Castex Lite Trac

[ultralux88]

Well, back in the spring/early summer a regular customer came in to order bags for this machine. While he was here we got on the subject of my vacuum cleaner obsession and collection. He said he didn't plan on keeping the machine much longer, and was likely just going to toss it out. I said that I'd like to have it if he would be willing to bring it in when the time came, he agreed to that and said he'd drop it off when he didn't want it anymore. He was a longtime employee at a janitorial supply house, but is now retired. He usually comes in for Royal G bags for his little Dirt Devil canister, which is why he came in for the Castex bags. He got the machine new and it was a second machine that he kept in the basement, he didn't really love this machine, I suspect he found it too wide or heavy or whatever, it just wasn't the right vacuum for his needs and wants. He mentioned that the machine wasn't picking up well when he dropped it off, he didnt try and get into it and see, he just didnt want it anymore. The bag cardboard had bent and used down into the bag area, and wasn't sealing right, which caused a bunch of dog hair to fill up the pre-motor foam filter, and make a small mess inside the vac, other than that and the dust on the outside it was in excellent, like new condition. The belt setup is kinda odd, as the pics show, it has 2 smallish round belts. The brush roll nozzle has a groove in the back, like what you see in the Hoover Concept nozzle, that directs the dirt towards the suction inlet, I noticed that when using it, less than a second after hearing the brush kick up a chunk of dirt its going up the hose. Overall its a great cleaner, grooms the caret great and picks the dirt up very quickly. I love the way its made and the plastic they used, its just as solid and sturdy as if it were metal. I can put my foot on the nozzle and twist the handle side to side and theres absolutely no flexing or movement, not even Sebo, which I consider to be one of the best built machines one can get, is that solid.

Tonight I'll get some pics of the machine now that its cleaned up, and maybe a video too.

 

[ultralux88]

Here's the video.

 

[gsheen]

I had one of those, Its pretty awesome machine. The belts had the advantage of the machine been able to continue running if one broke. That said How were you to know that one had broken until the second one snapped and left you high and dry halfway through a Job.

 

[ultralux88]

Ideally, in a commercial setting someone should be inspecting the machines regularly for things like workout belts, but as we all know, that doesn't tend to happen, people just run them until they quit working and then some.

I'm almost embarrassed to say that I really never gave these machines much thought, I'd also only seen one or two in person before, I just saw them online for sale used. They just didn't capture my attention, but I had used a Castex Viper, which is what replaced this model, and I really enjoyed it, cleaned every bit as well as this one does. The Viper has been on my want list ever since, although not as much of a priority now that I have this one, i'd definitely like to have the Viper along with it, sort of like how I have both the Windsor Versamatic and Versamatic Plus.

 

[loganvac]

I own a Castex Viper and I find it to be very quitet. Aren't Castex machines made by Nobles or Tennant?

 

[ultralux88]

I believe so, I show the rating sticker and it claims Castex to be a Tennant company, I believe Nobles is too.

 

[blackheart]

Thanks for sharing

Thank you for sharing that video. It's always interesting to see and hear how vacuums i've never seen function