Latest acquistion - Switson Industries Canadian Tire Model R-70

[aeoliandave]

This is in such superb virtually mint condition I'm pinching myself. I snagged it to keep it in Canada.

Doug Smith recognized it's origins immediately. Branded for Canadian Tires stores, made by Switson Industries of Welland Ontario, it's as complete as the day it was purchased, which would have been between 1956 and 1959.

Not one blemish. The only wear is some peeled off grey hammertone enamel on the carpet tool swivel connector.

 

[aeoliandave]

The Master pulls 75".

 

[aeoliandave]

with the addition of a rubber ring on the screw in hose it still pulls 75" through the gey/white tracer sran weave hose.

 

[aeoliandave]

Suck-o-meter reading before the rubber ring job.

 

[aeoliandave]

Canadian Tire Corporation Limited Logo plate

 

[aeoliandave]

Manufacturer's plate. No mention of Switson.

 

[aeoliandave]

Undamaged Tool Caddy. Other than the shelf sag and upper flare which I will fix by inserting stiffener rods in the front folds.
The cardboard is printed with a pattern of the can Tire icoceles triangle. The foregoing pix taken before any spa treatment...like it needs one! But it will get it anyway.

This pristine 50 year old Canadian vacuum find excites Old Davy unreasonably.

 

[aeoliandave]

The canister is painted inside as well and the dust bag is clean.

Yikes, a touch of rust inside along the rivited seam. Will attend to that forthwith!

 

[aeoliandave]

The new Can Tire logo and website.

http://www.canadiantire.ca/welcome.jsp

 

[arh1953]

I like those heavy duty runners, you could ride that down a snow covered hill. The color is really nice, very '50s.

 

[logan]

Nice Vacuum!

I have a question though. Does anyone know why most of the early canister vacuums had sleigh runners on them instead of wheels? To me that makes them terribly difficult to pull around the house. The Lux XXX is a good example. I wonder why they just never thought to put wheels on them. Any ideas?

 

[arh1953]

Maybe it was cheaper, or it was assumed that everyone had big rugs. Mom got rid of her Elgin Standard tank in 1960 when she got the BOL grey GE Swivel-Top. The floors in that house were all wood, and she didn't want to wreck them. It was a rented house.

 

[petek]

Good find Dave, you seem to be having good luck lately. Would like to see the catalog featuring that to see what it cost when new.

 

[aeoliandave]

Me too, Pete. Someone somewhere has heaps of Can Tire Catalogs right beside the Eatons catalogs and National Geographics...and Mechanix Illustrated. LOL

Today I'm taking apart the 16" oscillating fan. ALL metal construction - only plastic piece is the bakelite switch knob. The slightly shuddering motor is jampacked with original dust and the gearcase has its original grease all hardened up. Metal helical gears, of course.

Just like those cheap plastic oscillating fans but metal. To engage the oscillating feature, rather than popping the knob in or out, you turn the protruding knob until it compresses a clutch plate. The rotating plate the articulating arm bolts to has two bolt holes to set the sweep from 45 degrees to 180.