Older Royal Upright - Ben E. , Help!

[briankirbyclass]

Ben, or anyone that knows Royals,, not sure how old this is,so i cant say vintage for sure or not,,but i got a Royal Upright at a garage sale for 20.00 the other day.
Proverbial little old lady that is downsizing and was getting rid of household to move into appt. Was only going to take an Electric Broom,,said the Royal was "too much for her to handle."

Please tell me the date of manufacture, and anything else i need to know about it.
Seems to be in good condition,Motor sounds fine, no strange noises, Bag and cord are in good condition,,brush roll is good, may need a new belt.
Takes type "A" Bags?(thats what was in it when i brought it home, was full to the brim)
Is there such a thing as Hepa, or high filtration?
Should i invest in a new brush roll, if yes, would it make the machine easier to push the way a 4 row does with an old Kirby?


Has Blue Bag, trim and handle. Has Adjust O Rite, says COMMERCIAL on the front.

Model # 2025 - Plant "A"

Serial # A97A00005532

Sorry i dont have a camara to take pics, but the metal does still have some shine to it,,,not completly dull, and very few scuffs and gouges.

What was the price of it new?

And, are hose and tools avalible, and if so, what is the suction like from the hose end on these machines? Is it worth investing in hose and tools, or am i better off using one of my cannisters?

Please forgive my ignorance on Royals, this is my very first one ever.

Thanks in advance! Brian W.

 

[kirbylux77]

Brian:

Since your Royal takes the Style A bags, that indicates it has to be from the 1980's, possibly the 1970's. As for the bags....they do make Micro Filtration Style A bags, but not HEPA Cloth bags. One thing you could always do is contact Bill Kirby & Luke Gebhart on my Facebook group, Vacuum Collectors Club. Both have contact info for a man who sells Eureka F&G HEPA Cloth bags, which F&G bags are the same as the Royal Style A bag, & would fit & work fine. You could also buy a new bag & use the Style B HEPA Cloth bags too.

I wouldn't bother buying & using the tools....Suction should be about the same as a Kirby. BUT getting the belt on & off is a hassle, as there is no belt lifter like Kirby has. Just use your Electrolux for above-floor cleaning.

If your Royal's brushroll is in good shape, I wouldn't get a new one, it won't make much difference in making it easier to push.

Happy Vacuuming with your Royal!

Rob

 

[kirbyclassiciii]

Brian,

You have a 1997 model 2025 if you want to know how old it is. The date code suggests your machine was made in January 1997.

~Ben

 

[briankirbyclass]

Thanks Rob and Ben!

What was the (round about) price of this machine when it was new? (just curious)

Is there a way to adjust the brush roll so that it "digs in" to the carpet nap a little deeper, without lowering the Adjust O Rite any further?

I do like this machine, just wish it DUG IN to the carpet nap the way my Kirby Classic Omega does.

When using the Omega, i can feel the vibration from the brush roll all over the carpet, but cannot when using the Royal.

Is this the sign of needing a new brush roll on the Royal?

 

[kirbylux77]

Ben:

Hold on a sec...if this is REALLY from 1997, then why would it be using the Style A bags?? I'm almost 100% certain you have mentioned before that Royal switched to the Style B bags in the 1990's, so unless this person had 2 Royals & took the bag system off an older model, the 1997 production date wouldn't make sense to me.

Brian: If this model has the beater-bar style brushroll, there is a way to make the brushroll's bristles protrude more from the bottom plate. If you look at your brushroll endcaps, there are 1 & 2 settings on them....when the brushroll is new, it should be on 2, & when worn, on 1. Try adjusting it to 1 & see if that makes a difference in feeling the vibration on the carpet.

One other thing I totally forgot when I first replied to this, that I'm sure you will like....the Royal Style 8 belt & Kirby treaded belts are EXACTLY IDENTICAL....only difference is the lettering on the belt! So, go ahead & use your Kirby belts on it, & when you go to buy new ones ask your local vac shop which one he sells cheaper or which one he would give a discount on if you buy multiples.

As for the age of your Royal, there is one way to tell for certain if it's an older model. If there is a red cap near the Adjust-O-Rite, that cap covers the oiling port for the rear bearing. That means it was made before 1995, which is when the drop-in motors started being used. Another for-sure sign is if the motor is rated 7 amps or under, as it was after 1995 they came out with the high amperage motors.

Now, when you look online for the Royal Everlast metal uprights, retail prices for the 3 models vary from $650 to $800. So, although we don't know for certain how much this lady paid for it, & what year, it gives you an indication that this is definitely an expensive vac for it's time!

Enjoy your Royal, Brian....

Rob

 

[kirbyclassiciii]

Rob,

He already posted the serial # and I told him it was made in January 1997.

And no, all post-1990 Royals use "B" type bags, not "A" type. His unit must have had a pre-1990 bag system setup retrofitted to it. (Note to Brian: please take pictures of your unit so I can have proof.)

~Ben

 

[hygiene903]

I Agree With Ben!

The serial # definitely indicates that it was built in January 1997. And appparently the bag was switched at one point as it would have taken the type B bags.
As for the oil port, that is the rite hite adjustment knob it is next to, and it might possibly be blue or gray instead of red. The adjust-o-rite is the front cover plate with the knob that pops in when the correct height is reached. And some also had a front oil port, while others had a perma-lube bearing in front.
Go ahead and buy the attachments if you want. In my opinion, it isn't any more of a hassle to take the belt off and insert the hose adapter through the nozzle than it is to remove the nozzle on a Kirby.
Jeff

 

[dustin]

It possibly has the type B setup with a Hoover type A bag installed, they do fit fairly well, a little tight, but that is what I use in mine.

 

[louvac]

Can someone tell me on what model or when was the red cloth bag, The Duke used?

 

[kirbyclassiciii]

Louvac

That series of heavy-duty commercial uprights first showed up in 1989.

The original run included the model 7500 as the entry-level 14" wide nozzle model (note painted housing throughout), models 7600 and 7620 as the 14" wide nozzle models and 7800 and 7820 as the 18" super wide nozzle models. Other than the different bag style you mentioned, they were all otherwise similar to the more common commercial upright models of the period, models 655, 660, 662, 680 and 682, respectively.

During 1990, all of the 6.0 amp machines were replaced by the 7.0 amp machines: 7700 and 7720 replaced the 7600 and 7620 respectively, while the super-wide 18" nozzle 7800 and 7820 were replaced with models 7900 and 7920 respectively. Additionally, a crop of models with the gray plastic belt cover (instead of Adjust-O-Rite) and the Au-Toe-Matic toe-touch height adjuster showed up: models 7510, 7710, 7730, 7910 and 7930 (based on models 656, 671, 673, 691 and 693 respectively).

 

[052334]

paint

Can anyone offer advice as how to remove white paint spots from the aluminum casing and rubber trim of a Royal. Thanks. Michael

 

[ilovevacs]

2025

How much do you want for the vacuum