Poor, sad Elite

[justjunque]

Well, it’s not the Electrolux that I’ve been looking for, but I dragged a vacuum home tonight. Maybe I should have just left it on the curb. But, I’m a softee.
I got a tip about an upright vacuum, sitting on the curb, not too far from home. So, I took a ride, fully expecting to find a couple year old bagless of some sort. To my surprise, it was a hard bagged Hoover Elite. Maybe not specifically branded Elite, but of that type.
There was a note taped on the bag cover that reads; “This vacuum cleaner works great. But, you have to secure the middle securely when in use. (With zip ties or strong duct tape)”
As you can see, the poor thing is covered with both. I don’t know if it’s visible in the picture, but someone even screwed a small metal hinge onto the bottom of the bag compartment cover.
Of course, it’s missing its hose, as well as all of the on-board tools.
I have no idea what I’m going to do with it. I don’t see myself just using it for parts. But, I also can’t imagine that I can fix it. For the time being, it’s probably just going to sit in the basement, just the way it is. I’ll probably have to plug it in and hear how it sounds, at some point.
Any thoughts on this particular model?

 

[kirbyman65]

That's so sad!

I'm sure you'll be able to find a new bag door, but it'll be hard to find one that matches exactly. I've seen other people do this on vacuums as well!

 

[amtraksebo1997]

That thing reminds me of Egon's Proton Pack from Ghostbusters Afterlife lol

 

[paul]

Montgomery Ward Ad - Elite Supreme

From 1997 - the only one I located in the database I use.

Here's a list of all the Elite Supreme models based on the Hesco schematics attached (the U5077-930 listed is actually a Decade Supreme with a 7.2-amp motor). From what I could tell all were sold in stores in the 1990s.

U5035-930 (7.2-amps) forest green
U5041-980 (7.2-amps) black, combo pak with the S1103 Rechargeable Dubl Duty Wet & Dry Hand vac
U5043-910 (8.0-amps), -930 (7.2-amps) forest green
U5071-930 (7.2-amps) forest green
U5075-930 (7.2-amps) navy blue, sold at Kmart

Grayson's Vacs on YouTube has a couple different models of the ES.

Hope you can get it fixed and spiffed.

 

[paul]

Elite Supreme U5075-930 carton

Originally posted by Bagintheback.

 

[paul]

U5075-930 Photo of Ended Auction

 

[justjunque]

Well, I removed most of the duct tape and zip ties. With the tape removed, I can confirm that it is, in fact, an Elite Supreme.
The issue with the bag cover is that one bottom corner is broken off, and it took the little tab with it that fits into the slot in the housing.
So, while replacing the cover would solve that problem, like Jack said, I'd probably never find the exact style. And, of course, I really like the style of this one.
Then, I discovered another problem. The tape on top of the hood is not just there for decoration. There's a big whammy there too, with a big chunk of the hood missing. Maybe someone dropped the poor thing down some stairs or something. It looks like it was in pretty good condition before whatever sort of trauma it suffered. Nice shiny finish...not a ton of scuffs, etc.
Despite the model number being different, it looks nearly identical to the one in Paul's reply #5.
The only differences I see immediately, are that mine also says "Full size bag" and "Posture perfect handle" on the bag cover, and has a decal on the front of the hood that says "Furniture friendly width". I'm sure I'd never find an exact replacement for that either.
It's too bad. It seems like it would have been a nice one.

 

[paul]

Barry,

I get what you're saying, but never say never. I just read in the Super Market forum that someone, who several months ago was looking for his childhood (uncommon) Hoover Convertible recently found one for sale.

Also, I see no indication in the schematics I attached to one of my posts yesterday that your U5041-980's parts are different sizes than the other models.

Anyway, you're not out a penny if you hang on to the vac for a while to see what else comes your way. If the motor is good, you could very well end up with a good-performing, budget-friendly Hoover.

 

[justjunque]

Yeah. The price was right!
I’ll definitely just hang onto it for now. The motor sounds great.
I happen to have a spare Elite hose kicking around, that came with a Kenmore vacuum I bought a while ago. I guess whoever donated the Kenmore to the thrift store thought the hose went with it. But, I tried putting it on the hose bracket on this Elite, and it’s a no go. Must be from a different style. The hose is the least of this guy’s problems anyway.

 

[paul]

Hopefully you'll find another freebie for replacement parts. Keep us posted if you do—those stories are among the best at Vacuumland.

Good thing you kept that Elite hose.