Kirby Generation Series

[aeoliandave]

Rescued G3

Other than a faint set stain on the lower part of the bag after hand washing she's in not bad shape after a trip to the Spa.

The Tech Drive label is peeling off severely pitted and dented from being rammed into something - the bumper seemed to have escaped relatively unscathed.

 

[aeoliandave]

Power Unit.
I'm tempted to replace the torn red stripe with some Auto pinstripe tape but only if I can get the color right.

 

[aeoliandave]

Twas Pete put a Powerdrive upright in my hands and showed me the light!

The wheels on the G3 and no doubt subsequent models have very grippy rubber tires on bare floor or carpet - this thing will yank ya off your feet like a large dog. Luv it!

The stain is worst in back but there are no snags or rips.

Question for KIRBY techs - the right side handle pivot spring plastic shaft bushing is cracked & split, allowing the bushing to rotate with the handle rather than allowing the spring's centering action. How would I come up with a replaceent plastic bushing at low cost? Not that it's a real problem, the handle does stay tilted forward at rest but drops dramaticly to the floor or impacts the handle stop peg if you let go. It is this that no doubt popped all the rivits holding the pivot hinge cylinder barrel the spring resides in. The handle was a very sloppy fit when I got it. I put in new industrial strength rivits. I would hope the G4 + upgrades addressed this weak handle to hinge connection.

 

[aeoliandave]

I got the G3 with all these accessories. The Lady said she got it as a wedding gift and never liked it ( but then she also didn't understand how to use the Tech Drive - didn't read the manual I guess). Anyway, she didn't use it much and after the divorce she decided to use it as she made major renovations to her basement Rec Room and well...I guess she took out some healthy closure rage on it.

That's why she bought all those belts but when a chunk of wood stopped the fan she figured it was busted. Lucky me.

Must have tossed out the G3 manual because I don't have it. But I do have, from the ReStore, a dark grey Accessory Set in the box for a G4 with the G4 Owner's Manual on VHS tape.

I do like the overall color scheme, tho the vac is the heaviest Kirby I've handled so far. And I do wish Kirby had continued using high quality vinyl hoses instead of the 'crush-proof' ribbed plastic.

 

[aeoliandave]

The complete Entry level G3

Sure, I don't have the floor polisher head or the Rug Renovator but so what - My Tradition and Dual Santronic 80 do! They are so much prettier and lighter and bluer and greener even if they aren't power driven.

The snap shut Accesoriy boxes are much nicer and easier to store as well. These Kirby plastic tool bins are dreadfully designed - you have to take everything out to get a part, it seems. At least the earlier bins incorporate the nozzle sockets out front and labeled.

 

[aeoliandave]

So I keep all the G3 tools in this other style Kirby Caddy

Had an extra one of these so...Everything fits, most-used nozzles on display readily accessed and the carrier has a smaller footprint for storage. And of course I think Kirby hoses look best stored double-looped around the handle over the bag support with the nozzle stuck in the intake bezel.

 

[aeoliandave]

While we're on the Kirby thread...

Dual Santronic 80 set. Luv the olive green. and the basic power unit is so light I can use it with the handle as a portable.

 

[aeoliandave]

The Tradition and Heritage are more hefty. The Heritage II was my first Kirby left out on the curb for trash. I slammed on the brakes and scooped it.

The Gorgeous Blue Tradition came from Pete and over this winter I completed the missing wands, hose, polisher head and Rug Renovator kit bits from Doug Smith out Moose Jaw way.

Love it's swoopy styling in the wing tabs of the brush roll head. This is the one Kirby bag that bleeds blue dye on contact with water. Compare the left briefly washed bag to the one on the machine - that fade took only about 45 seconds! I coulda re-dyed some 501s in the water. LOL

 

[aeoliandave]

Regarding my Post# 31306 above.

The spring I'm referring to is NOT the retrofit one from the G4 that centers the forward/back motion of the handle slider.

The one I'm asking about is a strong coil spring inside the handle pivot hinge mount. The coil has pins at each end that fit into corresponding holes on the end bushings, engineered to keep the handle more or less upright when released. the bushing on the left is meant to rotate with the handle while the one on the right should be stationary. The bushing on the right has a flat sided keyway that locks with the axle pin so the handle is free to rotate forward and back but return to upright when released.

My bushing got cracked open and distorted when the handle clamp rivits popped open. So the coil spring no longer has any effect since the one end no longer locks to the axle flat keyway.

Wish there was a walk-in KIRBY Repair Depot close by...I'll ask my local guy if he can order this part for me.