Kirby 515 Question

[kirbyclassiciii]

I am sure some of you may have brought this up in the past, as well as myself, but, just for clarification, is it true that although the 515 was the last Kirby to utilize the original 1930s motor design (as well as bearing the modded Kirby script logo for the belt lifter that goes back to the model 509), that it was the first to use the #1190 fan? You know, besides Charles Richard "Chuck" Lester, any other 515 owners note a big difference in tone of the motor between this model and the prior 514?

Kirby 515:


Kirby 514:


And a Kirby 517:

(copy and paste these)

Thank you,



Ben

 

[electrolux~137]

I'll let you call me Chuck if you let me call you Bennie...

;P

 

[electrolux~137]

By the way, the same motor was not used in all the 1930s models up through the 515. Kirby literature, which I currently do not have at hand, mentions at least two motor upgrades but I don't recall which models where changed but will assume it was 505 and 513.

If you listen to the following YouTube videos, you can clearly hear that Bennie's 515 runs at a faster speed than the 508 in "animebsd's" video (don't know who that is).

Compare



with

 

[electrolux~137]

And here's a 514 in someone else's video that also runs slower than Bennie's 515, but I have a feeling it might be because the motor is being impeded by the clattering brush roll:

 

[kirbyclassiciii]

The 515 ... Isn't Mine

Hi Chuck,

That 515 ain't mine, though. It actually is Garrett's (ChevyGuyV8).

~"Bennie"

 

[kirbyclassiciii]

And AnimeBSD ...

His real name is Brandon.

~"Bennie"

 

[kirbyclassiciii]

About Those Links, Charles

Charles (electrolux-137),

Some of those links you'd posted, I did so already.

~Ben

 

[electrolux~137]

Yes, I saw that after I posted them already. Sorry.

But the point is that yes, there were different motors in the early 500-series machines. One of my top priorities after I finish getting unpacked and settled in will be to dig out my vacuum cleaner archives so I can update and correct my Kirby 500-series pages.

 

[kirbyclassiciii]

Your Kirby Pages

Charles,

Yeah, I hope to visit your Kirby history pages again with the corrections I gave you and from other Kirby fanatics.

~Ben

 

[dualsanitronic]

The Kirby Derby

The 513 jumped from 3 amp. to 4 and change the stainless steel rug guard. According to Classic Omega's proof book, the 515 was said to have several motor improvements plus a redesigned impeller fan further stepping up cleaning efficiency.

 

[electrolux~137]

Ben, when I correct my Kirby pages you will be the first to know!

 

[kirbyclassiciii]

Re: The Kirby Derby

Even the Heritage II sales proof book mentions that aspect. But one thing jumps out at me, though: I wonder if they really meant the 516, from 1956. That model was very much a departure motorwise from past Kirbys.

But we'll both let their views stand.

~Ben

 

[electrolux~137]

It would be easy enough to find out -- look at the serial number plate of a 515 and see what it says: the amperage is stamped on the plate. I can't look, because the only Kirby I have here right now is my 513.

 

[dualsanitronic]

It says 4 amp.on the 515 and the 513 but there were supposed to be improvements in the efficiency of the 515 anyway,plus a new 10 blade fan was now added to replace the 6 blader.

 

[electrolux~137]

My 513, serial number 232636, is 3 amps. It has a 6-blade fan (original metal fan).

If your 513 has a 4-amp motor, then maybe here's another example of design changes & improvements within a single model. Is your serial number higher than mine??

 

[electrolux~137]

I'll have to check my 515 when I can get to it to see if it has a 10-blade fan, but I don't think it does. I do know that my 516 and later 500-series machines do. My 561 has a replacement lexan fan and I have to say, it sure does improve performance -- the lighter weight of the lexan fan puts less drag on the motor allowing it to run faster. It also has a new after-market agitator with four rows of bristles instead of two -- which also greatly enhances its cleaning ability.

 

[kirbyclassiciii]

I Don't Have a 513...

But I do have a 510, serial #173094WS.

~Ben

 

[kirbyclassiciii]

The First Kirby with a 10-Blade Fan...

For Charles (electrolux-137)
The first Kirby with the 10-blade fan was actually the model 3C, released in 1939.

The last six-bladed Kirby fan (#1187) was used on models C and 2C. The first Kirby with a 10-blade fan was the model 3C, part #1188. They re-engineered it for the model 4C, which was the last of the pre-war Kirbys. The re-engineered fan was part #1189, and it was this fan that had been used up until the 515 according to a mid-1960s Kirby service manual.

For the markedly-different 516 and its successors, it was once again re-engineered, becoming part #119056.

If anyone could please tell me how to embed images in my posts, thank you. In the meantime there is a link to a disassembled 508 that is yours, with a fan that appears to have 10 blades.

~Ben


http://www.137.com/kirby508/00.before.18.jpg

 

[electrolux~137]

That 10-blade fan on the 508 is an after-market replacement. The easiest way to tell this -- other than the fact that it's a lexan fan -- is the fact that it's in two parts -- the belt drive shaft unscrews from the fan blade part, instead of both parts being one single piece. That 508 was a factory-rebuilt machine.

I won't make any further issue of 6-blade vs. 10-blade fans; it's not that big a part of the grand scheme of things....... But I am *Very* surprised to hear that according to Kirby product literature, the 10-blade fan first came out on the 3C, since I have seen *Many* older 500-series Kirbys with 6-blade fans.

Do note that there are many mistakes in Kirby literature. One that comes to mind that always makes me laugh is that claim in one of the Kirby "Proof Books" that the 514 was the first Kirby with a "push-push nozzle." What they MEANT was, "push-push SWITCH."

If you'd like to see a photo of the six-blade fan in my all-original, unaltered 513 (that came to me directly from the daughter of its single owner), let me know.