Manufacturers date

I assume that the question can be answered by someone other than Paul?

Taking that for granted, I would like to interject a few ideas I have, about the machine that you have in question; which is a Self Propelled Concept One, which began life technically in 1978 (for sure, and catalogs and ads prove such), and ran thru about 1978-81/2 IIRC in the guise of the striped blue bag, with blue trim.

The way I've understood it, and was explained above, that there was no ACTUAL discernible way to know EXACTLY when a machine was mfg'd out of Hoover pre 1988. And only then it was year, and month. That usually suits most.

So this U3101 was well BEFORE that year. So it's virtually impossible to know exactly when. But...

I have been, and many others have too; been privvy to a few actual truths from various Hoover guru's and more. Many plausible explanations, using factory document(s) or "the production book", filled with corporate typewritten "proven" bits of information that can kind-of help get a basic clue, are out there to help those who "need to know" have a semblance of a clue.. which is:

Hoover at that time usually built most models in batches of 5000. That was how they as I've learned, built the Convertibles. So it's logic that they did the same with their entire upright line(s). Then the line would shift for the various sub models of that particular style. And would in a safe assumption, rotate back every few weeks, to a month maybe, back to the model in question, as stock was depleted etc.

Hoover also almost ALWAYS began production with serial number 1001. So in production your machine was : 00001001-(start) to-(yours)- 00020277. Using the 00001001 as our guide, your machine was the 19,276 model out the door, probably in the very late months of 1977 or very early in 1978. Only someone who could exact the start date of production could narrow it down better.

But let's assume "for-fun", that they began production in November of 1977 ( like a car model year), and the batches were 5000 (monthly). The unit you have would have been in batch #4, which is logical if it's proven somehow that they did IN fact build them still in the batches of 5000, for the Concept One. So again, this unit would have been the 4,276th machine off the line in that fourth batch. So very late in the (month). Than said, yours would probably have, or even could have actually been built in February of 1978. Which in theory seems quite plausible, and to an extent almost a given.

But again, we use "for fun", for just that. Again, it's all in corporate, typewritten records long dumped or destroyed by a once great company, bought by an old M brand wringer Company, sold again, wrung out, then slaughtered/ killed off. And now is a faceless conglomerate smacking out caca.. Or whomever did the deed..my guess is COUGH****TTI***COUGH!

Chad

Ann Arbor Michigan

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Post# 400817 11/14/2018 at 13:36 (1,982 days old) by Clive (Richmond )
Checkrate/Likes Hi I’ve been told it’s possible to work out the date The Hoover was made by reading the serial number Can anyone tell me how to do this Many thanks Clive

Post# 400916 , Reply# 1 11/15/2018 at 20:11 (1,980 days old) by Paul (USA)
Checkrate/Likes As I understand it, Hoover USA cleaners' months and years of manufacture have been coded in the first four digits of the company's serial numbers since 1988. For example 0389 would be March (03) of 1989 (89). Without access to a database of the company's serial numbers and their corresponding production times there is no way to determine the information of an earlier Hoover cleaner. Unfortunately, I think those company records were discarded and/or deleted. Hoover Ltd. began coding the time of manufacture in its serial numbers in 1967 using 3 digits: one for the last digit of the year, and two for the month. They came after the model #. To illustrate: U10166081234, displays the model, 'U1016' (Junior Dirtsearcher), and the '608' following represents August 1976.

Post# 400996 , Reply# 2 11/17/2018 at 03:05 (1,979 days old) by vacuumdevil (Vacuum Hell )
Checkrate/Likes @paul how would you read this one then? View Full Size

Post# 401010 , Reply# 3 11/17/2018 at 11:30 (1,979 days old) by dirtmaster37 (Ypsilanti, Michigan USA)
Checkrate/Likes *how would you read this one then?* I assume that the question can be answered by someone other than Paul? Taking that for granted, I would like to interject a few ideas I have, about the machine that you have in question; which is a Self Propelled Concept One, which began life technically in 1978 (for sure, and catalogs and ads prove such), and ran thru about 1978-81/2 IIRC in the guise of the striped blue bag, with blue trim. The way I've understood it, and was explained above, that there was no ACTUAL discernible way to know EXACTLY when a machine was mfg'd out of Hoover pre 1988. And only then it was year, and month. That usually suits most. So this U3101 was well BEFORE that year. So it's virtually impossible to know exactly when. But... I have been, and many others have too; been privvy to a few actual truths from various Hoover guru's and more. Many plausible explanations, using factory document(s) or "the production book", filled with corporate typewritten "proven" bits of information that can kind-of help get a basic clue, are out there to help those who "need to know" have a semblance of a clue.. which is: Hoover at that time usually built most models in batches of 5000. That was how they as I've learned, built the Convertibles. So it's logic that they did the same with their entire upright line(s). Then the line would shift for the various sub models of that particular style. And would in a safe assumption, rotate back every few weeks, to a month maybe, back to the model in question, as stock was depleted etc. Hoover also almost ALWAYS began production with serial number 1001. So in production your machine was : 00001001-(start) to-(yours)- 00020277. Using the 00001001 as our guide, your machine was the 19,276 model out the door, probably in the very late months of 1977 or very early in 1978. Only someone who could exact the start date of production could narrow it down better. But let's assume "for-fun", that they began production in November of 1977 ( like a car model year), and the batches were 5000 (monthly). The unit you have would have been in batch #4, which is logical if it's proven somehow that they did IN fact build them still in the batches of 5000, for the Concept One. So again, this unit would have been the 4,276th machine off the line in that fourth batch. So very late in the (month). Than said, yours would probably have, or even could have actually been built in February of 1978. Which in theory seems quite plausible, and to an extent almost a given. But again, we use "for fun", for just that. Again, it's all in corporate, typewritten records long dumped or destroyed by a once great company, bought by an old M brand wringer Company, sold again, wrung out, then slaughtered/ killed off. And now is a faceless conglomerate smacking out caca.. Or whomever did the deed..my guess is COUGH**TTI*COUGH! Chad Ann Arbor Michigan View Full Size

Post# 401017 , Reply# 4 11/17/2018 at 12:51 (1,979 days old) by vacuumdevil (Vacuum Hell )
Checkrate/Likes @dirtmaster37 Thank you for the response. At least Hoover/ TTI machines now have a date code on them. 😎

Post# 401028 , Reply# 5 11/17/2018 at 15:13 (1,978 days old) by huskyvacs (Gnaw Bone, Indiana)
Checkrate/Likes If only people in the company would have caught all those old files and saved them rather than let them be trashed. Auto workers did that plenty of times but I guess vacuums weren't the same.

Post# 401047 , Reply# 6 11/17/2018 at 23:05 (1,978 days old) by bnsd60m9200 (Akron OH)
Checkrate/Likes *huskyvacs* there are copies of the "hoover bible" with dates for machines before 1988 but the only copies i know go from 1908 to 1973. between 73 and 88 there is very little information out there.

Post# 401049 , Reply# 7 11/17/2018 at 23:08 (1,978 days old) by gregvacs28 (U.S.)
Checkrate/Likes It is worrisome that so much information about products that really aren't that old, seems to be so unimportant it's just evaporated. I suppose it's human nature to just take things for granted that are found in such abundance. Unlike the new technologies of the 1950s when everything was so well documented and carefully handled. Once home appliances matured in the 90s, we as a society, could afford to just throw away old stuff. I cannot even think of models or model names of vacuums in the last 15 years. .... unless it's my central vacuum. lol. It seems like the less expensive and smaller in size an appliance is, the less documented it is, too. Would we consider this attitude 'success' ? I suppose it is.