Thanks so much for posting the product development info - super cool! One question, I just un-boxed my "new" baby - incredibly good condition - but when I unlatch the canister I'm having difficulty latching the handle back down. I see the two pins and understand the closure concept - but mine is not smooth and I feel like I would have to force it to close it securely. What am I doing wrong??? Thanks guys! paula
it's designed to have resistance to keep the handle upright when carrying it. you wont break anything. a small dab of oil at each hinge point may help, but i dont recall doing that to mine when i restored it.
Marketing-I do have copy of booklet in a file box somewhere.I have 100s of ads and pieces of vac literature that I want to sort and transfer to file cabinet when time permits.
No suction-At first glance on smaller screen it looked as if hose was in right(wrong)opening.But I now see that if flipped over with handle at top it would be correct.It does look as if the lower wand is in one of the 'under furniture' slots.
Westinghouse-The WH Mobile in later 50s had tool storage,did not flip over and offered early turbo rug nozzle.
Paula-Great find.Is it complete?Just remember this is a mid 50s vac with some plastic parts that could age with some degree of problems.Be gentle!Your problem may only need minor cleaning and light wipe of lubricant.
Yes, I carefully pushed it closed - just wanted to be sure I wasn't forcing it. I'll add some oil. I purchased on ebay - attaching the seller's photos. It's a beautiful Roll Easy. I'm missing the small suction tool and the crevice tool is in rough safe - it appears to be made from a composition material instead of plastic. Proud new mama!
Rare to find the attachment box and instructions with them.The belt would be from an upright vac such as Hoover or Eureka which might mean the GE was not used for carpets.The correct type bags seem generic(original bags & package would also be color styled to match).Hose is replaced with original ends(as with most).Short hose is possibly for Hamilton Beach hand vac.Crevice tool looks like 50s Hoover.Missing crevice and upholstery tools could be replaced with most GE attachments through early 70s if desired.Most would be white.
Happy Retro Vacuuming!
You have the second incarnation of the Roll Easy, like mine. Be sure not to get any oil on the black foam rubber ring that you can see when the wheel is off. It will disintegrate.
Here’s the Roll Easy’s competitor, the Westinghouse MC-1. I also figured I’d get a photo of it with Roll Easy, which is the 3rd iteration of the machine.
I'd like to see the motor that was used in these. I gather it was a two-stage, double-ball-bearing unit which was typical for the day, but having worked only with Lamb/Ametek, Hoover, and 'lux motors, I can't visualize what the GE motor looks like.
My local repair place can only offer beige hose material - I realize this is a long shot - but does anyone have knowledge of or access to some turquoise hose material? thanks so much! Paula
I have seen some people replace the hose on a Roll-Easy with either a pool hose or the hose from an older model of Flow-Bee pet trimmer. I'm not sure how well this works or how viable these options are, though.