My New Hoover windtunnel u6476-910

[gsheen]

I found an add on Gumtree( kajiji) for some USA appliances for sale here in SA. What cough my attention was Hoover upright. Other Items listed were a Kenmore 90series dryer, a Kenmore washing machine, some very impressive floor fans and kettles toasters, food sealer , popcorn maker and some nice black and decker power tools. Only snagg they were all 110 v, we run on 220v ( dryer is 220v)

The amount was $117.00 and considering that A I have 110 volt at my house aswell and B what that size washer and dryer sell for new in SA I Jumped at it.

So here she is My Hoover U6476-910 in Great condition, I did have to replace the powerdrive cable ( I had a badly damaged old green windtunnel in my store room also from some one moving to SA.

 

[gsheen]

I am really impressed with this vacuum, It cleans better than other bagged vacuums that cost 10x its price.

It kind of reminds me of my old 1999 Chevy Camaro z24, It had horrendous build quality compared to Japanese and euro sports cars and it rattled and shook over ever bump, BUT it would waste a Porche or BMW m5 that cost 10 times its price and could even run with Ferrari's.

This vacuum is just the same , build quality leaves allot to be desired, it rattles and shakes, yet it performs aswell as a vacuum that costs allot more ( those big shiny alloy things

 

[eurekaprince]

You are going to love that Hoover, Gareth! That has been the top-rated bagged upright vacuum cleaner in Consumer Reports for at least the past 10 years!

Though it has fantastic suction through the hose for tool use, the tools are useless as the strong suction pulls the hose back to the unit and there is no suction relief valve. The vac can also topple over if you pull the hose too far since it is connected quite high on the vac. You can actually order a 10 foot stretch hose from Hoover that will give you more flexibility for above the floor cleaning.....

For deep-cleaning of hectares of wall-to-wall carpet, this upright is a joy to use!

 

[gsheen]

I have a bagless windtunnell to that I love to bits, this one did come with the extra hose in picture above.

Although its fun to use I will always go back to my dyson dc42, I just prefer to see what I sucked up.

I do love the powerdrive though.

 

[chuffle]

I second it!

I think that you are going to like the Windtunnel.

I have area rugs through out my house, and certain vacs work best on certain rugs. I have an old 13 inch Windtunnel, and no other vac grooms the dining room and living room rugs the way that the Windtunnel does. Its suction is amazing, too, and really keeps those rugs looking nice.

Many folks complain about changing the bag, and attaching a new bag does take nimble fingers. I don't mind though, as I enjoy the vac so much. By the way, I nabbed mine for $20 from a seller on CraigsList.

Enjoy!

Joe

 

[gsheen]

This one uses hoover branded 3m bags , they are large square bags that I got with the vacuum , they fit easily enough

 

[chuffle]

Actually...

It is getting the cardboard bag collar over the dirt tube that gives a lot of folks fits. I always worry that in installing the bag, the bag is going to rip from the collar and then what a mess I would have. Still with the dog, and the fact that she loves to lounge on the living room rug, the Windtunnel sees almost daily use here.

Joe

 

[sebo_fan]

Well, you could always use a Sebo extension hose and any of the Sebo tools since you have them. The rubberised bit should fit over that Windtunnel hose with no problems.

 

[vacuumfreeeke]

Brian, you silly goose, he has the extension hose pictured ) LoL


I agree though... It's a very powerful vacuum, but very loud and the parts feel cheap. Changing the tranny belt is a nightmare. Using the attachments is just as Brian described... I have the same one in silver that I got as a Big Lots refurb.... The turbo tool works better than any I've seen... I think it has more to do with the suction than anything, but also the design of the tool... I've tried other turbo tools on the WindTunnel and I've tried the WindTunnels turbo tool on other machines and it just doesn't work as well... if I didn't have to fight that stupid hose as much as I do, I'd use the turbo tool all the time.

Be careful sucking up fine dust with it though... I used it to clean up after another vacuum (didn't want to take the Dyson off the shelf), and it actually blocked the dirt sensor "sensor" and made it malfunction... I had to get in there with a wet cloth and clean it out.... this just happened last week. If you have a shag rug, don't even try this beast on it... the brushroll will virtually stall, the belts will stretch, and the machine will dig into the carpet and be impossible (not hard, impossible) to push....

Filtration leaves a lot to be desired, but vacuums weren't invented to filter air... they were invented to clean carpet, and this one does it with aplomb!


You can run over a whole paper towel with this thing and it will suck it up like nothing and beg for more... I sew and I use it sometimes to clean fabric scraps from around the sewing machines! Not something that is easily done with fan first machines. I prefer to use straight suction for that task though, as the threads are a nightmare to peel off brushrolls...

As the belt wears, the transmission will try to engage while in neutral, at least that has been my experience.... I'm sure you know to never pick it up by the hand grip and only by the carry handle if you have to lift it. The carry handle is well placed and relatively comfortable on this one, I've seen a lot worse.

Enjoy it )

 

[gsheen]

I had the first windtunnel powerdrive and had it for a while untill I lent it to some one and they broke it in half some how.
Like you said the plastics are cheap but that's why I said it reminded me of my old Camaro, cheap and nasty but boy was it fun to drive

 

[eurekaprince]

Bobby! Indeed I am a silly goose! Hit the "post" button too fast with that one, as I did not even see the second picture....must have had a "senior" moment there (I'm 53...).....

My parents used to have thick plush wall-to-wall carpeting in their condo, and I bought it for them from Sears (CAD$500) so that Dad would have an easier time doing his Friday vacuuming. The living room was quite expansive and this Hoover SP WT was a joy to use.....I used to try to vacuum with just my fingers on the handle for the fun of it! I'm not a fan of using uprights on bare floors, but with the brush roll shut off, I was amazed at how well it sucked up dust bunnies in the laundry room, bagel seeds on the kitchen floor, and hairs on the tile bathroom floor. I used to pull off the hose to clean the lint trap in their dryer while I was at it. Using the dusting brush on the dining room chair seats after a big gathering was wonderful - the hose is just at the right height even though it fought me as I cleaned.....really wish they would put a simple suction valve on the hose....seems like something they could do with ease.

I agree - changing the bag on a WindTunnel upright is like operating in the dark....in order to make sure the collar is seated flush to the cavity wall you have to bend some of the paper bag to get a good grip and I always worried that I would rip the bag. The new system used on the new Hoover T-Series uprights really solves this problem.....

 

[sebo_fan]

Does the windtunnel hose shown have coils added to it, or does it just suck up naturally/close in through use?

 

[vacuumfreeeke]

It has metal wires in it, if I understand your question...

 

[sebo_fan]

Right, so it has metal coils in it. Same with the SEBO ones but you can keep one hand on the nearest part of the hose and the other hand on the end of the hose to use - this prevents most uprights from falling over.

 

[gmerkt]

Those are excellent machines for their price point. In selling refurbed vacs, this is probably my top seller. Tons of suction. Parts are easy and cheap to obtain (at least in the US). I always have a couple ready for sale, plus several in storage for rebuild.

Be prepared, get a spare drive actuator arm, they are the weak link. Cost about $2 US. In fact, if you look at yours closely you might even find a crack in it near the cable fitting. They can be replaced without taking the drive off the bottom frame. When you take off the hood/nozzle cover, there is a C clip on top of the drive mechanism. You can remove that clip, bend the bracket, R&R the actuator arm, then put the bracket and clip back on. You can easily adjust the drive equalization with the unit reassembled; adjust the position of the cable with a Torx tool through the space between the vac dust compartment and the hood.

Of the machines that I refurb, 9 out of 10 need a new actuator arm. In fact, that's why lots of them get tossed out. It's the American Way; throw away a $200 vacuum cleaner for a $2 part.

Don't carry these things by the operating handle unless it is locked into the neutral position; stresses the cable and/or actuator arm. Better yet, use the carrying handle moulded into the back of the case.

Some people don't realize that there are two different wand sections made for these. One has a boss around the machine end; the other doesn't. With the Hoover Windtunnels that use the large diameter hose like this one, you need to have at least one of the wand sections with the boss on it. This one fits inside the hose nozzle; the other one is what I'd call the secondary wand. It fits on the "far end" of the rig, where the attachments go on. The secondary wand won't attach to the hose.

 

[eurekaprince]

Interesting comment on the wands, Gary.

We had one of the earliest versions of the Hoover "Ultra" SP WT (no turbo nozzle, no dirt alert), and I think it came with two identical plastic wands. The hose end fit OVER the fatter tip of the wand, but the rest of the tools (unlike previous Hoovers), fit inside one another (like Eureka tools).

We also bought the compatible bare floor brush (excellent design), but for this upright, the wand inserted into the brush, not like the brush with the nipple provided on the Hoover Futura canisters.