Hoover Convertible belt breaking

[kirbylux77]

I just picked up a nice Hoover Convertible over the weekend. Replaced the belt in it with a Home Care 1160 Hoover Convertible belt. Within 2 days, BOTH belts have broken! Not impressed! Checked the brushroll & it spins freely & no problems with bad bearings. Same with the motor, motor spindle looks fine & spins freely.

So....is this a common problem with Hoover Convertibles?? Or is it just bad belts? I swear the belts I picked up looked perfectly fine & looked to be good quality.

Rob

 

[firebirdman55]

I had the same problem with my Hoover Decade 80. But I have a Convertible model 1010 that performs great. I've always had better luck with Eureka uprights.

 

[dysonman1]

I think it might be the belts themselves. I've found that even brand new belts for Convertibles are very tight. I believe that the excessive heat generated when a belt is too tight, will make them snap. I've had that same problem lately with almost all my convertibles at the Museum. Started using Eureka round belts (even though they are a little bit bigger), and they work fine without breaking.

 

[kirbylux77]

Could it be the metal pulley on the fan that turns the belt is the issue? Perhaps it's worn out & needs replacing? I think I may have read on here this is a issue with Eureka F&G uprights. When I got it home on Saturday, the Hoover got a good cleaning, all strings & material removed from brushroll, end caps, & metal pulley. The fan seems to turn fine & brushroll bearings are in good shape, it turns well.

This is a Hoover U4089, serial # 0015002, metal base, brushroll & fan, mustard yellow hood & bumper. Only things it needs is a new cord protector & carbon brushes, otherwise she looks to be in pretty good shape.

Rob

 

[desiredname]

I would try a genuine Hoover belt they seem to last much longer. My model 69 would go through generic belts in a matter of days, but I have been using the same genuine Hoover belt for almost a year.

 

[kirbylux77]

Samuel, thanks for the tip. However, this afternoon I looked into it, called a couple of shops....they said it was either the brushroll or the metal pulley. If it was the brushroll, it would cost nearly $70 dollars for the metal one with beater bars. NO WAY was I going to spend that on this vacuum!! So, it went right back to the thrift shop where I found it & I got a refund. Tomorrow, I am going to speak with a vac shop I spoke with earlier today & buy a nice Royal Metal upright they have for sale.

Rob

 

[gottahaveahoove]

That's a shame.

This strengthens my insisting on using genuine HOOVER products and parts. I was at a sale one day where I saw genuine belts (2 per pack) for .. $.70... uhuh... I bought them all.

 

[bvac6]

Breaking belts

I've had the same problem, even with genuine belts! I think it is just the belts themselves, maybe a widespread flaw in the manufacture?

 

[kirbylux77]

Robert

I think part of it may be the design of the Hoover Convertible & Eureka F&G uprights. I think that being exposed right in the middle of the powerhead wouldn't be a good thing for the belt's longevity. I also think that the way it fits on the cleaner, & the fact it is round, perhaps that round design is just more prone to breakage?? I think the fact that Hoover, Eureka, Singer, & Kenmore uprights started switching to flat belts when uprights such as the Elite, Twin Fan & Bravo uprights were introduced, is a good sign that the companies knew of the round belt's flaws, & realized it was time for a new design. As for this particular Convertible I found, yes it was in good shape, but too far gone. It would have needed a new outer bag, brushroll & metal belt pulley, more money than I was prepared to pour into a $15 thrift store vacuum. I'm sure somebody else out there will give it a good home though.

Rob

 

[beekeyknee]

I've noticed this too, just recently. I think the quality has dropped since the '70's & '80's. They're too tight. I can't get the belt on the pulley anymore. There could be multiple reasons for this. 1. The belts set on the shelf longer because people don't change vac belts anymore, especially kids. 2. The belts aren't made in Ohio any more.

I gave my sister and her family a nice Convertible 719 a few years ago. A year or two later I asked where it went and they said, Oh it broke so we just threw it away. I don't offer anything anymore.

Someone just recently said that the 49258 belt had been discontinued and the 44738 (Guardsmen) belt is used instead.

 

[vacuumlad1650]

That's exactly right! A few months ago both the 49258 and 44783 were NLA as Hoover changed the "formula" for making the 44783, as it would be a replacement for both belt types. I've ordered 2 dozen of the 44783, but have not tried this version yet. I still have a few "original" 44783 belts left.