Kirby Classic III change to handle mount?

[marvinator]

A few days ago, I posted about a terrific find, a Kirby classic III in near mint condition. Today I went to use the Kirby in one of my favorite assemblies: using the small handle

Oddly, the small handle does not fit in the handle mount. Did they change this sometime in the last 40 years? This unit was refurbished in 2012 and it may have been changed at that time.

You can see in the attached pictures that mount sticks out too far for me to put the small handle in. Or is there something I’m not operating correctly?

I sold this model back in the 1900s (lol) when they were new. Back then all you had to do was pull out the pin, remove the tall handle, insert the small handle and put the pin back.

(I even tried, putting the flange in the flat position, holding it in place with the slide pin, but the flange is still too big for the small handle to fit in place.)

 

[kirbylux77]

Are you sure that is the right handle to begin with? It could be for a 500 series Kirby since it is red. That would explain why it doesn't fit properly.

 

[marvinator]

Are you sure that is the right handle to begin with? It could be for a 500 series Kirby since it is red. That would explain why it doesn't fit properly.

At this point, I'm not sure. I sold the Kirby Classic III, and the handle looks right.... When I bought this set up, it came with everything, including the original receipt! They explained that they were the original owners, and the unit was 'refurbished' in 2012, part of a program that allowed this if you had the original receipt. I can't imagine that they received a different small handle when the unit was 'refurbished,' but it sure looks that way now.

 

[marvinator]

Are you sure that is the right handle to begin with? It could be for a 500 series Kirby since it is red. That would explain why it doesn't fit properly.

After some research and close examination of parts, I have figured out the issue. The Handle Yoke is incorrect.

The yoke that was installed (most likely during the refurbishment) is for the Legend 2, as you can see below, and not the classic series. The Legend 2 yoke wraps partially around the upright handle where the Classic Yoke does not. This extra bit of metal prevents the small handle from being inserted into the yoke properly. Oddly, the Classic 3 Yoke is not available in any parts supplier. So, Now, I'm on a quest to find a broken down Kirby that I can get the proper yoke swapped over.