Dole Director in Michigan

[johnieG]

Found this Dole Director Coke soda fountain dispenser in Flushing Michigan, I drove over to have a look-see, it's in pretty good shape and is complete with its Drain-tray & the grill that goes into it.  but it does have a crack in the left side-panel & one of the dispenser levers (the third one on the far right) have been removed & the the nozzle for the selection plugged, & yes, it does weigh a ton!   It piqued my interest, but I'm not a dispenser guy...so just passing it along.  here's the Craig's list link... her asking price was $100.00 which is well worth the parts, especially the drip-tray

http://flint.craigslist.org/atq/1906231196.html

[Kilroy]

I may have the side panels if anyone is interested. I've hauled one of these for a former board member here,  Johnie is correct, they are heavy and awkward as heck to move around.

[stuntpilot]

Heavy and awkward is an understatement!  They will also occasionally give you a good jolt electrically speaking.

They make a wonderful and simple home fountain if you can find a working version with the carbonator still mounted underneath the valves.

It employes a very simple dry refrigeration system that's works great and gives you a drink at around 35 degrees. Cracked side panels were very common with this machine, usually caused by having to move the awkward unit. All the weight is on the top so they would fall over quite easily.

[Kilroy]

I can also tell you they won't fit in the back of a Grand Am

[johnieG]

They'll only need the left side, the right is in very good shape, this will be a nice addition to someones home or collection, plus it's relatively easy to hook up, just pour in your syrups into the reservoirs & the machine will dilute it to the proper ratio. you could transfer the syrup from a BIB ( bag-in-box) syrup container as needed & refrigerate the rest for later. just add a CO2/carbonation system & away you go.

[cokemachinesandmore]

just curious is there a special water line needed for this type of fountain

[stuntpilot]

Soda water inlet is a 1/2" FPT with a 1/4" barbed stem which needs to be stainless steel.

Basically the same as a CO2 regulator tank connector but stainless.

It's getting kind of tough to find these, if you need one I can probably set you up as I still have a couple laying around in my parts stash.

[cokemachinesandmore]

can the type of dispenser like the one in your avatar be used to dispense pop, or does it have to be a newer model?

[stuntpilot]

It's possible if the dispenser is in good enough shape.

The biggest problem with old dispensers like that as with draft arms from old soda fountains is the valve bodies pit from the continuous contact from soda water which causes them to leak.

Soda arms use leather washers for there sealing means but pitting renders them useless as you lose the smooth surface for the leather to seal against.

I have three of those motorboat fountains and always wanted to try and get one going but haven't got around to it. The one in the pic could be good enough to work, it's in excellent condition. I'm going to hook up my newer fountain again and I'll have to give the motorboat a try.

The Director in this thread would be a better candidate for home use as it relies on o-rings for sealing which can be replaced. But they also have issues of their own which without knowledge would be hard to fix.

There is a very nice Dole Super on e-bay right now, the price is top dollar and I'm curious to see if it sells.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=320624667424&ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT

[scalebowler]

How hard is it to find a carbonator for one of these machines and what is a pretty good price for one of them? Someone has one on craigslist near me and I am thinking of trying to get it. It does not have the carbonator or the CO2 tank but they say it  does work.