Hoover 61

[thevacuumman]

I got this from the furniture store I work at and my boss didn't even know they had it. So I took it home and it has everything except for the brushroll. It even has the clip for the Handi-Sac, But the hood is cracked and the bottom bearing on the motor needs to be greased, but I have never greased one before.

 

[bvac6]

61

Not a bad find, needs a little TLC, has the original bag and thats not a bad thing! The brushroll may be rare to find, but I may have one lying around that could fit it. There is a thread in the archives that explains the method of greasing the lower bearing on a convertible. It may not be to different from that. I recently greased the bearing on my model 26. You have to remove the motor, remove the fan, the washers beneath it, and a small ring/sleeve that fits between the bearing and the armature shaft. The space thats left after that is removed is where you fill the grease in. I normally try to gently scrape away the old hardened grease and use a flat bladed screwdriver to gently tuck the grease in. Hope this helps!

 

[hooverboy81]

Model 61

The 60 series motor is VERY easy to service! It comes apart completely which makes packing the lower bearing very simple. Unlike the 26/27/28, the field coil and field iron are one piece, attached to the lower portion of the motor housing. The agitator used in the 60 and 61 used unique brush strips. You can, however, replace the brush roll with a "canoe style" brush strip agitator. They are much easier to find, and in my opinion, hold up a little better. You can also send your brush strips to O'Connor's to have them re-bristled. Hope this helps a little! If you have any questions feel free to email me!

 

[compactelectra]

Here Is My 61

The 61 was a special machine in that it was top-of-the-line for years without many changes. Absolutely top-drawer as far as quality.  I found mine for sale in the late 1990's in a vacuum store in Encino, CA as a rebuilt for commmercial use.  This machine would have been 50 years old at that time and rebuilt and for sale for commercial use.  I hestitated and then jumped for it.  Completely rebuilt and ready to go.  That is truly a testament to it's durability and quality.  The vac store stripped off the paint on the base and polished the aluminum, but the rest was good.  The bag was an aftermarket replacement which I replaced with the original satine bag.  I always wondered about that polished aluminum base, but it seems to work better than the painted version which seemed to have trouble peeling and chipping.


 


Those attachments should be close to original, but the hose and converter are later.  The hose would have been braided and the converter straight out instead of connected towards the back.  Not many people would ever know the difference.  I have the original braided hose and a story about sending one to Helen that started off our friendship.  Enjoy.

 

[hooverboy81]

Mine was well loved, and taken care of. It had service dates spanning almost forty years!

 

[hooverboy81]

A few more service dates... The last date I found was on the fill tube. It was from 1990. At some point, mine was converted to take type C bags, and did away with the clamp and fill tube for the Handisacs. At any rate, the "newest" piece on the vacuum is 22 years old! These machines are beasts! Very powerful, and quite beautiful!

 

[compactelectra]

Here is an Ad

From April 1947.  This model ran for years which was unusual for later Hoovers

 

[compactelectra]

When I Get Nostalgic

I think about getting out one of my Aerodynes and the 61.  An absolutely Cadillac cleaning combination.  Sends me back to the early 50s.  This would have been a combination you found in the finest homes.  And another thing I love about these machines - they were before my time!

 

[compactelectra]

Definitely A Combination

That Mrs. Harold would have used to take care of Harriet Craigs' house.  BTW - that is Helen on the right.

 

[compactelectra]

Yep

Mrs. Harold (on the left) or her staff would have definitely used these machines for Harriet Craig (on the right!)

 

[hooverboy81]

LOVE!

I love it! I use my model 51 Aerodyne, and 61 constantly! Truly a home cleaning "team"!

 

[brandon_w_t]

I have a 61, but it has an interesting gold hammer tone base. I know the UK machines have the same base, but never seen a US machine with it.

 

[kenkart]

Fred is right on!!

Im not a Hoover person, but the 61-63 in my book are as good as anything on the market at that time, and 1000 times better than anything today, both in build quality and cleaning performance, I would put them up against anything built today for cleaning, also the Handisac models filter the air wonderfully, whatever that paper is its GOOD!!!

 

[compactelectra]

Now That I Look At This

I feel compelled to show the right hose and converter that would have gone with the 61.  Here it is.  I dug mine out.  Amazingly, while a bit stiff, the hose still holds its suction after all these years.

 

[compactelectra]

And An Ad

Showing this hose setup on an earlier machine.  Mostly I am posting this one since this is the way I feel one should dress when using such a honorable machine.  Didn't everyone wear sling-backed high-heel shoes and an apron while cleaning back then?

 

[hooverboy81]

I agree! lol. Housecleaning would be a much prettier affair!