VMC 27A Machine Information

About the VMC 27A 

The VMC 27A is the sister machine of the VMC 27 and was meant to be an improved version. The VMC-27A had space for twice the number of bottles, so it could store and pre-cool 27 other cokes. That’s why it was nicknamed the “dual 27”. The design was a little bit less round than the VMC-27 and was much taller because it accommodate the cooling system below the vending panel. It was manufactured in 1949 and then only produced for three years during which it had the same appearance, resembling the V-27.

You can buy parts for the VMC 27A Here. 

Features

• The VMC-27A was introduced in 1949 and produced until 1952.
• It had some of the same features as the VMC-27, like the cooling system, and a similar front panel appearance.
• The main differences were that the VMC-27A was taller and had space for 27 pre-cooled bottles, which made it much more efficient at the cost of making the machine bigger. It had a two-piece aluminum front door that was painted silver, along with the coin entry. The bottle chute was chromed and had a chromed trim detail crossing it at the top, which also surrounded the front door. It also had three vents at the bottom part of the door.
• Even though they remained similar through the different years of production, there were some minor changes each year regarding the VMC logo. In 1951 the logo was “Vendorlator”, and was placed on top of the bottle chute. In the following year, the logo was changed to a square VMC logo which is now easier to find in newer models. And the last year of production the logo was moved to the bottom center of the front door. This is one of the methods you can use to discover the specific year of production of your machine.
• It was a mechanically operated machine. You had to introduce 5 cents or 10 cents in the coin entry, and crank the chromed handle. Only then the bottle would come out of the top chute.
• The round vending drum also suffered some changes throughout the years. During the first year of production, it used the same exact drum as the VMC-27. However, after that, and for the remaining two years of production, it was changed to a more efficient design without individual cooling lines on each shelf. The newer design had a round, more compact evaporator that removed pre-cooled shelves.
• Another interesting fact is that the V-27, the V-27A, and the V-33 share a similar vending drum design. However, the newer V-33 used the space inside the machine more efficiently, allowing it to vend 6 more bottles with a similar mechanism to the previous machines.
• This machine vends 6 ½ and 8oz bottles.

VMC 27A Specs:

• Vends: 27 6.5oz, but it can also vend 8oz bottles.
• Pre-cools: 27 bottles.
• Operation: Manual
• Size: 52″ high, 26” wide, and 18″ deep

Refrigeration:

Tecumseh cooling system, 1/10 HP

Serial Number Information: 

• The serial plates of this machine could be found on the lower, right corner of the left side of the machine.
• The date of manufacture can be established by cross-referencing the serial number ID plate of the cooling system and the ID number of the compressor.
• The first item was the month the machine was manufactured on. They were represented by letters from A to M, skipping over letters I. “A” means January, “B” means February, “C” means march, and so on.
• Then came the year of manufacture, which was represented by a number. And finally a 5-digit serial number.
• The VMC-27A proved that the concept of standalone upright machines was successful. The concept was again proved right when the V-27A was improved to create the Vendo 33.