Kirby 515 Question

[kirbyclassiciii]

513 Pic

Hi Charles,

Please put me on the list for that - I'd love to see it.

Contact Mark Berger ([email protected] - hope this is correct) and please tell him to send you a copy of the Kirby service manual he has, that way you'll know that the fan (see the Special and Obsolete Parts section) for the 3C is the first to have 10 blades on it.

Again - if the 515 really did have a 6-blade or the very early 10-blade, then why again does its motor sound closer to the 516 than the 514?

Thank you,



Ben

 

[electrolux~137]

Well, I said above that I would have to check my 515 to see what type of fan it has. I don't remember for sure, and it's packed in my garage where I can't get to it. I will take some photos of my 513 tomorrow.

I don't think the 515 motor sounds at all like the 516. The high-pitched 'overtones' or 'harmonics' are completely different between the two; even the sound of the exhaust into the bag is different because of the different size and angle of the exhaust 'neck.'

 

[dualsanitronic]

I haven't seen a 513 in awhile, could be wrong about it being 4 amp., I know it has the new rug guard at that point however. The 515 definately is 4 amps., and had a new fan by then, I had a 515, and since all that I've ever seen have ALWAYS had a 10 blade fan , I'll assume that this is the redesigned impeller fan that the proofs book refers to.

 

[electrolux~137]

Here's a photo of my 513 fan and serial number plate.

 

[kirbyclassiciii]

Your 513, Charles

I can see it all now: 6-blade fan, 3-amp motor, but the serial is #262336LS. However, I can't wait to see what your 515 has in terms of its fan.

~Ben

 

[electrolux~137]

Actually, the serial number is 262636 LS.

It will be a while before I can get to my 515. But as soon as I do, I'll post photos of it as well. And maybe my 514 just for fun.

I have the following Kirbys btw:

Franz-Premier - needs restoration; has blue GE bag

S&F Sanitronic System all original w/ all attachments

S&F Sanitronic System with handle switch (no bag)

1C . no-headlight version all original (belongs to Rick Wilson)

2C . all original w/ all attachments & cartons

2R . needs restoration, bag in very poor cond

4C . needs restoration, no bag

505 . belt lifter version, all original & some attachments

510 . complete and all original incl attachments & all cartons (came from original owner)

511 . complete attachment set & paperwork only -- no machine

513 . complete and all original incl attachments & all cartons (came from original owner)

514 . machine all original, no attachments (given to me by Stan Kann)

515 . machine all original, no attachments

516 . machine all original, some attachments

517 . complete and all original incl attachments & all cartons

519 . machine all original, no attachments

561 . machine all original, no attachments

562 . (Sanitronic VII), complete and all original incl attachments & all cartons

D50 . two complete & all original sets, incl attachments & all cartons

Legend II - all original; w/ small & regular rug nozzles & some attachments

Before I moved, I also had the factory rebuilt 508 (seen in my YouTube video), a 511, 512, 518, 560, Classic, ClassicΩ and Classic-III, all of them given away.

 

[kirbyclassiciii]

When You Do Get to Your 515, Charles ...

I'd love to see you post a video or two of it, please.

~Ben

 

[electrolux~137]

Good morning all,

When I wrote out the list above, I completely forgot about one more ... another 515, 100% original and complete, all attachments, cartons, literature etc. I received this machine just before I started packing and moving; in the blood sweat and tears of getting that accomplished it failed to come to mind. I had started working on a web page about it and came across the partially completed page last night. I will finish it up and upload it later today.

Curiously, this second 515 has the same bag that my 513 has, while my other 515 has a silver-speckled bag -- same logo, with the long point down the bag, but the fabric is darker and speckled. Not the same speckling as the later bags; it's more pronounced and vivid. I may have photos of it on my hard drive -- I'll look around when I get home.

Oh, one last thing ... in one of my Kirby books, one of the "Airing the News" issues I think, there's a photo feature of the "revolutionary new anniversary model 516." In the photos, it has the same bag as the 513,14,15 instead of the bag with just the Kirby logo in a circle. I have often wondered if the first 516s had that bag or were the photos taken before the model had been completely designed and produced.

I sure do wish I could get to my archives right now but all that stuff is packed and in storage.

 

[kirbyclassiciii]

Prototype 516

Charles,

Didn't the prototype 516 also have the belt lifter bearing the older-style Kirby logo used on models 509-512?

~Ben

 

[electrolux~137]

It may have; I don't remember off the top of my head.

 

[electrolux~137]

Another Anomaly

Here are photos of a 514 that was on eBay a few years ago. I did not win this one; it went sky-high for some reason.

Note that the serial number plate indicates a 4-amp motor, so that change must have occurred with the 514, or perhaps late in the run of the 513.

Also look at the belt lifter on the rug nozzle!! Now, granted, the belt lifter might have been replaced for some reason, but "who knows?"

You'll see that the bag is the later "speckled" bag that my first 515 has -- look closely at the third photo. Although the photo is kinda blurry, you can clearly make out the silver speckles.

(515 web page to come forthwith...)

 

[kirbyclassiciii]

515 Bag / Wheels

More questions about the 515:
1. Is it true virtually all 515s had the bag that was used on the 513 and 514?
2. Is it true that all 515s had black wheels and not gray?

Would both of these above traits have only begun with the 516?

~Ben

 

[electrolux~137]

To at least partially answer your questions...

1. All the ones I've seen that were still original did have this type bag. It may be that earlier 513s still had the older more scripted logo (e.g. as on the 510 etc.)

2. Funny you should mention this, Ben... Just for you, I went and dug my older 515 out of storage today. Here are some photos.

<blockquote>

As you can see, it has smooth-sided alathon gray wheels instead of the black vulcanized rubber wheels; whereas my other 515 does have the black wheels.

Here's a closeup of the bag:

Serial number plate, indicating 4-amp motor

Showing the double-row agitator brush:

And here is the, yes, 10-blade fan:

</blockquote>

And, last but not least, here's a short video of the 515 in action:

 

[electrolux~137]

P.S. The 515 in this video runs at a higher rate than mine -- listen to the difference in the motor.

Wonder why that is.......

 

[kirbyclassiciii]

Thank You, Charles ... Again!

Charles,

Very big thank you for the details on your 515 and everything else! Again, that 10-blade fan sure did make this model sound more close to the 516 than the 514.

~Ben

 

[electrolux~137]

In fact, the motor in my 515 sounds identical to this 510. Wonder if the 510 has a newer motor in it...

 

[electrolux~137]

Whereas this 510 is running considerably slower (noting the clattering brush roll):

 

[electrolux~137]

And here's a 505 with its very distinctive, gentle sounding (slower-running) motor (this is fun!!):

 

[electrolux~137]

And another 505 -- whose motor sounds just like the one above:

 

[electrolux~137]

... and a 560, which sounds like a real powerhouse in comparision!