh:

 

[Forgotten Man]

This is true; however, those ones can be replaced! There is a shortage of replacement Hoover cast aluminum fans out there not to mention how rare any parts for a Packard would be!

Great cleaners for cleaning up dust and particles but, I wouldn't take on any Oreck's at any quarter, nut or bolt challenges! lol

 

[jamespowers]

This is true; however, those ones can be replaced! There is a shortage of replacement Hoover cast aluminum fans out there not to mention how rare any parts for a Packard would be!

Great cleaners for cleaning up dust and particles but, I wouldn't take on any Oreck's at any quarter, nut or bolt challenges! lol

You would probably win.

 

[Forgotten Man]

You would probably win.

ummm, nope. With a busted fan I'd lose. Then my poor vintage Hoover would be sad.

 

[Absinthe_1900]

Back in the 1920's, door to door vacuum salesmen could get downright competitive, as these photos attest! Vacuum duels were even known to occur from time to time, and it's said that no carpet within reach of the combatants would be left unscathed during these furious contests for vacuum supremacy.

Great pictures!

You should have video-ed the duel.

 

[Forgotten Man]

We'll have another one I'm sure. You never know what will happen at my house lol

 

[Forgotten Man]

Bump!

I have almost forgot... Maybe I should change my name from Forgotten Man to Forgetful Man... lol

I haven't taken any photos of the 700 with the proper bag on... mind you, I haven't the scissor brace yet, but, the clip holds the bag for now, it looks ok. I will post photos when I get off of work and will post them soon as I get the chance.

Stay tuned ya'll.

 

[Forgotten Man]

Top Dogs!

A photo I took the other night of the three I use!

Left to Right.

mid 1920s Packard

1926 Hoover model 700

1929 Hoover model 575

The other three Hoover's I own are in pieces right now undergoing refurbishments.

With the flash, you can see the orange print on the 700's bag in this one.

And a top shot of the three:

The Packard is quite a fun little machine, it does a good job picking up dirt and pieces. The 700 is my favorite to use, the model 575 is my very first vintage cleaner, it was pretty clean when I received it, had to get a bag and scissor brace off of an earlier model I found off a model 541 I bought off of eBay years ago... I sold the 541 to a friend who still has it.

Aren't they something?

 

[Professor]

A photo I took the other night of the three I use!

Somehow seeing the reflection of your computer monitor in the glass seems out of place...

 

[Forgotten Man]

Ah, but if you look close, my wallpaper is of the 1927 Hoover model 700 owner's manual! lol

 

[scotrace]

One on the way. Picking it up tonight.

 

[Forgotten Man]

One on the way. Picking it up tonight.

What, a Hoover model 700??? Oooooooh SCOTT! I can't wait to see your machine!

You'll have to share it here soon as you can! I'm looking forward to it!

 

[scotrace]

Now we are both looking for a bag. This one came with an aftermarket generic one. And the scissors brace is missing. I need to find one rear wheel. The rest is in great shape, it works nicely - maybe not so great on deep pile, but there wasn't much deep pile when this was made. On Persian carpets, it's perfect. This will be a winter project. It'll be in pieces before you know it! Polish polish polish.

It turned up via a 'wanted' ad on Craigslist, about twenty miles away. Now to find the tool set.

 

[Forgotten Man]

Congratulations :eusa_clap

I'm excited for you!

Ask me questions should you need!

And I've created a monster! lol

That's a great starter set to restore Scott! Looks to be about a 1926 or early '27 model 700! Take a look at the plate on the back of the motor housing, you can look up the patent number and find out when it was made. Judging by the motor cord being on the same side as the one I've been working on that would tell me that it’s earlier than some. Does it have a little spring sleeve over the cord leaving the handle? Mine has one, and have you checked the on/off switch? Does it have a little "H" on both sides of it? You'll enjoy taking this thing down and taking on this project. Not sure what condition the power cord is from the handle but, that can be replaced if needed with a standard black cord from any vacuum repair shop.

Mother's polish works the best I find; now if you have a buffing wheel, you're a head of the game! You can get that thing gleaming!

Now, the bag... I see that it's a replacement, can't make it out from the posted photo but, from what I can see it seems like it may be an earlier replacement... I would take it off and prepare a nice warm bath! Empty any and all dirt as much as possible, then let it soak... empty it a few times... then turn on the faucet and fill up the bag with water and repeat this several times! You'll see so much dust and dirt... *yucky* But, it will come out cleaner and it will work till you find the correct bag... you may be fine with the bag it came with since it seems to be a faded black... should look better than my brown 50s-60s replacement. lol

The real tough part is the missing scissor brace! You could fashion a sturdy wire coat hanger to use till then, I've seen it done before. I may see about the cost of having a few reproduced... just have to find a machine shop that could pop out a few. I'll keep you posted on that.

Enjoy and I look forward to more photos!

 

[scotrace]

It now GLEAMS

Rottonstone powder, rubbing compound, polishing compound, Mother's polish, and Back to Black and it looks terrific. A little adjustment here and there and it is quite usable and effective except on heavy pile, which is due to the damaged wheel more than anything else. Thanks FM, for the kick-off!
These were just before the final polish. I'll try to get one more if you like.

I rather hesitate now to do any disassembly. It works, and there's no guarantee I wouldn't make it unwork in messing with it. The service dates are marked on the bottom. Last time it was gone over and marked was in the 1950's.
It looked rough when I picked it up, but happily, that was almost all dirt and not damage or corrosion. Even the long handle is pretty much rust-free. There's a little rust on the cord winding brackets, but that's about it. The beater bar still has bristles and is bright and shiny. It's surprisingly quiet. The underside is quite clean. From the looks of things, when it was retired from service, it was just parked in a basement or garage or something and there it sat, gathering dirt on the upper parts. The first cleaning was with GoJo and that pretty much got rid of all the settled crud and oils. The motor doesn't even get warm after use - and I've used it all over the house, upstairs pile, main floor carpets, basement tight loopy stuff.
The bag has got to go. It says something like "Made for the H Cleaner." It seems too small for the machine and is constructed oddly enough that it doesn't allow a free flow of the air stream at the connecting point. Besides, I've had to attach it with twine. This was probably all that was left to install by the 50's when it was apparently last serviced.