Some Rare Vintage Vacuums for Sale! - Bison and Lux Upright

[compactelectra]

I am sure Fred will forgive me for announcing like this, but I am putting up some fairly rare machines for auction.  I have to thin the herd and decided that I would do some of the more rare machines during Thanksgiving week. First up.  A literally brand-new Bison with the box and attachments.  Tania and I found this machine up at a vacuum store in Wisconsin brand new in the box.  It has been out on display but only run a few times.  It was the theme vacuum for the Great Bison round-up Vacuum Cleaner Collectors club convention.  Out she goes!



http://www.ebay.com/itm/230883273924?ssPageName=STRK:MESELX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1555.l2649

 

[super-sweeper]

If i may,

How much are you asking for the byson?

 

[kirbykid]

so your hooverconstelation... im 18346572

 

[compactelectra]

Alex

Click on the link to the Ebay auction above. 

 

[kirbyultimateg]

I think Karl Wierman aka OpelGTKarl would be interested in your Bison.

 

[floor-a-matic]

Did Scott & Fetzer (Kirby) make Bisons or is Bison a different company?

 

[caligula]

Brief history of Bison.

The story I heard was that a few engineers at Kirby got together and decided to build a better mouse trap, thus they came up with the Bison.

As I understand it, the design was not good, and it didn't sell very well. Since I have only seen one bison, I can't tell how good (or bad) it is. All I know is that every vacuum cleaner shop I went into as a kid wouldn't talk about the Bison.

While Kirby had several great machines, there were a few bad apples. The only one that comes to mind was the Aire Rotter. The only canister made by Scott and Fetzer. It was so bad that Carl S. Fetzer fired the engineers who designed it. Jim Kirby also published a public appology, and the machine was scrapped. As far as I know the Aire Rotter was introduced in the 1920's.

More info on Kirby when I can go through my Kirby patent books which are in back in Indiana.

Alex Taber

 

[tolivac]

If there are no takers for the Bison-I would be interested.

 

[kirbykid]

i kind of want it

 

[kirbykid]

how much do you want for the bison???

 

[kenkart]

Bison...

The Bison did not hold up well, but was tremendously more powerful than the Kirbys of the same age, they used a G.E. motor with a variable speed motor.They really will lift the carpet off the floor.

 

[chan55]

Bison

I had a cousin who farmed and they traded a cow for a Bison, HAHA True story!
It did not work well at all. Should have kept the cow. At least it provided milk!

 

[electroluxxxx]

Hans

I have never seen one of these before in person but only on this site in picture... I am curious as to how powerful they are while in tool mode and if they are quiet and heavy.

 

[vac_whisperer]

@robert

I thought how the story went was a guy who worked for Kirby quit and invented the Bison, as the story goes. Let me google it to make sure...

 

[bisonian]

Bison

The Bison was built in Ocala, Florida in the 70s and early 80s. Heavy, bulky and not well-built, they are powerful, yes, but definitely are NOT quiet. They have a rheostat speed control and the very noisy GE motor ramps up like a jet taking off when you crank up the control. Closer to "deafening" than "quiet."

Trivia -- the Ocala building in which they were built is now the welcome center for the E-One fire truck factory.

 

[rugsucker]

trading farm animals

Just saw reply 11.I had a customer from a farm area bring in a Filter Queen for routine service who told of trading a horse for it.They saw the FQ salesman later and found out the horse died 2 weeks after trading.It was a few years ago when I serviced it and it was 20 plus years then and working well.

 

[rugsucker]

trading farm animals

Just saw reply 11.I had a customer from a farm area bring in a Filter Queen for routine service who told of trading a horse for it.They saw the FQ salesman later and found out the horse died 2 weeks after trading.It was a few years ago when I serviced it and it was 20 plus years then and working well.

 

[vacuumman206]

The Bison is definitely bad-ass looking, if not anything else. I remember watching a video of one running and I absolutely loved the jet engine wind-up sound, even if it is loud. I also was under the impression they are older than they actually are.

 

[tolivac]

Is the Bison vacuum still up for sale?Would love to have one.