World's First(?) 13" Kirby Tradition

[vacuumman]

What do you do when you have a Kirby Tradition with a broken safety switch and a Kirby D80 nozzle with blue trim? You make a 13" Kirby Tradition of course!

 

[kirbyclassiciii]

vacuumman

You know, Kirby could have done this 13" nozzle thing as an option as far back as the Classic III 2CB in 1976. And then, when the Tradition 3CB replaced the Classic III during 1979, the 13" nozzle would also have had the metal pin to make it jibe with the infamous new speed switch mounted to the inside of the headlight cap.

When the 13" nozzle option was resurrected during the Heritage 1HD run, in 1982, what Kirby did to make the headlight cap fit over the contours of the 13" nozzle was to shave down the cap casting but just enough to match up with the contours of the top of the nozzle.

(video: Thom S., aka KirbyCollector)

~Ben[this post was last edited: 9/13/2022-23:19]

 

[texaskirbyguy]

Looks great!! Almost factory..
Glad that Tradition went to someone who will use it and appreciate it.
Now that I see you had transferred the belt lifter to the 13" nozzle, I realize I had an extra belt lifter I could have sent so you could use either nozzle at will.
Just make sure the machine runs in low speed with the nozzle in place so that it will not over-amp due to reduced static pressure (more airflow than it was designed for).
Again, great job, and thanks again for rescuing that machine.

 

[kirbyklekter]

It does look factory

I've been kicking around the idea of doing a nozzle swap myself. Is the main advantage of using the smaller nozzle better suction or just less clunkiness while vacuuming? Or both,haha!

 

[texaskirbyguy]

Probably both.
With as crowded as my house is getting, that narrower nozzle is a benefit.
Saves a little bit of weight as well.