Reviving Kirby Hose Talk

[kirbyclassiciii]

Reviving the discussion about Kirby hose designs, I want to point out the hose tube swivel assembly (the metal part of the hose you hook up the tools to), with the holes on it, was first introduced during the time of the Classic Omega 1CB. Why?

There are 1CB hoses whose swivel tube ends have the holes on it, and those that don't. The ones that don't have the holes on them were early-production units (as with the swivel tubes used on hoses for the 1CR and other earlier Kirby models).

~Ben

 

[kirbyclassiciii]

Kirby Classic Omega Hose #1

Kirby Classic Omega hose #1. Note replacement swivel tube end, as it has holes in it.

~Ben

 

[kirbyclassiciii]

Kirby Classic Omega Hose #2

Kirby Classic Omega hose #2. Note lack of bleeder holes on tool end of hose, but the new longer attaching tab so as to meet up with the safety switch control arm. I cannot be sure but I believe the coupler end may have been replaced.

~Ben

 

[kirbyclassiciii]

Kirby Classic Omega Hose #3

The final update to the Kirby Classic Omega hose involved holes being added to the tool end of the hose.

~Ben

 

[swiveltop]

Why the holes?

The story that I got while working for a Kirby dealer during the classic 111,Tradition era is that Kirby placed the holes in the hose ends starting with the Omega due to a child eye injury case with a classic model 1-CR, The first hose you have pictured has a 1-CR coupler, I was just thinking about this the other day as I was replacing a rusted hose end on my classic 111 with an older one without holes.

 

[kirbyclassiciii]

Right, I too happened upon an older VCCC posting that involved Kirby engineers putting holes in the swivel tube and the extension wands starting with the Classic Omega, so that children's eyes and ears wouldn't be affected by the tremendous suction. I'm still not sure if they did that when the Omega originally went on sale in the summer of 1973 or if that happened until the winter of 1973-74.

~Ben

 

[kirbyclassiciii]

I also wonder if Kirby started machining all of their universal couplers with the longer right attaching tab in the years after 1974? Which leads me to ask, were there any hose motor connectors (with the longer, squared-off right attaching lug) colored tan (Sanitronic 562, VII and Dual Sanitronic 50), green (Dual Sanitronic 80) and milk chocolate (Classic 1CR)?

~Ben

 

[kirbyclassiciii]

Sanitronic Hose (Tan)

The right attaching lug (when seen attached to the motor) is not long enough to accommodate the #134374/134380 safety switch used on the Classic Omega, Classic III and Tradition. Therefore, may I ask if any of you have ever seen later versions of the #211065S (tan), #211067S (green) and #211069S (Classic 1CR brown) suction coupler with the longer right attaching lug on it (and the #223374 tool connection with the holes)?

I can't seem to tell apart the Sanitronic VII (#223663S) and the Dual Sanitronic 50 (#223666S) hoses, because as I said earlier, the attaching lugs seem to be the same length for both.

~Ben