Thread Number: 30468
Hoover Keymatic 3203
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Post# 461232   9/4/2010 at 07:03 (4,954 days old) by HooverJames ()        

Hi,

Since a few days ago I couldn't get this machine out of my head! Does it have a conventional Matchbox style drum and motor etc.? I'm currently awaiting to find my Irish rarity. What rare machines both Hoover and Hotpoint would have been sold over here? Hotpoint haven't replied about my 1600 query yet and I think they are hiding the last one from us!

James.





Post# 461617 , Reply# 1   9/6/2010 at 11:30 (4,952 days old) by matchboxpaul (U.K)        

Hi James.

No the widebody Hoover machines were different to the later matchboxes.
Whereas today we generally have evolution, Hoover went through revolutions with the first three series of front loading automatics.

First there were the slanted keymatics - models 3224 and 3226.

Below is Mathew's lovely example of model 3226:



Post# 461618 , Reply# 2   9/6/2010 at 11:31 (4,952 days old) by matchboxpaul (U.K)        

and its innards...

Post# 461620 , Reply# 3   9/6/2010 at 11:33 (4,952 days old) by matchboxpaul (U.K)        
which was replaced by...

model 3203 Keymatic De Luxe.

Another of Mathews machines, here is his example, alongside Mike's model 3020 dryer (Hoovers first tumble dryer, based on the English Electric Liberator)...


Post# 461622 , Reply# 4   9/6/2010 at 11:39 (4,952 days old) by matchboxpaul (U.K)        
and its innards...

The widebody machines used an induction motor, so are really quiet, providing two speeds - wash and spin.

The slanted keymatics span at 750rpm, whilst the widebody machines span 10rpm slower at 740rpm.


If I remember rightly, the tub weights were triantgular in shape and ran along the two sides of the machine, strapped to the bodysides rather than the drum.

So, to stop jumping around, the bodyshell weight of the machine was made heavier rather than the weight of the drum itself.




Post# 461623 , Reply# 5   9/6/2010 at 11:39 (4,952 days old) by matchboxpaul (U.K)        

and the widebody induction motor...

Post# 461626 , Reply# 6   9/6/2010 at 11:43 (4,952 days old) by matchboxpaul (U.K)        

The widebody 3203 grew a Hot fill solonoid and became model 3203H, whilst an automatic dial controlled machine was also sold in the form of model 3208.

Both these were replaced by 2nd generation widebody models, in the form of model 3221H Automatic and 3223H Keymatic De Luxe.

These were then replaced in 1970 by the matchboxes, initially in the form of the 3235 Automatic and 3236H Automatic De Luxe, with the 3243H Keymatic De Luxe arriving in late 71ish.

Below is mine and Mathews 3236H Automatic De Luxe...


Post# 461628 , Reply# 7   9/6/2010 at 11:46 (4,952 days old) by matchboxpaul (U.K)        

and Garys 3243H...

Post# 461630 , Reply# 8   9/6/2010 at 11:53 (4,952 days old) by matchboxpaul (U.K)        

Below is a piccy of the innards of the 3236H.

Smaller bodyshell.
Same wash capacity as the widebodies.
Brushed motor
Spin speed slowed further to 720rpm.




Post# 461633 , Reply# 9   9/6/2010 at 11:53 (4,952 days old) by matchboxpaul (U.K)        

the brush motor...

Post# 461636 , Reply# 10   9/6/2010 at 11:57 (4,952 days old) by matchboxpaul (U.K)        

From now on, development was a case of gentle evolution and 'improvement', .

Though, as with all the manufacturers, 'improvement' basically meant removing a component here and there, cutting a bit off that and making components lighter and cheaper.

Nevertheless, take the back off an ecologic and its similarity to a matchbox will be readily apparrent.

Though only a potted history, I hope its answered a few questions James.

Cheers
paul


Post# 461642 , Reply# 11   9/6/2010 at 12:04 (4,952 days old) by matchboxpaul (U.K)        

p.s if you havent discovered them already, vids of many vintage hoovers are on youtube.

Type in 'Hoover' and, off the top of my head, the following model numbers and you should get some vids:

3226, 3203, 3236H, 3243H, A2E04, A3008, A3060, A3110, A3112, Selectamtic, A3190, A3254 and A3308. There will be others, but cant remember them at the moment.

Cheers
paul


Post# 461669 , Reply# 12   9/6/2010 at 15:52 (4,952 days old) by vacbear58 (Sutton In Ashfield, East Midlands, UK)        
A slighly different perspective

vacbear58's profile picture
James,

Paul has given you a good and accurate rundown of the machines, now to put it a little more into context. I grew up and lived in Nortern Ireland between 1960 (I was actually born in England) and 1986 - so I lived through the "window" we are currently looking at.

In purely ecomonic terms NI was somewhat behind the UK mainland in terms of growth and ecomonic oppertunity - partly through its historical background and partly through being located in the top corner of another country.

It was my IMPRESSION when I visited Eire many times in the early to mid-1980s that, AT THAT TIME, ecomonic growth was somwhat behind that of the UK. Now James, you being from Donegal are in a bit of an unusual situation in being geographically closer to NI than the rest of the country so my guess is that Donegal itself would have been somewhere between the two.

Now, I can only speak of my recollections of what I saw at that time, In NI.

As I say, NI was somewhat behind mainland UK, but in the 1960s Twin tubs had pre-eminence although there were automatics around - I am aware of several owners of slant front keymatics and I know for sure of one early EE Liberator. However it seems to me, after reading many of teh Which reports for that era that the brands on sale tended to be dominated by the big three - Hoover, Hotpoint & Servis - and Rolls while they existed to a greater extent than on the mainland. I clearly remember pretty much all of their models coming onto the market up to around 1980 of so.

That is not to say of course that there were NO other machines on sale, just that they were in even smaller numbers - for example I know of examples of Bendix wide bodied machines (many more of the later autowashers from 1974 onwards though), Colston washer dryer (with the big door on it - was that the dryer?) and Philips Slimline machines. From the mid-1970s Zanussi appeared and made fasr inroads into teh market.

So to answer your question, yes they were on sale in NI at least, although I would say in porportionally lower volumes, given that the market was not so ecomonically advanced. And I guess similar for the Republic although again rather less so than the UK. And not just the Keymatic - the Hotpoint 1600 was on sale too - I rembember it, I saw it.

Al


Post# 462191 , Reply# 13   9/8/2010 at 17:21 (4,950 days old) by keymatic3203 (Cardiff UK)        
keymatic3203

Hi James

Paul and Al have done a great job of expaining about the keymatic line up and it's place in the appliance markets of the 60's and 70's.

If you have any questions about the mechanics of it I can have a stabb at answering them.

The motor as Paul says is an induction motor giving two speeds, on the output of the motor is a gearbox, which reduces the slow speed further to give the drum speed of 47rpm (washing) from a motor speed of 1440, for spinning the motor runs at 2880rpm and the clutch within the gearbox disengages the reduction gears and transmits the motor speed direct to the pulley and via the V belt providing a spin speed of 740 rpm which was fast for that time. This was in the days before electronic speed control and brush motors, which came along in the 70's, bringing down the component costs and making automatics more affordable.

Glad to get that off my chest lol. lol.

The gearbox in my opinion gives the machine a real 60's appliance sound, you can really hear the gear change as the clutch plates take up the torque when accelerating into spin.

Anyway, great you have such a keen interest in the vintage machines, the attraction to me, apart from loving electrical appliances in general, is how in these pioneering days of automatic machines, each manufacturer solved the problems in a different way, ie how to get one drum to revolve at two speeds with one motor and it not dance around the kitchen in the process.

Hope this was of interest, and hope you enjoy the youtube films Paul mentions.

mathew


Post# 462317 , Reply# 14   9/9/2010 at 00:26 (4,950 days old) by SeamusUK (Dover Kent UK)        
James.....

seamusuk's profile picture
Its wondering a bit , but you see Paul and Mathews SUPERB 3236H Matchbox above............

6 months ago it looked like this.........

I really cant believe how different the 2 pics could be!!!

Seamus


Post# 462527 , Reply# 15   9/10/2010 at 02:21 (4,949 days old) by paulinroyton (B)        
3236H

Hi Paul & Matthew.

Must say you 3236H looks so impressive. I remember when we lived in Scotland a friend of my Mums having a machine like the 3236H, but if I remember it had no soap dispenser.

Paul



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