|
Thread Number: 37968
/ Tag: 80s/90s Vacuum Cleaners
Royal Heavy Duty Commercial Find |
[Down to Last] |  |
| Post# 404655 1/26/2019 at 18:06 (1,909 days old) by broomvac (N/A) | ||
Years back, I had a Royal 880 upright, but I wished I had one of the commercial models. I imagined that the perfect Royal for me would have been:
-commercial -without headlight (I much prefer this look.) -with “adjust-o-rite” front cover -with the infinite height adjustment screw -with brush stiffeners -with a high current motor (One which also doesn’t require oiling, because who likes maintenance anyways?) -with a “type B” bag system -with wide rear wheels ...but what would be the chances of finding one like that in the wild, and for cheap? Against the odds, I stumbled upon exactly that vacuum today at my usual recycling center. For $5, it came home with me. Now my Royal 501 hand vac has a companion. I was surprised to find that it in a relatively polished state. Usually, the aluminum vacuums I spot are tarnished as hell. This one, not so much. Thankfully, the bag had no damage either. It’s a bit dirty, as you can see below, but I’ve seen worse. @Ben: 10 amps, no oiling port, 9 blades, double rows with stiffeners, 3 prongs, 1020Z, serial J98D 00003901, made in USA at plant A. Please give me the low-down on my new Royal. When was it made, 1990, 1993, 2001, or none of the above? Presumably, its motor has ball bearings on both ends, no? It does run very smoothly. Also, what is the spring-like thing (see picture 8) on the height adjustment screw for? Is it a stop? I’m excited to re-join the “Royal” family! | ||
Post# 404656 , Reply# 1 1/26/2019 at 18:11 (1,909 days old) by KirbyClassicIII  (Milwaukie, Oregon) |
||
broomvac | ||
| Post# 404658 , Reply# 2 1/26/2019 at 18:17 (1,909 days old) by broomvac (N/A) | ||
|
| ||
|
Post# 404659 , Reply# 3 1/26/2019 at 18:21 (1,909 days old) by KirbyClassicIII (Milwaukie, Oregon) |
||
|
broomvac
The leading letter in the date code says so.
Since 1971, the first 12 letters in the alphabet are the respective months of the calendar year (until 1985, the letter "I" was skipped, using "J" through "M" instead to denote the months of September to December, respectively). Hence... A = January B = February C = March D = April E = May F = June G = July H = August I = September (skipped over in the years 1971-1984 to avoid confusion with the number "1") J = October (September from 1971-1984) K = November (October from 1971-1984) L = December (November from 1971-1984) M = December (1971-1984, and for some unknown reason in 1985 and 1987 as well) ~Ben This post was last edited 01/26/2019 at 19:38 | ||
| Post# 404669 , Reply# 4 1/26/2019 at 23:56 (1,908 days old) by broomvac (N/A) | ||
|
Thanks again for sharing your knowledge! I hope you don’t mind if I pepper you with one last round of Royal-related questions. Your knowledge is an excellent resource.
Which style/part number of belt does my 1020Z use? It should use the same belt that Royal’s current household and commercial all-metal models use, correct? Also, can I install a brush roll from one of the new Royals in mine? Although the original is very wrapped in hair, it looks to still have lots of life left. I may seek a spare to keep just as a precaution, and I figure that getting a replacement for one of Royal’s current models may be the best route. | ||
|
Post# 404676 , Reply# 5 1/27/2019 at 00:38 (1,908 days old) by KirbyClassicIII (Milwaukie, Oregon) |
||
|
broomvac
Here you go:
Yes, the belt used is the current Style 8 (part no. 1-672260-001). And as to the brush roll, yes you can install one of the latest available types in it. The exact one you want is part no. 2-673273-000 (double bristle with stiffeners, but w/o the magnet for the brush indicator light). ~Ben | ||
| Post# 404697 , Reply# 6 1/27/2019 at 13:13 (1,908 days old) by broomvac (N/A) | ||
|
@Ben: Thanks for taking the time to help me. I’m glad to know for sure what supplies go with the machine rather than relying on potential misinformation out there.
Everyone: At some point, I’ll get a chance to get this Royal looking better and I’ll come back with updates then. Usually, when I get a new [to me] vac, I will take it apart, but only as far as is “necessary.” However, since this is a relatively simple vacuum with no mechanical issues I could detect, I don’t actually see myself undoing a single screw. This’ll make its cleanup pretty quick. | ||
|
Post# 404727 , Reply# 7 1/27/2019 at 23:08 (1,907 days old) by KirbyClassicIII (Milwaukie, Oregon) |
||
|
broomvac | ||
| Post# 405332 , Reply# 9 2/10/2019 at 17:10 (1,894 days old) by broomvac (N/A) | ||
|
As promised, I'm here again with the post-refurb update! My new Royal didn't require much beyond a cleaning and a basic service to make it tip-top. The only damage was on the cord. In two spots, the previous owner of the vacuum managed to munch through the outer insulation without disturbing the insulation on the inner wires. To make it right, I detached the unwieldy fifty-footer and slipped electrician's heat shrink tubing over the damage. Thankfully, the cord was straightforward to remove.
Next, I put a little soft plastic cap on the end of the handle bolt. This is something which would not have originally come with the vacuum, but I thought it was a good addition to protect the bag. Although the bag hadn't sustained any wear near the handle bolt, I thought this cheap insurance was worth it, even if just to make me feel better. @kirbyklekter: Yes, the brush roll bearings needed a bit of attention, but I don't think hair was the cause. They felt somewhat gritty, but this was nothing a good cleansing with QD Contact Cleaner followed by some Mobil 1 Polyrex EM couldn't rectify. The brush strips have plenty of length remaining. After that, all it took was just an external wipedown and a new HEPA bag and belt to make it spiffy. Thoughts: I shouldn't be surprised, but compared to my former 880, this 1020Z seems as though it's from a different planet. It purrs like a tiger or something. I could go on about how powerful this vacuum is, etc., etc., but that would be old news to you all. Bottom line: it's what you'd expect from a 10-amp commercial Royal and it's one of the few vacuum which might could "steal the crown" from a 7-amp Sanitaire. One feature which really impressed me is the denim bag. Unless Royal has discovered something even more wear-resistant for their current vacs, I can only imagine that, as nice as it looks, the orange bag would be a downgrade. I suppose the only other noteworthy thing is its finish. I take no credit for the way the aluminum looks. Royal must have put more effort into polishing their vacuums in 1998 than in 2019, because I swear that this 1020Z is still shinier than its NIB contemporary counterparts on eBay. Not bad for five bucks. | ||
| Post# 405339 , Reply# 10 2/10/2019 at 23:56 (1,893 days old) by compactc9guy (Bathurst NB) | ||
 | ||
| Post# 405340 , Reply# 11 2/11/2019 at 00:22 (1,893 days old) by broomvac (N/A) | ||
|
| ||
| Post# 405341 , Reply# 12 2/11/2019 at 00:59 (1,893 days old) by toastermike (Milwaukie Oregon) | ||
 | ||
| Post# 405351 , Reply# 13 2/11/2019 at 13:10 (1,893 days old) by Lesinutah (Utah) | ||
Hey 
Hey
Nice catch. I had the 1030z I got for free that is identical to your vacuum. I actually have the royal that bag goes to. Your adjust o rite cap would have been a black flap I believe. The orange bag also different but commercialize the vacuum. The belts from Kirby vacuums also fit this. It's actually alot quicker job polishing royal newer vacuums. The 10 amp powerplant is insane on suction. It eats any rug and anything in it's path. It is a beast of a machine. It is a bit loud but it's a commercial vacuum. Enjoy. Les | ||
| Post# 405406 , Reply# 14 2/12/2019 at 21:31 (1,891 days old) by MadMan (Chicago, IL, USA) | ||
 | ||
| Post# 405723 , Reply# 15 2/20/2019 at 14:29 (1,884 days old) by broomvac (N/A) | ||
|
Hi all. Sorry for the delayed response. Thank you for the kind words.
I’ve run this vacuum through my house a few times now and have been loving it. These days, cyclonic bagless vacuums seem to excite me more than bagged cleaners do, but this is an exception. This vacuum is a spectacularly high performer and handles my plush carpet with ease. The vacuum is not hard to push because I was able to dial in the “Rite Hite” perfectly. In fact, this 1020Z may have cured me of Kirbys; it’s lighter, more maneuverable, and markedly more powerful. @MadMan: I hadn’t thought of that. You may be right. Out of curiosity, I dug up pictures of some other commercial Royals from the same era. Whether it’s a difference in alloy or just polishing, clearly, these older ones are much shinier. Maybe Royal don’t bother to shine up the commercial models so much these days because they know the vacuums are likely to get beat up and disgusting before too long. Incidentally, I’d love to get my hands on one of the matching shake-out bags. I know that they probably do a dismal job filtering, but they do look great! | ||
|
Post# 405729 , Reply# 16 2/20/2019 at 16:57 (1,884 days old) by KirbyClassicIII (Milwaukie, Oregon) |
||
|
broomvac
Both of those Royal Commercial pics you uploaded: they have the standard plastic belt cover and the five-position toe-touch height adjustment. They seemed to be more popular than those with the Adjust-O-Rite cover and the Rite-Hite (screw type) height adjustment.
Here are some pictures of some much older Royal commercial machines (from the '60s-'80s)... ~Ben | ||
| Post# 405731 , Reply# 17 2/20/2019 at 17:30 (1,884 days old) by broomvac (N/A) | ||
|
@Ben: | ||
|
Post# 405732 , Reply# 18 2/20/2019 at 17:32 (1,884 days old) by KirbyClassicIII (Milwaukie, Oregon) |
||
|
broomvac | ||
| Post# 405975 , Reply# 19 2/25/2019 at 03:50 (1,879 days old) by askolover (Nashville, TN) | ||
|
I've always wanted a Royal, but we just don't see them often in my neck of the woods. The only one I have is a Royal Prince that I bought new in 1988 to vacuum my new car with. Have two Kirbys so no extra space to add a Royal anyway. Enjoyed all the pics in this thread though. | ||
|
Post# 405979 , Reply# 20 2/25/2019 at 08:03 (1,879 days old) by KirbyClassicIII (Milwaukie, Oregon) |
||
|
askolover
Greg,
I have a 501 Prince, too. It was built in 1982. I also have three Royal metal uprights, which were made in 1985 (880), 1987 (786 Prince) and 1994 (9100 Preferred Collection). ~Ben This post was last edited 02/25/2019 at 09:32 | ||
|
Post# 450681 , Reply# 21 3/11/2022 at 16:39 (769 days old) by KirbyClassicIII (Milwaukie, Oregon) |
||
|
broomvac
Here are pictures of my 1987 Royal 662 Heavy Duty Commercial for your enjoyment.
~Ben | ||
| Forum Index: | 
| Other Forums: |
|
|
|
|
|
Comes to the Rescue!
;){kind=link}
;){kind=link}
;){kind=link}
;){kind=link}
;){kind=link}
;){kind=link}
;){kind=link}
;){kind=link}
;){kind=link}
;){kind=link}
;){kind=link}
;){kind=link}