Finally got a power head for my Eureka

I came to realize that last week, I was starting to hijack the thread linked below (replies 14 and 15). Instead of continuing down that path, I decided it would be better to finish off the story here, in its own thread:

As the subject line suggests, I now have a Eureka Roto-Matic power head for my Eureka Ironsides, model 1746, canister vacuum cleaner, which I bought at thrift store almost a decade ago as something of a replacement for a 1977 Eureka Princess that my ex-wife had made me get rid of around 2003. Her daughter vacuumed up dry cat food with it and managed to get a piece lodged in the motor, where it made a terrible racket. When I couldn't fix it in a couple of minutes, the soon-to-be-ex insisted it had to go, and for better or worse, I complied, even though it never sat right with me.

A few months later, when we split up, not specifically over that vacuum cleaner, I was left without one, and ended up getting an Electrolux 1205 with a PN1 and a Canadian style telescoping wand from a thrift store. To a rational mind, that should have been a more than reasonable replacement. Unfortunately, I was a little tougher to convince.

After I found the Eureka at Goodwill for $10, I mated it up to an Electrolux 1205 wand with a pigtail at the top end, and used it with one of several Electrolux power nozzles, but I never really liked that setup, not because it didn't work well, but because it wasn't really what I'd had. For years, I kept an eye out at thrift shops and would occasionally look on eBay, but never found anything, that is, until last week, when I spotted this Eureka Roto-Matic model 1238 power head for a reasonable price, and decided that was as good as it was likely to get, so I bought it, even though I'm pretty sure it's not what would have come with it new. For my purposes, it's close enough.

The power head arrived today and generally met my expectations, although it was supposed to include a wand, which was not present in the box. I've got a message in to the seller about that, and hopefully they'll either be able to send it or give a partial refund. I've already got some generic wands on my eBay watch list, but I'm going to wait until I hear from the seller before ordering them. At this point, I'm not inclined to send the power head back for a refund. I plugged it in to the vacuum's hose and was very pleased with the way it runs.

The brown decal on the top of the white plastic cover doesn't exactly match the vacuum's 'cinnamon' paint job, but they don't exactly fight, either. I knew that going in and can live with it.

One thing that I'm going to have to fix, which I damaged myself, is the lock button on the hose. I bent it out of the way to be able to use the Electrolux wand, but now its loose and useless. I see two possible fixes for this: one is to drill out the existing rivet, bend the button back into shape and pop rivet it into place. I've had mixed luck with pop rivets, but I suppose it's worth a try. The second idea is I have some replacement lock buttons for a Rainbow on my eBay watch list. They're made from a semi-circular piece of spring steel, and it appears it would just slide into place and stay put with spring tension.

So, while I have no doubt I can turn this combo into a reasonable facsimile of what I once had, it begs the question of whether it will be sufficiently satisfying on an emotional level to finally allow me to let go of this lingering and irrational resentment toward my ex-wife, whom I have neither seen nor spoken with in two decades, and have no intention of ever seeing or speaking with again. The rational side of me knows I'm only hurting myself by hanging onto and nurturing this resentment, and if it takes a second-hand vacuum cleaner to be able to free myself from that, then so be it. Seeing the two pieces together, I'm hopeful it will.


https://www.vacuumland.org/cgi-bin/TD/TD-VIEWTHREAD.cgi?46123_17

So, I successfully drilled out the rivet holding the lock button in place on the hose handle. Unfortunately, I lost the lock button in the process. I guess I'm going to have to try the Rainbow replacement lock buttons after all. It looks like the old adage that things frequently take longer and cost more than expected is coming true. The ironic thing is that knowing my luck, the original lock button will manifest itself as soon as I've installed the replacement.

On a brighter note, I heard back from the seller regarding the wand and they said it was a mistake in the listing. I can understand that, because as a seller, I've done that sort of thing when using a previous listing as a template. I haven't responded to their message yet, but I think requesting a partial refund of $10 to cover the cost of a wand would be reasonable. I'm ordering two, but the listing only specified one as being included, so I think that's fair. I don't want to be greedy.

I'm looking forward to getting this machine back together!

One step closer...

The Eureka continues to take shape. The replacement buttons arrived today and installation was beyond easy. Just shove it into the end of the hose handle, move it around until the button aligns with the hole and it pops into place. No fuss, no muss, no rivets, no tools.

I ordered the replacement wands last week, but they still haven't shipped. They're the last piece standing in the way of a complete vacuum. None the less, there is good news on that front. The seller made good on the partial refund, and instead of the $10 I had requested, which was slightly less than the cost of one wand, they refunded me $12. Once those arrive, the machine will be complete. I'm very much looking forward to putting it to a proper Persian rug test, vacuuming cat fur off of a Persian rug.

Kudos on the conclusion of your longtime Eureka Roto-Matic power head search. Your patience and determination in locating it and then to repair/retrofit the hose connection is impressive. You sure don't give up easily, which I'm sure will add to your enjoyment of owning and using it.

Btw, I agree that the brown and cinnamon make good color companions. As far as I know, the only non-illuminated brown Eureka Roto-Matic power head went with canister model 1277 (the brown Deluxe 1745's had a headlight); although I have been unable to locate photos of several Power Teams, so there may have been one or two others.

Other cinnamon-colored Power Teams are the 1750 "Roto-Matic Power Team" (with VG-II agitator), 1789 "Ironsides Power Team" and 1790 "Vactronic Quiet Kleen Roto-Matic Power Team". And, of course, there were several uprights in that color. I happen to own the 1941-D HP F & G.

Fyi, though, the 1746 is not technically an "Ironsides", which was the last iteration of the Power Teams that sold from 1989 to 1992. Models include 1739, 1749, 1789, and 1799; and are labeled on both the canister and power head as you see in the attached eBay photo of the 1799 canister.

Newspaper ads I located for the 1746 were between 1982 and 1987; the one attached is from 1983. Incidentally, some ads showed Roto-Matics without a headlight and no mention in the listed features, so it may be that the 1746-A's lacked it, and the 1746-B's included it; unless it was a marketing error.

Hopefully, you'll get your wands and be able to use your 100% Eureka Power Team soon to get at those carpet critters.


P. S. You may want to check with Jimmy (Rugsucker) to see if he has parts in his close-out inventory before it's gone.

Paul,

Thanks for the information. The newspaper ad corroborates what I've observed in eBay ads. I've included a couple of photos below, taken from recent eBay listings. The first is a Canadian 1255 that is nearly identical to the one I used to have. The price is pretty reasonable, but the shipping charge is ridiculously expensive. Otherwise, I would have considered buying it. The power head appears bo be essentially the same as the one I just got, except for the color of the cover and the size of the decal.

The second photo is a 1746B with a headlight-equipped power nozzle. I think you could be onto something about the A and B designations denoting price leader and deluxe versions of the same model. They could have been sold through different retail channels, with one retailer opting to shave off the headlight to drop the price a coupe of dollars, compared to essentially the same headlight-equipped model from a competitor.

Interestingly, I've seen several Rotomatics like mine that have striped decals, either brown with orange stripes or dark green with lime green stripes, but not a solid color like mine. Also curious is the brush roll installed in it appears to be a generic replacement. It's wooden, painted black, not a metal VGII as advertised on the decal. We'll see how well it works when I get the wands and give it a go. Of course, all of this is primarily speculation on my part, as I am far less well versed in the minutia of Eurekas than I am Electrolux and Kirby. This combination may never have come together from the factory, but one thing's for sure. It's far less of a frankenvac than it was when it was sporting an Electrolux wand and power nozzle.

You bet, Edgar.

As far as I can tell, the solid colors were used for the non-illuminated power heads, and the striped decals, which were introduced around 1983 went with the illuminated models. Originally Eureka Roto-Matic power heads had faux woodgrain decals, then went to solid colors on all models beginning with the Brandywine line in late 1977 (the uprights were introduced in 1978).

I have a plain white early 1980s Roto-Matic powerhead with a small rectangular informational decal with the E/W logo on my non-illuminated one with a Disturbulator (like the orange one) that goes with my 1514-A, so maybe those with a V-G II had a the larger decal like yours.

Btw, I only located 1979 ads for the 1277. I think the black brush rolls may have been OEM; maybe someone else with more knowledge like Brian will let us know. My knowledge is based mainly on online research and VL comments rather than personal experience.

I also like that orange 1970s Canadian Power Team but not enough to pay the shipping. I didn't look at the ad, but I think its a 1255 or E1255 (Canadian). To my knowledge, it was the only one with an orange Roto-Matic powerhead.

That 1746-B with the 1983-89 logotype makes me reconsider that the 1746-A had a Roto-Matic with a headlight but with the older logo and logotype. Again, Jimmy may have one in his inventory if you're interested.

I agree that your ensemble could hardly be considered a frankenvac. It color-coordinates well, and a good number of vintage vacs no longer have their original beater/brush rolls.

I just scored the three tools for that Eureka that I didn't have--the dusting brush, crevice tool, and upholstery tool. They weren't that expensive by eBay standards, but not exactly dirt cheap, either. So once those and the wands arrive, I'll have the complete ensemble. Too bad the tool holder on top of the vacuum is broken, but I seem to recall the one on my grandmother's was also. I never see those as replacement parts.

Sorry, gotta vent a little...

I am patiently awaiting some proper Eureka style wands I ordered so I can give this machine a go as it was meant to be configured. The wands were ordered a couple of weeks ago and should have been delivered by now. For reasons known only to the seller, they waited a full week to place the parcel into the incompetent hands of the U.S. Postal Service. They're coming from Philadelphia to North Carolina and have been stuck in Indianapolis for several days. No telling when they will actually arrive. Tracking updates don't give much to go on; they only say "moving through the system, arriving late". I have a strange feeling the set of original tools I ordered to complete the ensemble (dusting brush, upholstery brush, crevice tool), may actually arrive from California ahead of the wands.

Okay, time to take a deep, cleansing breath...

No problem—I get it. Just remember that good things come to those who wait!

True, the only thing I can do at this point is be patient. That said, it appears my previous post just may turn out to be prophetic. I received a tracking update on the tools this morning and they're already in North Carolina and set to be delivered Monday. That said, there is always an outside chance the wands could catch up over the weekend and arrive at the same time, but given the way things have been going, I'm not holding my breath. The irony of it all is the tools are making a trip of more than 2,400 miles from California, while the wands are only traveling 450 miles from Philadelphia (not counting a side trip of at least that far to Indianapolis).

I feel your pain. I haven’t been buying much of anything online lately, due to my financial situation. But, when I was, I found things like you just described were starting to happen more often. Packages not moving for days at a time. Packages traveling the continental United States before being delivered. Packages getting delivered back to the seller, instead of the intended recipient. It’s very frustrating. But, like you said, there’s not much you can do besides try to be patient. I hope everything arrives soon, and intact.

Snagged another one...

It's funny, I joked to Charles Lester in another thread that when you collect enough of something, some sort of a gravitational field forms around you, attracting other similar items toward you. Between that and griping about the wands, I seem to have manifested an entire Eureka canister vacuum cleaner!

This evening, I stopped off at a Goodwill store, expecting to walk around for a few minutes, looking at junk I didn't need, and walk back out empty-handed, but that's not what happened. Instead, I spotted a Eureka canister model 1279D with a matching Rotomatic power head, model 1231D, a set of three brushes, and a second set of wands for the princely sum of $20. Once I plugged it in to verify that it worked, I knew I was not leaving without the store without it, especially when the whole kit cost me less than I'd paid for that set of wands.

It's a pretty dark maroon (brandywine?) color with a bit of metal flake, and of course, it does have a few battle scars, but all in all, it's in better condition than the 1746A I've been tinkering with. The headlight on the power head doesn't work, most likely just needs a bulb, and there's a little surface rust on the bottom plate that will need to be addressed before I can use it on my carpets. On the vacuum, the Cordaway cord winder also doesn't appear to work. I'll have to look further into that to see if it's fixable, and even if I can't fix it, the machine was quite a bargain.

I took a couple of snaps of the vacuum and power head when I got it home. I'll take some better ones once I get it cleaned up. Meanwhile, I've got a new toy to play with while I wait for the accessories I ordered for the other one to arrive.

Looks really nice! Congratulations!
I've heard of the "cat distribution system". Maybe there's something similar for vacuums!

So, I just spent a little quality time with the Eureka Power Team I bought last night, and it's actually in better shape than I thought. I cleaned it up and replaced the headlight bulb. Luckily, I had one on hand that would work. The cord winder is definitely dead, but I can live with that. I'm also going to need a new belt for the power head pretty soon. The one that's on there is cracked and likely not long for this world.

One interesting oddity is the cord on the power head is a couple of inches too short to reach the hose handle, so it has a four-inch pigtail extension. I'm not sure why Eureka didn't just make the cord a few inches longer, which is exactly what they did on the power head I got for the other Eureka.

In other news, tracking shows the tools I ordered for the other Eureka are out for delivery and will arrive today instead of Monday; however, the wands are still MIA. I guess I could start calling them the wandering wands.

I forgot to mention above that the rust on the bottom plate of the power head was far less extensive than I first thought. It was more like a rust stain. I took off all of the stain and most of the rust simply by briskly rubbing it with a Tub-O-Towels wipe. I still may hit those spots with some sandpaper when I take the bottom plate off again to replace the belt, which I ordered yesterday.

I hadn't really been keeping track of my spending on the 1746A that I've been cobbling together, and which started this whole odyssey, but when I added up the numbers last night, I was shocked! With everything I've bought, I have spent more than ten times as much on parts as I did for the vacuum itself. It sure does add up fast, and I now remember that's why I initially stuck that Electrolux wand and power nozzle on it.

Yeah, interest grows stronger as we start collecting certain makes and increase in knowledge about them. Congrats getting a Brandywine & White 1279-D/1231-D Roto-Matic Power Team! The 1260 & 1270 Series were the counterparts of the original "Sweet Sixteen" 1600 Series canisters (with no Roto-Matic power head) produced from 1972 to 1979. The 1700 Series followed and was made until 1992.

The Brandywine & White ones debuted in late 1977 followed by the uprights in 1978. The 1279 has the deluxe control panel, wide handle, wide rear wheels and headlight features. Others are the 1273 and 1275. The top-of-the line 1289 and 1290 "canned ham" have 12 speeds (2-speed motor with 6 push button selector).

There were other Brandywine & White canisters and Roto-Matic Power Teams such as my model 1514 Roto-Matic Power Team in the 700 Series design made in the 1980s. JC Penney and Kmart (& other department stores) also had them.

Photos:

1-2. 1977 magazine ads - models 1279 & 1289

3. 1978 magazine ad - models 1458 & 1279

4. JC Penney ad (originally posted by massage miracle)

5. Kmart ad (originally posted by SpiritOf76) - model-types 671-A & 676-A

6. 1978 Aug 11 BANGOR DAILY NEWS - model 1279

Pulling the plug...

So, I finally decided today to enter an Item Not Received case with eBay over the wandering wands. Five days of non-substantive "Item in transit, arriving late' updates, followed by two days with no updates at all made me give up on ever seeing them. The seller, Electricvac, has until Friday to respond before eBay Buyer steps in and makes it good, but given the seller let the order sit for a whole nine days before shipping it in the first place, I'm not holding my breath for a timely response. I realize the seller is not 100 percent at fault, but at some point one must simply say enough is enough.

So now, I'm going to go play with my other Eureka that I bought Friday and get my mind off of all this.

First Impressions: 1279D Power Team test run

I just ran that Eureka 1279D for the first time, and it was a beast to say the least. It really digs into the carpet, and is hard to push, but it does get them clean, both regular and Persian. After I figured out how to get the power head off of the wand, using a flat-blade screwdriver to hold the button down, I went and got the other power head out of the barn and gave it a spin to compare. It pushes much easier and gets up dirt just as well. The 1231D Roto Matic power head that came with the cleaner has the older spiral shaped Vibra Groomer brush roll, while the other model 1238 power head has a more generic looking cylindrical brush roll. I now recall that my Sanitaire SC686 upright came to me with a spiral shaped Vibra Groomer, which was similarly hard to push. I eventually swapped it out for a Vibra Groomer II, after which it acted much more civilized. The 1238 power head didn't want to spin at first, until I picked it up off the floor, then it did okay once I put it back down. This leads me to believe it also may be in need of a new belt. I guess it's a good thing I ordered a four-pack. I don't have time right now, but later this evening, I may bring the other Eureka up and give it a go with the 1238 power head, while it's hooked up to the wands. I'm not sure the experience will be any different, but at least I can have a little fun with it while waiting for the wandering wands, or their replacements to arrive.

If the power nozzle is hard to push, why not just open the suction relief valve on the hose handle? You’ll still get enough suction to bring the dirt up into the hose, but it won’t be so hard to push.

Sorry to hear that about the eBay seller.

Check with Jimmy (Rugsucker) for wands and other items from his store clearance.

The seller contacted me this morning, apologized for the delay, and blamed it all on USPS, of course. They offered to send out a replacement set of wands, which I've accepted. I've also been considering hitting Jimmy up for some parts and stuff. Where I live in N.C. is about three hours away from his shop in Elizabethton, Tenn. I'm sure I would find lots of interesting things that I 'need'; I'm just a little afraid of what all I might end up dragging back home, kind of like an animal lover visiting the shelter. In this case, I guess it might actually be a good thing that my car has a fairly small trunk.

Also, thanks for the ads showing the 1279 Power Team. I'm surprised it's roughly the same age as the 1255 I used to have (its owner's manual was dated 1977), and slightly older than the 1746A that I'm cobbling together, which I've pinpointed to about 1980 or '81. I had assumed the 1279 was newer than both of them.

@eurekaprince: Thanks for the reminder about the suction relief. I also need to play with the Power Selector control on the machine itself. I'm not really familiar with that feature. At the moment, it's turned all the way over to "Rugs"; maybe it needs to come back the other way a bit. There could have been a good reason it was set in the middle when I first got it.

You’re welcome! There is always a “sweet spot” in vacuuming with a very powerful cleaner…just enough suction to provide enough airflow but not too much suction so that the cleaning tool can’t freely move over the surface being cleaned. In the case of power nozzles with rotating brushes, the brush roller does much of the cleaning work for you to dislodge the dirt - the suction does not have to be at its maximum level to move the dirt into the hose. With Eureka’s RotoMatic power heads, there is no height adjuster, so depending on the depth of the carpet, adjusting the suction helps it move more freely over the carpet.

*correction: “….but not too much suction so that the cleaning tool can move freely over the surface….”

"--three hours away--"

Elizabethton is an easy and scenic drive through Boone or Asheville.I am having less time for vacs but anyone showing up in person gets my full attention and many great vacs and parts for what seems to be less time,trouble and money than with todays EBay and shippers.
Jimmy
423-268-4841

I found myself with a little time this afternoon, so I decided to play some more with my new toys. This time around, I tried both power heads on the 1746A, marking the first time I've really run it with its new power head. I must say that combo works quite harmoniously together and it waaaay passes the Persian rug test. I'm convinced that even if they didn't come from the factory in the same box, those two belong together.

Then, just for kicks and giggles, I swapped the burgundy power head from the 1279D back onto the wands, and gave it another run. Hooked to the 1746A, it wasn't nearly as aggressive, but I still needed to open up the suction relief a little to get it to push and pull more smoothly. I'm definitely going to have to experiment with that power selector on the 1279D to get things dialed in where they should be.

Tracking shows that the belts I ordered are set to arrive tomorrow, which is a good thing, since both power heads need theirs replaced. I haven't had any further word from the eBay seller regarding the wands. I'm thinking my best course of action there is to pursue a refund and go visit Jimmy (Rugsucker) in Elizabethton once I get past the end of the spring semester next week and have a little time for myself before summer classes start in June.

Glad to hear the situation has become more promising. Way to go on the experimentation—a benefit of owning more than one of the same cleaner make and design. It's great that those vintage Eurekas are still going strong after nearly 50 years.

You're welcome for the info. I discovered that the 1277-B (at least) was also Brandywine & White. Type A may have been brown as I had written down from an eBay seller's claim in her/his listing of a brown non-headlight power nozzle model 1238-BC.

Let (us) know when you're at Jimmy's, so you can do some scouting around for (us) if you have the time.

Anyway, here's an edited table that reveals the comparisons & contrasts of the Brandywine & White "trunk" Roto-Matic Power Teams in case you or someone else is interested:

Cinnamon & Beige 1700 "Trunk" Roto-Matic Power Teams

I should mention that my research is ongoing and therefore incomplete and not necessarily 100%, such as my discovery of the 1277-B in Brandywine & White.

P-V stands for Power-View (belt window).

Yeah, those older machines were built to last, and a big part of that was that they were designed to be repaired and maintained, not just chucked in the bin after a couple of years like today's plasticrap. Working on old vacuums is kind of like working on old cars, except they're less expensive and don't take up as much space. Of course, fewer people understand the appeal, but that's okay.

The new belts arrived in today's mail, and both power heads now have them installed. It'll tomorrow before I'll have a chance to give them a run. It's such a pain having only one set of wands, though. I'll be glad when that finally gets resolved.

Belts!!!

I just tested both power heads with their new belts, and both are now far more civilized. The white and brown one wasn't bad before, and is even better now. The difference in the burgundy power head is night and day.

In taking the bottom plate off of the burgundy power head last weekend, I discovered that one of the posts that holds a screw was broken off, I tried to epoxy it, but when I was screwing the bottom plate back on yesterday, it didn't hold. Fortunately, the other power head held a solution. One of its two screws was a replacement and slightly longer than the original, so I swapped it over to the burgundy one and it went deep enough into the post to hold everything together. I just love when I find what I need is already at hand.

I just wish I had a second set of wands at hand. Swapping the set from the 1279 back and forth is such a pain. I put everything back together on the 1279 and there it will stay. The 1746 is effectively sidelined until I can procure a set of wands for it. I've requested a refund with eBay on the grounds that the seller has not followed through with shipping out a replacement. We'll see what happens...