Electrolux.......

[vintagecanister]

with wheels?

I don't remember any of these that had wheels in this era. Is this someone's creativity, or I have just been under a rock? I know this machine is older than me....but I would have thought I'd have seen one like this by now....

It looks like it mated with a grocery cart.

 

[DysonAnimal]

Could it be Canadian? Or is a recon?

 

[suckolux]

I've seen that on here before, maybe CRL? Check his pics.

 

[collector2]

To my knowledge the wheels were an Electrolux add on just like the cord reel. In fact, in Canada, they were part of the Cord reel assembly for the 50 series machines.

 

[aeoliandave]

Agreed, they are a rather ungainly looking accessory.

Steve, the body on your machine looks dent & scratch free. Excellent find, I'd say! The wheels make it that little bit extra special.

Those are aftersale bolt-on wheels designed for the XXX runners which also fit the 1952-54 LX. As on yours, a cordwinder is not required. I don't know who made them or when they were introduced but they are roughly stamped and in an aluminum finish that would never pass Electrolux's polished LX standards at the time, as you have pointed out. And they do seem to look more 'period style' on an XXX.
I have a 1953 LX with the coloured side trim that arrived with those wheels on it. Because they are simply stamped metal they can tend to distort with hard use. The only thing holding the halves together are the single bolt. Because there are no location tabs or keys the plates can get knocked & twisted out of alignment. If that's the case, reshaping them back to true is a simple matter of dissasembly and clamping each plate in a vise and judicious use of pliers and a ball peen hammer will straighten them out.

As I say, USA Electrolux made these wheels for the XXX and I'm sure customers soon badgered their dealerships for something similar for their new bag-ejecting LX...because of the drag-around deadweight issue; runner rear end radius bend of the LX is the same as an XXX. All a dealer had to do was pluck a set from the XXX parts shelf out back to send the customer happily on their way...

 

[aeoliandave]

The 1955 LXI does have standard factory wheels on a solid axle spanning the distance between the polished cast aluminum clamps integrated with the cordwinder, that opens sideways like a gate, as shown on Charles Richard's site.

Two years earlier, Canadian Electrolux put similar integrated single axle wheels with cordwinder on their 1953 TOL Model ZB57.
You can see how precise the polished casting halves are and that is why I speculate that the design concept of the LXI wheels came from Canada.

Maybe Hans can shed some light on this, too?

Dave

 

[aeoliandave]

Btw, the LXI cordwinder has the same screwbolt hook as an XXX Cord-o-matic that latches the cordwinder securely to the exhaust port.
The ZB57 cordwinder has no such latch hook, it simply flips down against spring pressure making for a less fussy attachment of hose, exhaust accessories or changing the after filter.

This is my other ZB57 with the chrome cordwinder and you can see the brown power lead passes through a central bolt rather than the off center bell housing, where my thumb is, that I have seen on every other Lux cordwinder.

 

[collector2]

Hey Dave:

The Chrome cordwinder is the earlier version and it was actually first produced with black wheels as an accessory for the alligator skin model 55 around 1951. The first 57's came with it then they changed to the brown one.

Doug

 

[sireluxomatic]

Grocerylux

That's a nice looking LX. The combination of the wheels and runners does have the look of a grocery cart, come to think of it.

I have to admit I'm not fond of wheels and cord winders on the older machines. They detract from the "clean, flowing lines" and make them rear-end heavy. I have a 57 with the brown "Cordomatic" cord winder, and when I pick it up by the handle, it almost drops down on the floor.

BTW, its impossible to connect the hose for blowing on my 57 with the cord winder attached. The cord winder and rear end plate are one unit, and it opens like a gate, but the lead cord going into the machine is too short to allow the unit to open enough to insert the hose.

 

[aeoliandave]

Hooray for Doug! I knew I could count on you to fill in the details.

So, it would be perfectly legitimate for me to transfer the chrome cordwinder & wheels over to my Blue & Red ZB54 or Blue & Black 55, which imho are such strikingly beautiful color combinations they deserve wheels, even tho the cord & wheels are brown...but maybe if I replaced the cord with the extra red one from...but that would just be silly and wrong and vain and over-reaching.
Never mind.

I'm very happy to know that the 57 with the chrome CW represents the first variation and as such should remain intact. It is in such superb cosmetic and running condition that fact alone seals the deal.
The only thing 'wrong' with it is the brown rubber handle has crumbled away leaving a sharp metal band that is hell on your fingers. Since it was a free find I will feel justified in swapping over a black rubber handle strap from one of the 3 battle-scarred ZB30 parts machines, which is what any decent repair depot would have done when brown ones were NLA. Heck, that's what parts machines are for, eh?
If it was my Dad he woulda just wrapped the crumbling strap in duct tape.

Dave

 

[collector2]

Hey Bob:

Your cord reel has had the cord shortened on it. If I remember correctly it has had the felmale plug end replaced.

Doug

 

[suckolux]

Beautiful cat there Dave, dream of those nice machines.

 

[sireluxomatic]

I thought it might be something like that, Doug. The lead cord is black, but the plug (brown) looks original. When I use the 57, I just suck with it

I just noticed the crumbling handle in the picture above; mine has the same problem, although not quite so severe.

As a matter of fact, right after I posted this the first time, I busted out the 57 and vacuumed the vacuum storage room.[this post was last edited: 12/5/2010-21:22]