Another one followed me home

[justjunque]

Hey all.

Well, as I just posted in another thread, I went out today to buy a couple of new belts for my Convertible.
While I was out, I gassed up the car.
Since it had been a while, I gave in to the temptation to hit a few of the local Goodwill and Salvation Army stores.
At the last one, a Goodwill, there it was...just daring me to go against the wife's orders, and bring home another vacuum.
I barely have any use for the one Convertible that I bought recently; never mind a second one!
But I liked the color. And I'm a sucker for a vintage Hoover.

I don't know anything about them, so I have no idea if it's a desirable version or not.
It's a U4423.
I'm guessing it's a lower end model, because it doesn't have the gauge or whatever it is that's usually in that rectangular cut-out in the hood.
The outline for the cut-out is there, but it's just blue plastic like the rest of the hood.

I'm wondering if it's an early version of the later top-fill configuration.
Because it is the newer type, but the outer bag is marked "Quick and Clean Bag Change", as if it was a new feature at the time.

Also, since some Goodwill vacuums have been a little more pricey lately, the $12.99 price made it even harder to walk away from.
Then, I got to the register.
Unbeknownst to me, it must have been half-price day.
I ended up getting it for just under $7!

One side of the hood has some deep scratches that aren't coming out.
But otherwise, it looks like it's in really good shape.
I won't plug it in and test its mechanical condition until I give it a fairly thorough cleaning, and replace the bag with someone else's dirt in it.

Barry

 

[justjunque]

I couldn't wait

Normally, I wouldn't fire up a vacuum until I had cleaned it up and replaced the bag full of strange dirt.
This time, I couldn't resist.
So, I'm happy to report that it sounds great.
I had bought two belts for my, at the time, only Convertible.
One to install, and one for a spare.
Now, I wonder if I should just install one on each of them, and pick up a couple more spares another time.

Barry

 

[justjunque]

Did some archive digging

After putting this model number into a search of the archives, I did learn a few things.
It would seem that not only is this not a particularly desirable model, it's quite common.
1988 +/- vintage, and this one would be later in the production run, as it has the plastic bottom plate.
So, I guess I won't sweat the gouges in the hood too much.
I'll give it a good cleaning, replace the bag and belt, and put it into occasional rug cleaning rotation.
No worries about putting wear and tear on a rare machine!

Barry

 

[broomvac]

That's a sharp looking unit! The "Ranger" style hood is my favorite one Hoover ever put on their vacuums. Does this one have the same style bag connection as your other top-fill unit? If so, it likely isn't the earliest example. I can tell you, though, that it is not a late model. If it were, I would be able to read the date in the serial number.

Out of curiosity, how many blades does the fan have?

I found a machine similar to yours in late 2017. In case you are curious to follow my journey of "restoring" it as best as I could, I included links to my threads below. First one shows the restoration of the whole machine and in the second link I decided to give the brush roll a remake. If you have any questions, I might or might not be able to help.

http://www.vacuumland.org/cgi-bin/TD/TD-VIEWTHREAD.cgi?35427
http://www.vacuumland.org/cgi-bin/TD/TD-VIEWTHREAD.cgi?35843

Please do share with us how your new Hoover turns out!

 

[broomvac]

Yours should be pre-1987, because I think in that year Hoover began putting the date codes in the serial numbers. Yours does not have the build date in its serial number.

 

[justjunque]

broomvac

That's interesting.
I would have figured it was very late run, based on the plastic bottom cover, and yes, the later style top-fill configuration.
So, I can use HEPA bags in this one too.
It would clean up great if someone hadn't scratched up the sides of the hood so badly.
I thought it was just one side, but it's both. One side is just worse than the other.
The outer bag is in amazing condition. The paint on the handle is in great shape.
It seems to run perfect.

I'll have to get back to you regarding the number of blades on the fan.
That's not something I would have ever thought to check.
Does that help determine its age?

Barry

 

[justjunque]

I count six blades on the fan.
Does that sound right?

Barry

 

[gottahaveahoove]

yes!

Your first "Ranger". a very popular model.... and the classic color!
The high performance motor.... top fill bag.... deluxe vacuum. My aunt bought hers in 1981. I have several.... in various colors!
Enjoy....... watch them "multiply".

 

[broomvac]

Thanks for the info, JustJunque. Mine has 6 fan blades, too. I thought the “High Performance” model might have a different fan or motor to make it worthy of such a label, but I guess not. It seems that name was just marketing.

 

[justjunque]

Huh. That's interesting too!

I would have thought the same thing, based on the "High Performance" designation.
I guess all Convertibles of the era were high performance!
Learning stuff rocks!

Barry

 

[vacuumlad1650]

Those were called high performance in reference to the motor. The original convertible pulled 434 watts in floor mode, or 3.61 amps. The second motor iteration pulled 4.1 amps in floor mode. More power, but still not beefy enough for the loads a high performance can handle.
Then came the 4.3 amp machines. 4.3 in floor mode was the smallest high performance. The largest were drawing a little over 5 amps in floor mode. Those one's had the most airflow. I put one in a mod 70 with a type A HEPA bag and a genuine 4 row brushroll.

Originally the metal fans had 12 blades. Then the early plastic fans were 12 blades, but that was soon changed to 6 blades. No obvious power change from it.

 

[madman]

Half price day. Nice.