Brad:
I had called Filter Queen a while ago to find out how old my Model 350 was, & they said it was produced back in the early 1950's. Now if only there was some way to decipher the serial code on them. Oh, and btw, I would suspect your wheel dolly is a genuine replacement....mine looked identical when I found it, except it was brown, & according to the owners, was original to the vacuum.
Tom: I think the hose that came with Brad's Filter Queen is original. Mine has the EXACT SAME hose with the same curved handle. Unlike the straight suction wands for the Canadian Model 700, which the top wand is curved, the top wand on the Model 350 is straight....if you used the hose that came with you American Model 350 with our Canadian wands, the hose handle would be at an awkward angle. A couple of other differences....the American model 350 looks like the wheel dolly is permanently attached to the dirt basin, whereas our Canadian model 350 uses the normal wheel dolly with the rubber bumper. Also, the dusting brush on our Canadian model 350 is different....instead of the normal Filter Queen brush your American Model 350 has, our Canadian model's dusting brush is made of brown rubber, & has a short metal pipe which can be inserted or removed, with the locking pin on one end so the dusting brush locks into the hose handle.
Perhaps these changes were made to the American model to suit Canadians? Like Electrolux made different Canadian models for Canadian consumers, & American models for American consumers. Who knows. As for the Canadian model being made in Toronto, Ontario....since Tom says it wasn't till 1955 that Filter Queen had their own American plant, could this have been contracted out to Onward Manufacturing or Switson Industries?? Let's see if Doug Smith chimes in here with an answer.
It was very nice & generous of you to offer a hose to Brad, though, Tom.
Rob
