Thread Number: 13154
Does anyone remember washers or dryers of thier childhood?
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Post# 228202   8/6/2007 at 23:28 (6,079 days old) by hooverboy1 ()        

The ones that stand out the most in my mind are my grandmother's old Maytag center dial washer and dryer.




Post# 228204 , Reply# 1   8/6/2007 at 23:38 (6,079 days old) by rinso (Meridian Idaho)        

I remember my aunt's 1952 Unimatic and my mom's Maytag AMP with the flat top and lighted logo on the front. I hated our Maytag because you couldn't watch it, and if you tried to open the lid during spin, a solenoid would bang and my mom would yell at me to stop playing with the washer.

Post# 228210 , Reply# 2   8/7/2007 at 00:21 (6,079 days old) by gewa1054wguy ()        
Better yet

Hunting for and then finding the set you grew up with!

Post# 228211 , Reply# 3   8/7/2007 at 00:27 (6,079 days old) by goprog ()        

I find it unfathomable one could not remember, but maybe
it makes a difference when your childhood was. I certainly
remember the washer and dryer from my childhood - a wringer
washer and a clothesline. It was lots of fun putting stuff
through the wringer (with a stick to make sure your fingers
didn't get caught). Taking the clothes off the line wasn't
as much fun, but I remember doing it.


Post# 228215 , Reply# 4   8/7/2007 at 00:33 (6,079 days old) by maytagbear (N.E. Ohio)        
The washer of my childhood shows up

as a POD every so often. It is the Whirlpool Imperial with the mom and the twin boys. It lasted until 1978, when it was replaced with an A208.

Our dryer was a Maytag Highlander.


An aunt had a Frigidaire Rollermatic that I liked very much. It had the cute little window in the lid and the offset timer. I wished that the window had been bigger, and that there hadn't been the enameled line on the window. Oh, well.


Lawrence/Maytagbear


Post# 228218 , Reply# 5   8/7/2007 at 00:48 (6,079 days old) by dadoes (TX, U.S. of A.)        

dadoes's profile picture
Surely.

My family had a 1962 Whirlpool LJA3200 and a 1964 LME4600. Then in 1976 an LDA7800, with an LDE7800 dryer in 1977. Now my parents have a 1994 KitchenAid set.

Paternal grandparents had a 1950-something Whirlpool, with a pop-the-top lid. Then a late 1960s Supreme 80 washer in white, mated a few years later with a Supreme 80 dryer in avocado.

One of the paternal aunts had a late 1960s Kenmore 800 washer, mated with an early 1960s dryer that went into the early 70s when they got a Whirly dryer. That Kenmore 800 went into the late 1980s or early 1990s when a matching direct-drive set came along. Another aunt had an 1960s Kenmore with a cartridge waterfall filter. The third aunt had a 1960s Speed Queen pair. The washer was replaced with a belt-drive Whirlpool in the early 1980s. Then a Maytag. Now they have another Maytag pair. When my dad's uncle married in the early 1970s, his wife brought along a Wizard.

Maternal grandmother had a 1950s flat-top Kenmore (with a Kenmore wringer still hanging around), then a 1960s Kelvinator (given to her by neighbors) that had an ongoing electrical problem. A 1970/71 Kenmore 70, mated in 1972 with a Whirlpool dryer. Then a Whirlpool Design2000. She got my KA 760 pair in 1999. Now she has my F&P GWL08 & DE04. Granny's sister had a Whirlpool LPA-series washer for many years, then a lower-end Roper. She never had a dryer.

Various sets remembered from neighbors .... a 1960s coppertone Kenmore 70 pair. Lots of Whirlpools in town. A couple neighbors had Catalina. Family friends had a 1960s Philco pair, then an Easy set. My kindergarten teacher (private school at her house) had a stacked Westy SpaceMates set. A couple of granny's friends had Maytags, and there were a couple GEs.


Post# 228222 , Reply# 6   8/7/2007 at 01:02 (6,078 days old) by goprog ()        
DADoES

You scare me! ;)

Post# 228226 , Reply# 7   8/7/2007 at 03:27 (6,078 days old) by sactoteddybear ()        
Childhood Washers & Dryers:

My Parent's had a 1945/46 Bolt-Down Bendix Washer and a 1950 Westinghouse Electric Dryer, with the Solid Door, instead of the Glass Window, however it looked like it had the Glass, but it was Black Painted, with Westinghouse written at a 45-Degree angle, from Lower Left to Upper Right.

The next Washer was a 1956 Kenmore Washer, with the Pregnant Black Roto-Swirl Agitator and the Blue Timer Dial. It also had a Float for the Water Level and Push-Buttons for the Water Level {High/Low} & Water Temp {Hot, Medium, Warm}.

The next Washer and Dryer was a 1959 Hotpoint Solid Tub Washer, with the Slim-Neck Black Agitator and the Red
Bake-Lite Lint Filter Outer Frame and the Metal Screen inside. It also had the Red Detergent Pan, that fit on top of the Lint Filter. The Dryer was a 1962 Hotpoint Electric Dryer and it had a Trap-Door in the Drum, to open and clean out around the whole Drum area and around the Heating Element, which was Solid, similar to an Oven Element.

The next Washer was a 1966 Frigidaire Custom Deluxe Jet-Action Washer, with the Roller-Matic Mechanism.

The next Washer was a 1968 Lady-K Set, with the Pre-Set Controls and the Gold Vari-Flex Agitator, Detergent Dispenser on the outer Right side of the Lid and the Bleach & Fabric Softener {combined} on the inside Front-Left corner. The Dryer was Electric and they were both the first Colored Machines, in Copper-Tone.

The next and final Washer & Dryer were a 1985 Lady-K Mechanical Set, with the Triple Dispenser on the Right side of the Lid and they were in Almond Color.

Peace and Great Times of doing Laundry, while growing up, Steve
SactoTeddyBear...


Post# 228233 , Reply# 8   8/7/2007 at 06:11 (6,078 days old) by christfr (st louis mo)        

christfr's profile picture
ha ha mom had a 59 baby yellow GE set that ate socks all the time.. then in 63 she got a pool washer that ran till we gave it away in like 1990.. but do remember putting my little brother into the dryer when he was about 3 and turning it on thill he cried.. i know it was a bad thing to do but i liked it.. my bad

Post# 228244 , Reply# 9   8/7/2007 at 06:47 (6,078 days old) by gyrafoam (Wytheville, VA)        
Chris ain't right!

Too funny!

Post# 228251 , Reply# 10   8/7/2007 at 07:51 (6,078 days old) by saltysam ()        
Chris ain't right!

Gyrafoam you just don't know how true that statement is......ROFL!

Post# 228254 , Reply# 11   8/7/2007 at 08:02 (6,078 days old) by christfr (st louis mo)        

christfr's profile picture
oh yea sure gang up on me... just bein honest ha ha..at first he sort of liked it then he cried.. and i dont think mom ever found out ..

Post# 228260 , Reply# 12   8/7/2007 at 08:34 (6,078 days old) by lesto (Atlanta)        

My mom had a 56 Hotpoint till about 64 when she replaced it with a Hotpoint "Sillouette" with the double burping lint filter pan. In 1973 we moved into my Great Aunt's old house which came with a 59 GE filter flo so we used it till the tyranny went out in the late 70's. After that, washers just didn't seem to be as much fun as these older washers to me.

Post# 228262 , Reply# 13   8/7/2007 at 08:44 (6,078 days old) by veg-o-matic (Baltimore, Hon!)        

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I remember my mom's '57 Easy, but just barely. That was followed by a '69 Kenmore, an 80-something Kenmore, and a 90-something Frigidaire that tangled clothes terribly.
Glenn: Catalina?

veg


Post# 228263 , Reply# 14   8/7/2007 at 08:44 (6,078 days old) by peterh770 (Marietta, GA)        

peterh770's profile picture
I grew up with a 1968 Kenmore Model 70 set, lasted from 1968 until 1996.

Grandmother had a Bendix Deluxe and an original Hamilton dryer until the early 1970's when she also got a Kenmore Model 70 washer and later a Kenmore "match all" dryer.

I remember 2 aunts with early GE's, one with a Norge, one with an Imperial Whirlpool, one with a Westy SpaceMates set.


Post# 228277 , Reply# 15   8/7/2007 at 09:24 (6,078 days old) by hoover1060 ()        

My mom had:

1964 Maytag A702 and 1959 BOL Hotpoint dryer in coppertone
Replaced with:

1977 Maytag A608 and DE608 set in harvest gold
Replaced by:

1996 Maytag Dependable Care set in almond(still in use)

My grandmother used a wringer washer until 1977 when she got her first automatic set, Harvest gold Whirlpools. I don't remember the model numbers, but the washer had 4 temp pushbuttons, and I think maybe 3 water levels? I do remember the sounds and clunks that washer made!


Post# 228286 , Reply# 16   8/7/2007 at 09:54 (6,078 days old) by bajaespuma (Connecticut)        

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It's interesting, the first washer we ever owned was the one that got me hooked; it was a 1956 or 57 Whirlpool BOL (that I've seen pictured on this site) that was illegally hooked up to our apartment sink. While I remember the pleasure of watching it spin (the days before safety switches), I can't clearly remember the control panel except that it had a blue plastic dial and it had a very simple straight vane Whirlpool black agitator that I have yet to see pictured on this site. It looked very similar to ones in Whirlpool and Sears wringer washers, but it had no "taper" before the cap.
The washer I do remember from childhood, because I picked it out from the store, was a used GE 1960 solid tub that I'm still looking for and I'm still trying to verify the model number of. This one (we didn't have the dryer--it's an assumption):


Post# 228294 , Reply# 17   8/7/2007 at 10:23 (6,078 days old) by spaniel50 ()        
Does anyone remember the washer of their childhood

The first washer and dryer I can remember was a top of the line Kelvinator washer and matching dryer. They had copper-tone trim and both had lights on the backpanels. The washer had a window in the lid. They used those Kelvinators until 1968-69 when they were replaced with Frigidaire washer and dryer. They used these until just a few years ago when the water would no longer come into the washer tub.
My grandparents had a 1950 or 1951 Frigidaire washer and dryer. I remember how that washer sounded and they both had labels on the front of the machines that said they were all porcelon. The dryer collected the moisture in a drawer. They worked until the 1980's when they moved. Wonder what ever happened to that Frigidaire pair!
I got my first washer and dryer on July 2,1974. They were Maytag 806's. They still work and I just replaced a new Whirlpool washer and dryer with the Maaytag Neptunes.


Post# 228296 , Reply# 18   8/7/2007 at 10:40 (6,078 days old) by tlee618 ()        

You all need to stop picking on Chris, he is a good guy!!!!I am sure he just wanted to give his little brother a thrill!

Post# 228299 , Reply# 19   8/7/2007 at 10:49 (6,078 days old) by frigilux (The Minnesota Prairie)        

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We had only one automatic washer from 1960-1985, which was a Kenmore Model 80, with the colorful toggle-pushbuttons and rhythmic rapid-advance timer. There were so many times I wanted that damn thing to konk out so I could talk my parents into a Frigidaire, but it kept on working. And working. And working.

Oh, it needed service plenty of times during its life, but my stepfather (who came into the picture in 1974) thought the machine was cool and wanted to preserve it. So, he'd find parts at junk yards and kept it running.

After college, I returned to the family home. Within a year my Mom passed and my stepfather moved to Arizona. As soon as I'd saved up the money, I went to our local Frigidaire dealership, opened the lid on a 1-18 and found....A WCI!!

I was crushed.

I settled on a large-capacity Whirlpool with a winged Surgilator (and matching dryer). Only had them until mid-'86 when I moved; they stayed with the house. As did my TOL KitchenAid dishwasher.


Post# 228304 , Reply# 20   8/7/2007 at 11:13 (6,078 days old) by saltysam ()        
stop picking on Chris,

LOL......but he's so cute when he gets flustered.....Still coming over Sunday Chris?

Post# 228308 , Reply# 21   8/7/2007 at 11:45 (6,078 days old) by dadoes (TX, U.S. of A.)        

dadoes's profile picture
Veg, Catalina was a White's Home & Auto house brand, Norge family with the hellacious brake.

Post# 228309 , Reply# 22   8/7/2007 at 12:34 (6,078 days old) by jons1077 (Vancouver, Washington, USA)        
Growing up with washers

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I guess when I was growing up just about everyone in my family had Kenmores. The very first machine I have any recollection of was a portable/convertable Kenmore beltdrive from the mid 1970's. I have the same machine now but from 1984. Mom and Dad then upgraded to full-size Kenmores in 1980 or so with Kenmore 80 series machines. Nothing fancy though. My aunt had a 70 series and my Mom's parents also had 80 series. Dual-Action Agitators...blah! I eventually did a swap with a neighbors machine and put the penta-swirl in ours and it was at least a little more fun.

I guess with all of the boring Kenmores around me it is no wonder why, to this day, I still lust over a 1960's GE pair. My Dad's mother had that absolutely beautiful 1968/69 GE pair that was near TOL. There is a picture on the site of me as a very young boy watching these. The filter-flo fascinated me to no end as well as a washer that actually spun out the water. (Everything else neutral drained in my life.) And THREE washing speeds!!! Made my head spin!!! Loved those. One day I'm going to find them again I know it! Thanks for reading.

Jon


Post# 228312 , Reply# 23   8/7/2007 at 12:59 (6,078 days old) by 3-ring ()        

Hi everybody - new member here. I remember my grandmother's '53 or '54 Frigidaire washer. She also had a '50's Frigidare refrigirator with the freezer on the bottom and you stepped on a little pedal to get it to open. She later got a '65 Frigidaire Deluxe dryer (all the appliances were white). My aunt (her sister) had a early '50's range and a late '40's refrigerator (all white). She had an early '60's GE washer and then got a late '70's Frigidare washer and dryer. My parents had a '61 or '62 Frigidaire Custom Deluxe washer and dryer and Custom Imperial double oven range and refrigerator with top freezer. (all were pink and lasted into the late '80's) My mom still has the double broiler as well as the pancake griddle that came with the range. Does anyone have any pictures of the '61 or '62 Frigidaire appliance line? If I would have known then what I know now, I would have latched on to those appliances when my folks got rid of them!

Post# 228313 , Reply# 24   8/7/2007 at 13:00 (6,078 days old) by veg-o-matic (Baltimore, Hon!)        

veg-o-matic's profile picture
Thanks, Glenn. Never heard of it. I guess White's was something like Western Auto?

veg


Post# 228319 , Reply# 25   8/7/2007 at 13:41 (6,078 days old) by volvoguy87 (Cincinnati, OH)        
I remember...

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My mom had an almond 1981 Wards pair. Large size, but I don't remember the model. No bleach dispenser so I guess they were near BOL for their size, but it did have the huge almond or white burpalator with the lint filter pan and a fabric softener dispensor. The dryer could hardly turn the drum without coating everything nearby with lint. The washer had so many clunks and bangs, it was like listening to a war while washing, and when it spun, it shook the house. The dryer had only one heat setting, scortch! It had only the timer knob, and the end of cycle buzzer seemed to be the only thing on it that wouldn't die!
This set was replaced in January 1994 with a Kenmore 80 series pair. They were boring, but were effective, and lots quieter than the MW pair. They were also noticeably lighter in their construction. The dryer's timer failed around 1998 or so, so you had to manyally stop the thing (my dad was too cheap to fix it). A fuse or a thermostat failed around 2001 or 2002 and my father threw it away and got a new one. I have since majored in, and dedicated my life to, historic preservation and believe me, it was through no influence of my parents who firmly believe that because something is new, it must be better. The dryer was replaced with a new Kenmore dryer with the lint filter in front. It had a light in the back of the drum which never worked right. This dryer wasn't as good as the one it replaced.
In 2006, my parents gave away the pair when they renovated the kitchen and got a GE Adora? front loading pair. The dryer, while effective, has the worst lint filter I have ever encountered. Lint sticks to it like glue! The washer, for lack of a better term, sucks! I can wash 3 loads in my Maytag A208 in the time it takes her new GE to wash 1. Also, the Maytag is better at washing, the clothes come out of the GE with every piece of lint and cat hair they had when they went in. I hope that GE Adora dies a horrible, painful, and rapid death in the very near future! It gets the clothes wet, but it won't clean or rinse.
My mother's parents have a mid 1970s GE Filter Flo with a black control panel and toggle switches. It also has a straight vane agitator. It is very well equipped and does a great job washing. They have had it all my life and it just got a new pump, but is still going strong. It was originally paired with an unknown Kenmore dryer, vintage 1966? It had a metal-style handle on the door. It was replaced around 1985 with a Kenmore center-dial, large capacity gas dryer. That dryer is still going strong.
My father's parents had a Whirlpoo of unknown model from about 1971. It lasted into the late 1990s, but the matching dryer is still going strong. The washer's lid had a metal handle, and the surgilator was either beige or white. The dryer has a plastic door over the lint filter. The washer was replaced with an unknown post-Filter Flo GE of poor quality.

That's all I can remember for now,
Dave (Maytag A208 & DE308)


Post# 228323 , Reply# 26   8/7/2007 at 14:09 (6,078 days old) by filterflo (Chicago Area)        

Not only do I remember my Mom's first automatic, Im one of the few people that actually stll have it! My Mom bought a GE FilterFlo in 1956 when I was 3 yrs old. I clearly remember my aunt and uncle coming over after it was delivered to do the hook up on it as my Dad was not very mechanical. It gave my Mom excellent service without any mechanical breakdowns until 1974 when she got a new GE set. The only problem she ever had with it was our socks going over the top of the tub and getting caught in the pump.......I saved the washer even after she got her new one/long before anyone was collecting appliances. Im thrilled that I still have it and the memories it brings back when I wash with it and even the smell of the inside of the tub............

Post# 228324 , Reply# 27   8/7/2007 at 14:10 (6,078 days old) by filterflo (Chicago Area)        

My Mom's 1956 GE, Top and Filter pan

Post# 228325 , Reply# 28   8/7/2007 at 14:11 (6,078 days old) by filterflo (Chicago Area)        

GE FilterFlo 1956, Controls......

Post# 228327 , Reply# 29   8/7/2007 at 14:20 (6,078 days old) by gadgetgary (Bristol,CT)        
Jimmy

gadgetgary's profile picture
Wow!

That is the exact washer that my grandmother had that started it all for me.
Thanks for posting the pics.

-GadgetSwitch


Post# 228347 , Reply# 30   8/7/2007 at 16:17 (6,078 days old) by chaskelljr2 (Washington, D. C.)        
Yes....... I most CERTAINLY do.......

"Hooverboy1":

Mine Washer/Dryer Memories Goes Down Like This:

Mom and Dad:

(01). 1967 Kenmore 24" BOL Washer with Black Tub and Black Straight Vane Agitator (the One-Speed/One-Cycle Model) -- 1967-78....... No Dryer Until 1976.

(02). 1975 Kenmore "All American" Dryer (the one that SUPPOSEDLY matches up with whatever Washer you owned), Solid-State Sensor, the 2.5 Hour Wrinkle-Guard and Full-Width Door (but NO Drum Light....... BUMMER!!!!!)........ Purchased in January 1976 at a closeout sale.

(03). 1978 Kenmore 2-Speed/4-Cycle Large Capacity Washer with Penta-Swirl Agitator, Agitator Mounted Fabric Softener Dispenser, Self Cleaning Lint Filter and Off Balance Switch with Buzzer (1978...... and it was still working when I left home in 1987, and was working still when my parents sold their house in 1992 when my Father retired from the government).

Grandmother (Father's Mother):

(01). 1967 Kenmore Model 600 or 700 (can't remember) with 2-Speeds and 3-Cycles, Speckled Porcelain Tub and Black Straight Vane Agitator, Waterfall Lint Filter and Off Balance Switch with Buzzer (conked out in 1990).

(02). 1987 Kenmore Super Capacity Dryer with Solid-State Sensor and 2.5 Hour Wrinkle-Guard. One of the mid/upper line models I think, but no drum light (we still have the dryer now).

(03). 1990 Kenmore Super Capacity Washer with Direct-Drive Mechanism and Dual-Action Agitator. Also had Bleach and Fabric Softener Dispensers. Console of this washer matched that of the 1987 Dryer (see above). Conked Out THIS Year, and replaced WITH (see # 04 below),

(04). 2007 Kenmore Elite Oasis King Sized Washer with Electronic Controls, 3.8 Cu./Ft. Stainless Steel Tub, Dual-Action Agitator (not the one with the 4.5 Cu./Ft. "Canyan" Capacity" and Wash Plate at the bottom of the tub...... GOD, I was hoping she would get that one....... Oh Well) and dispensers for detergent, bleach and fabric softner (that's still a cool machine, and man, that thing is quiet as shit)(WAY TO GO, GRANDMA!!!!! :)).

Aunt (Mother's Sister):

(01). 1963 Lady Kenmore Model 800 Set (in Pink) (lasted until 1980)(best of the three sets they've owned).

(02). Whirlpool Set (MOL, I believe)(1980-01).

(03). "Whilpool Made" Roper Set (2001 to Present (man, they downgraded big time, didn't they)).

Aunt (Father's Sister):

(01). 1969 Kenmore 24" Portable Automatic (the one dial model with 2-Speeds/3-Cycles, Waterfall Lint Filter, Gold Straight Vane Agitator and Off Balance Switch with Buzzer).

(02). 1969 Westinghouse Deluxe Electric Dryer with "Cross Vane Tumbling".

(03). 1973 Kenmore Large Capacity Washer with 2-Speeds and 3-Cycles, Gold Roto-Swirl Agitator with Fabric Softener Dispenser and Off Balance Switch with Buzzer.

(04). 1981 Kenmore Large Capacity Washer (in Gold) with 2-Speeds and 6-Cycles and Dual Action Agitator and all the feature of the 1973 Large Capacity Kenmore.

(05). 1981 Kenmore Electric Dryer with Center Plug Drop-Down Door (nothing special).

(06). 1996 Kenmore Direct-Drive 3-Speed Washer with Triple Dispensers and Dual-Action Agitator.

Great Grandmother (My Grandmother's Mother - Now Deceased):

(01). 1965 Philco Washer (the one that was made by Ford Motor Company) with the Right Opening Lid and "Blades Of Action" Undertow Agitator.

(02). 1976 Speed Queen Multi-Speed/Multi-Cycle Washer with Stainless Steel Tub.

(03). Speed Queen Dryer (don't know what vintage, but let's figure mid/late 1960's).

Great Aunt (Grandmother Sister):

(01). 1966-67 Lady Kenmore "Keyboard" Set (with Roto-Flex Agitator (the one that "SPANKS" your clothes until they are clean.......). Washer had 14 Push-Buttons with Click-Stop Cycle/Timer, Detergent Dispenser with Aluminum Lid on the right side of the lid and Bleach and Fabric Softener Dispensers under the lid on the left side of the machine, a 3-Speed Motor, Off Balance Switch with Buzzer and a Full-Width Lighted Console. Matching Dryer had Solid-State Sensor, Lighted Drum and Console, 3 Push-Buttons in the center of the console and a Full-Width Door (1966 or 1967 until 1986).

(02). Early 1980's Kenmore Belt-Drive Washer with 2-Speeds/6-Cycles, Bleach and Fabric Softener Dispensers and a Dual-Action Agitator.

(03). General Electric Electric Dryer (not sure of the vintage, but it was during the time GE was doing the "match all" consoles).

Great Uncle (Father's Uncle...... Now Deceased, AND..... He gets the vote for the MOST ENTERTAINING laundry set of the family (BOTH SIDES!!!!)):

(01). 1966 Frigidaire Imperial Model with 3-Speed Motor, Jet Cone Agitator (I loved the way that thing went "up and down") and Rapidry Spin (in Coppertone) and Matching Dryer. Washer lasted until 1994, and Dryer was still working when he passed away in 2001.

There you have it........ These are the laundry appliances I had the pleasure of growing up with.

Any Questions????? :)

--Charles--


Post# 228352 , Reply# 31   8/7/2007 at 17:24 (6,078 days old) by westyslantfront ()        

My Mom had a Thor Automagic semi-automatic washer. That is where I got my start with washing machines.
One aunt had a Norge timeline.
Another aunt had a Westinghouse slant front but one day, she replaced it with a Norge timeline.
My grandmother had a Maytag gray ghost in the basement with
double stone wash tubs for rinsing.
When my Mom went shopping, she dropped me at the laundromat where they had Philco Bendix front loaders.
Down the road from my grandparents was a laundromat with
Bendix front loaders.
I could always be found where the washers were located.



Ross


Post# 228353 , Reply# 32   8/7/2007 at 17:29 (6,078 days old) by rapidry1000 (San Francisco)        

My earliest memories are my parents washer. They were the second family on the block to get a 1951 Frigidaire unimatic WO-65 that lasted until 1963 with the transmission repaired in 1959. They then purchased in 1963 a Frigidaire Model WCDA-63 that was still running in 1990. If I had known that the outer tub could be repaired due to rusting spots that leaked, the machine probably would still be running today. In Christmas 1990 the family purchased a bottom of the line Maytag that is still running like new but not up to the quality of the Frigidaires of the past. My mother was so disappointed with the spin speed of the Maytag. There was no dryer until 1970 when a GE gas dryer Model 7100 was purchased and is still being used today.
My older sister had a 1964 Kenmore programmed washer Model 700 that lasted until 1987 when they purchased the top of the line Maytag that still is being used.
My other siblings have a 1991 Maytag top of the line still in use, a 1983 Maytag Model 409 still being used, a 1987 Maytag Model 612 still in use. My youngest brother replaced a center dial Maytag Model 606 with suds-saver with a 2001 Whirlpool washer.
I myself am still using my 1987 Maytag Model 512 Fabric Matic which replaced a Frigidaire Skinny-mini that came with the house that I purchased in 1979. I purchased a used 1980 Maytag gas dryer Model 608 in 1985 that I am still using today.


Post# 228360 , Reply# 33   8/7/2007 at 18:21 (6,078 days old) by derrek17 ()        

My grandmother had 1960 Frigidaire Custom Imperial washer and dryer in sunny yellow. My grandfather bought this set in late August 1960 for my grandmother's 50th birthday! I remember my grandmother "Mimi" would put a step stool in front of the Custom Imperial washer and let me put in the soap powder in the three ring agitator. My grandmother had the 1960 Custom Imperial washer until early summer of 1968. It just died one day. We had the Custom Imperial dryer until December 1980 when I called the Salvation Army. My biggest wish is to find a 1960 Frigidaire Custom Imperial washer and dryer ( working or not )
so I can honor my "Mimi" for all the endless loads of diapers, towels, clothes she washed in that sunny yellow set from Frigidaire.


Post# 228362 , Reply# 34   8/7/2007 at 18:34 (6,078 days old) by zipdang (Portland, OR)        

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Right before I was born my parents bought a new 1973 Whirlpool set. I think the washer was an Imperial, but I'm not certain. It had a lighted console and a shiny chrome agitator cap. I so wished it had a recirculating waterfall filter instead of a Magic Clean filter. The dryer was a '73 purchased at the same time, but didn't match the washer due to an appliance store mistake. My mom told me it was a nicer dryer than the one they'd originally paid for, so they kept it. In 1986 the Whirlpools were replaced with 90-series Kenmores, which was pretty much a step backwards in the excitement department. In late 2001 the washer emitted a loud bang that rendered it past tense and the Kenmores were replaced with a Frigidaire Gallery front-load pair, which are still in use. Finally, something somewhat exciting. (It figures it would eventually happen years after I'd moved out of my parents house.)

My paternal grandparents had a coppertone Westinghouse pair from the '60s or very early '70s. The washer was a front-load model with the side swinging door, and a little sticker near the tub seal that recommended using Dash. The sticker was still on there when the machines were replaced in 1984 with an MOL Maytag set.

My maternal grandparents had a center-dial Maytag with suds saver and lighted console mated to a slant-front Westinghouse dryer (the one with the colorful toggle switches). The dryer was replaced around 1985 with a GE dryer, and the washer replaced a couple years later with a Maytag. My great-grandmother had a fancier Maytag center-dial than my grandparents had, but no dryer. She also had a wringer washer pushed into a corner of the basement, and I think the center-dial was the only automatic she ever owned.

Odd, but with all the Maytags in my family neither my parents nor I have ever owned one.


Post# 228379 , Reply# 35   8/7/2007 at 19:54 (6,078 days old) by 63getelevision ()        

My mom had a Thor washer in West Virginia, then in Kentucky she got a new '58 BOL GE washer that went to Lynchburg, VA, then here in this house in '61. In the mid '60s we got a Kenmore, somewhere in the '70s we got a Wizard, then the last regular washer we had was a Maytag. My brother bought us a White/Frigidaire stacked heavy duty washer-dryer in the '90s after mom broke an elbow and knee. It's a great machine, but it isn't old like I want.

Post# 228404 , Reply# 36   8/7/2007 at 21:00 (6,078 days old) by hoover1060 ()        
I've got pictures!!!

1972 maybe, my sister's birthday party. Thats her in the orange.
In the background is the Maytag A702 and the 1959 Hotpoint dryer
The appliances are long gone, but that damn wallpaper is still there!


Post# 228405 , Reply# 37   8/7/2007 at 21:00 (6,078 days old) by laundryshark (Cedar Rapids, Iowa)        
Childhood Washer Memories...

From what I could remember: Mom told us she first got a Norge prior to her old Kenmore set. We grew up with a white Kenmore set from the late 60s to the mid 70s. This was a lighted console type, but do not know the model. After the washer broke down, Mom used a twin tubbed ringer model till she got a used early to mid 70s Speed Queen. Then (in about 1983) we got a new Whirlpool washer in almond and a used Maytag dryer that was white in color. Again, don't know the models. Last I knew, Mom had an early 90s Maytag model that was of the faster revved or short, quick stroked agitation type. Childhood memories also consisted of my hanging around the neighbors Maytags, Norge, Kenmore, or GE sets. Have also seen Monkey Wards, Westinghouse, and Frigidaire dryers and some washers, but not the Frigidaire washers. Also hung around Philco-Bendix washers at the laundry mat when Mom had to use those whenever we had water problems on the farm. My favorite washers to watch are the older Bendix frontloaders, along with those high revved spin cycles of older Speed Queens and Frigidaires, such as what I have collected demos from AW.--Laundry Shark


Post# 228407 , Reply# 38   8/7/2007 at 21:03 (6,078 days old) by hoover1060 ()        
Maytag 608's

from 1993, after the new floors were installed. The original kitchen was remodeled in 1978, and the bar added in 1982, featuring a new Maytag dishwasher, which faced the sink

Post# 228479 , Reply# 39   8/7/2007 at 23:51 (6,078 days old) by washertalk ()        

Jeff, I like your 70s kitchen.

Yes, like the all matching Harvest gold appliances. Those 70s cabinets, and the paneling that was added behind the Maytags. And the wallpaper.

What year was this?


Post# 228481 , Reply# 40   8/7/2007 at 23:55 (6,078 days old) by pdub (Portland, Oregon)        

pdub's profile picture
Here's the Speed Queen washer I first remember us having in the 60's. We had a 62 Frigidaire Custom Deluxe dryer too but it was not in camera range in this picture.

I remember my mom using Salvo tablets at one time and I wanted to be the one to drop them in.

Patrick


Post# 228487 , Reply# 41   8/8/2007 at 00:28 (6,078 days old) by lasvegasrox ()        

my child hood washer was a 1997 whirlpool 7 cycle supreme with super capicity plus with a 3 temp in timer gas dryer

Post# 228499 , Reply# 42   8/8/2007 at 02:37 (6,077 days old) by washinsheen ()        

Our washer was a late '50s Frigidaire, just like the one on the home page of this site, except it was white. My aunt had the same one, but in yellow. (Haven't seen a yellow one, since!) I can remember the load always getting off balance as it was starting to spin, and then it would shut off. Momma would have to go rearrange the clothes and then try the spin again, hoping it would take, that time. And then I remember the rubber cap of the agitator coming off in the tub, sometimes.

Another aunt had a 1963 Lady Kenmore washer in white. And then Grandma had a mid-'60s Frigidaire washer in white.

In 1972, our old Frigidaire washer died. So we got a new harvest gold Frigidaire. I thought we were finally up-town, because we finally had a new washer with a lid that opened from the side! And it wasn't white!! I remember it having a box of Tide and a Frigidaire advertising coloring book inside, when it was delivered.

Momma never had a dryer, and STILL doesn't! It's always been a clothes line for her. That's the way she wants it, for some reason. Not me, though. No thanks! I can remember her yelling for my sister and me to hurry and help her grab the clothes off the line whenever it would start to rain. And then during rainy or cold days, she'd put wet clothes on hangers and hang them in all the doorways throughout the house. What a pain!


Post# 228506 , Reply# 43   8/8/2007 at 04:49 (6,077 days old) by chestermikeuk (Rainhill *Home of the RailwayTrials* Merseyside,UK)        
Mums!!

chestermikeuk's profile picture
Servis Slimline 308 Auto with 209 dryer...!! 9lb load, 850rpm, H&C fill, you need sunglasses with all that optical aerobics..LOl, This was mums first automatic after 18 yrs with a Servis MK2 Twinny...this machine is still going strong at my Great Aunts house who is 94yrs young...having been given to my Gran inbetween....

Post# 228541 , Reply# 44   8/8/2007 at 07:56 (6,077 days old) by hoover1060 ()        
That 70's kitchen

That picture was taken in 1993 or 1994, I know that because I can see a smidge of the Armstrong Solarian floor my mom had installed in the fall of 1993.
The gold appliances were bought in stages, the Maytag 608's first in late 1977, followed by the stove and oven(Roper) in the summer of 1978 when the cabinets were redone. The Amana Fridge in 1980,the WU900 Maytag DW in 1982, and the Litton Microwave in 1985.
What you can't see in the picture is the harvest gold cast iron sink, which was outfitted with a 1978 batch feed GE Disposall.
Today all that remains of those appliances are the microwave and the Roper oven. The Amana fridge started it all, it expired in the summer of 1996, prompting not only its replacement but the Maytag 608's as well. The Roper stove was replaced later that fall. The '82 Maytag DW expired in 2004. The new appliances are all almond, save for the DW which is all black.
The wallpaper remains to this day!


Post# 228659 , Reply# 45   8/8/2007 at 15:27 (6,077 days old) by frigidaireguy (Wiston-Salem, NC)        

My mother had a WL-60 Frigidaire (1949) with the matching Frigidaire (Hamilton) dryer. The washer lasted until 1962 when it died and we got a Frigidaire Custom Deluxe. The Frigidaire lasted until 1969 and was replaced with a MOL Whirlpool. The old dryer was finally replaced around 1968 with a GE. My Grandmother had a standard Bendix. This is probably the machine that started me on my love of washers.
It was replaced in 1955 with a Frigidaire Imperial. It lasted until 1967 and was replaced with a GE. Too bad we didn't know to save all these old classics.
Bob


Post# 228729 , Reply# 46   8/8/2007 at 18:09 (6,077 days old) by machinehead ()        
Memories are made of this...

Gramma had a 1974 Kenmore Roto-Rack dishwasher that was a real privledge when i became old enough to turn the dial and make the red light above it come on. The sounds it made were absolutely fascinating to me... Somewhere there's a pict with me, age 4 or 3 or so, on a bar stool in front of it staring at it like its television. My Dad says i'd ask, "What does it does do, Dad?"

She also had late 60's GE washers that were lots of fun to watch, and i remember my own parents had vintage Kenmores from the late 60's to early 70's until i was a teenager. The classic neutral drain, slam/clunk/click sound that let you know it was going to start spinning, the humming, oscillating roar of the pump when the water was drained... Wonderful!

Family also had Jetcone Frigdaires, i remember laundromats in Hartford and Minneapolis chock full of them. I never knew what to call the Pulsator until this site was made... for years no one knew what the hey i was talking about! I remember how noisy some of them were, a hammering sound, and how unique they were compared to everything else. Now if i can just FIND one! ;-)


Post# 228751 , Reply# 47   8/8/2007 at 19:25 (6,077 days old) by midmer455 ()        
Carry the water to the side porch ..

The first washer I remember was a THOR wringer in my Grandmother's side porch. Water was carried from the pantry to the washer in buckets. As I look back at this and the electrical hook up for the washer I have no idea why someone was not electrocuted. During the summer the two soap stone tubs for rinsing were filled from the hose. The original use for the tubs was for a washboard in one side and the other side to rinse. Wringing was, of course, a manual operation. I don't remember a hand crank wringer. During the winter, the washer was brought in from the unheated porch to the kitchen/pantry area and a hose was used to fill. Rinsing was done in the sink. All in all a messy process. Of course, water was not changed after every load and drying was on a line. Not fun for Grandmother in the winter. Finally in the 1960's the house got a Kenmore automatic but no dryer. I don't remember the model but it was there until my Mother died. It had not been used in years and was not in good shape. Mom prefered to come across the street to my house and use my laundry because I had a dryer. I went through two Kenmore 'apartment size' washers that connected to the sink and the matching stacking on a stand 110 volt dryer. Space was limited and the washer just rolled under the dryer. Now, I have, in the same space thanks to front load, matching Whirlpool Duet HT washer and Duet stacking gas dryer. They were not cheap but they are fantastic products and worth the investment. Depending on the load in the washer the cats will sit and watch the tumbling.

Post# 228773 , Reply# 48   8/8/2007 at 20:13 (6,077 days old) by washertalk ()        

Wow, so many cool memories and pictures. I wish I had more pics of my house. It would look not quite as nice with that harvest gold 70s COOL as Jeffs is. I know I have pics of the Whirlpool harvest gold oven in storage.

Jeff, your kitchen is so 70s but for the Microwave. So I kinda knew the pics were from a later time. It seems like a spacious kitchen too. Almost like a display kitchen. lucky you.



Post# 228885 , Reply# 49   8/9/2007 at 00:12 (6,077 days old) by tolivac (greenville nc)        

My Mom used to have a Norge "Burpilator"Then came a GE,Maytag,then Kenmore.She still has the Kenmore-has a Penta-Swirl agitator.she has a Maytag dryer that used to go with the Maytag washer.

Post# 228887 , Reply# 50   8/9/2007 at 00:22 (6,077 days old) by appnut (TX)        

appnut's profile picture
My parents had a 1948 Bendix. Started my love of washers. Was replaced by a 1955 or 1956 GE (like JetCone's), but doesn't have FF. Found out that was most likely a special model. There was an early 1950s Norge TimeLine dryer. The GE washer was replaced with a 1964 Norge DispensoMat washer and matching dryer. The washer was replaced with a 1970 Kenmore 800. That washer & dryer were replaced with a MOL GE set in 1978. My parents replaced that set with a next to TOL Maytag set in 1995 and were sold when my parents moved into a retirement apartment in 2002.

Post# 228915 , Reply# 51   8/9/2007 at 06:40 (6,076 days old) by mathewhebailey0 (port arthur tx)        

Late 1960's/early 1970's avocado Norge/Wards MOL or TOL Signature pair with fan behind drum. They were replaced with a white early 1980's Maytag pair The Maytags lasted until late 1990's early 2000's.

Post# 228918 , Reply# 52   8/9/2007 at 07:08 (6,076 days old) by funguy10 ()        

My first family washer was a direct-drive Kenmore washer. I do not know the model number but it had a black control panel with a wooden top, a black speckled basket, a Dual-Action agitator and no dispensers. It was circa 1980s-1990. It finally quit spinning in 2002 so we replaced it with a Kenmore-branded Whirlpool washer which was all white. It had a white basket with diagonal holes, a Triple-Action agitator and fabric softener and bleach dispensers. Just this past May the drive coupler broke(a common ailment for theese washers) and after replacing it, the motor got seized. So it was claimed to be built to last but only lasted 5 years. Then we got the cheapy Kenmore Oasis machine which is white, has a solid lid, a Total Care Flex agitator and King Size Capacity Plus.

Post# 229202 , Reply# 53   8/10/2007 at 00:02 (6,076 days old) by jbinflorida ()        

The first washer I remember was around a 1969 vintage Frigidaire with the little square window in the middle of the lid. I would stand on a little step stool to watch through that small window. I was fasinated watching the up and down agitator action. We had that washer until my family sold the house up in Mass and we moved to Fla in late 1979. Once we moved to Florida we got a new middle of the line center dial Maytags in white. We lived with those until 1984 when we sold that house and moved back north then we got a TOL Hotpoint set with the handwash agitator. That was a neat washer! After I graduated high school in 1990 my family and I moved back to Fla and we moved to a house with a fairly new Kenmore 80 series washer and dryer. My parents replaced that set with a Frigidaire GLTF 2940 FL washer and regular GE dryer

Post# 229211 , Reply# 54   8/10/2007 at 01:22 (6,075 days old) by tolivac (greenville nc)        

Oh yes-my Grandmother had a Kenmore with the fat black "pregnant" Roto-Swirl Agitator.My Stepmoms washer also had a large black Roto-Swirl agitator.Liked watching them.also remember the Big "K" on the agitator caps!

Post# 229320 , Reply# 55   8/10/2007 at 11:57 (6,075 days old) by rp2813 (Sannazay)        

rp2813's profile picture
Seems like the washers of my early childhood didn't last very long. I'm pretty sure there was at least one Norge in there somewhere. Going back to 1960 we had a mismatched pair. My parents bought a basket case fixer upper house in a very desirable neighborhood. Its 1925 service porch only had room for the washer. Had to go down some steps and through a door to the attached garage to the dryer, a 50's Norge timeline with push-button door opener whose timer no longer worked and with lint screen on the bottom. Dryer worked fine otherwise but I guess the washer failed so both were replaced by a 1968 Monkey Wards Signature (Norge) pair, the absolutely worst, loudest, shred-o-matic washer I've ever known. Hated, hated, hated it! The gas dryer was OK but after several years you could smell the carbon monoxide from it inside the house. I'm surprised nobody passed out or worse on a cold winter day with all the windows closed. In 1975 when that POS washer got so loud you couldn't hear yourself think, I convinced my mom to start shopping for a new washer. I had been checking Consumer Reports and with Maytags being far too expensive I pursued Kenmore. Ended up with that offbeat skinny belt model that Trainguy Rich had posted here last week. Best washer my mom ever owned, so quiet during agitation, and lasted 3 times longer than that POS from MW.

Post# 229395 , Reply# 56   8/10/2007 at 18:36 (6,075 days old) by golittlesport (California)        

golittlesport's profile picture
Our first automatic washer when I was a child was a 1957 Westinghouse Laundromat. It was not the fancy top of the line model, but the mid-economy model. I loved watching washers and now I had a window to look through...better than TV! But what really got me hooked was my grandmother's 1955 Frigidaire Unimatic -- that spin cycle! wow!

Post# 229420 , Reply# 57   8/10/2007 at 19:43 (6,075 days old) by appnut (TX)        

appnut's profile picture
Jimmy, our GE that replaced teh Bendix looked exactly like your washer, but it didn't have FF.

Post# 229422 , Reply# 58   8/10/2007 at 19:44 (6,075 days old) by appnut (TX)        

appnut's profile picture
Jimm7y, would you mind taking pics of the dryer? I've never seen that particular year/style dryer.

Post# 229427 , Reply# 59   8/10/2007 at 19:52 (6,075 days old) by jasonl (Cookeville, TN)        

None other...

Post# 229431 , Reply# 60   8/10/2007 at 19:58 (6,075 days old) by funguy10 ()        

What is that?

Post# 229434 , Reply# 61   8/10/2007 at 20:01 (6,075 days old) by appnut (TX)        

appnut's profile picture
Kenmore 800

Post# 229435 , Reply# 62   8/10/2007 at 20:04 (6,075 days old) by bingwsguy (Binghamton NY)        
Hence my love of Maytag

My Mom's was a Maytag model?? Hot/Warm/Cold, Regular/Gentle Action, Small/Medium /Normal buttons. My Dad's Mom was maybe a Maytag AMP, then a 606 pair. My Mom's Mom was a Maytag model E which she had until she was about 82 years old.

Post# 229437 , Reply# 63   8/10/2007 at 20:07 (6,075 days old) by jasonl (Cookeville, TN)        

The beautiful Kenmore 800

Post# 229462 , Reply# 64   8/10/2007 at 21:07 (6,075 days old) by blackstone (Springfield, Massachusetts)        
Obviously....

blackstone's profile picture
The Blackstone model 350, with stainless steel top and tub. My father, who had the TV & appliance store in front of the house, had that washer in service for 50 years. It still works, but is resting in my cellar for the time being. Matching dryer also still works. I used to climb inside that dryer drum, although it was frowned upon.

I also remember the Westinghouse frontloader. My father took out the tubs, put the inner tub into the back of the outer tub, standing on the ground, which made a cool merry-go-round for us in the back yard.

And who else used round wringer covers for sliding down snowy hills?


Post# 229572 , Reply# 65   8/11/2007 at 08:00 (6,074 days old) by abcomatic (Bradford, Illinois)        

In the 1950's on the farm. Mom had used washers because we washed in salt water from the well.
Wringers: Maytag Grey ghost, 1930's Thor, Montgomery and Wards,Speed Queen
Automatics: 1963 Cornado, 1971 Kenmore, 1987 Hotpoint, 1999 Kenmore.


Post# 229590 , Reply# 66   8/11/2007 at 09:29 (6,074 days old) by mikes ()        

The first washer I remember was a Westinghouse Laundromat that my mother had. She later traded it in for a Sears Kenmore push-button set (1962-63 vintage). She taught me how to run it and from that point on, I did the laundry every Saturday--usually three or four loads in the Kenmore, and hung them out to dry in the backyard. Mom always picked the detergent, however. Never Tide, she was partial to Cheer, Ajax, Bold (and later Drive, Punch and Gain). Never liquid bleach--always Action chlorine packets. And her favorite fabric softner was Final Touch. (Good thing we had a fabric softner dispenser in the Kenmore, which broke down at regular intervals.)
After years of begging, my father found a used Kenmore "bug eye" gas dryer and hooked it up in the garage, ending the chore of hanging up the laundry. When my grandfather moved in with us to live out his final years, we took possession of his Kenmore washer--newer and with fewer cycles than ours. I loved it; it never broke down. But it had no self-cleaning lint filter like the old Kenmore; had to pull the plastic bed of nails out and tap out the lint in the toilet. Such fun.
We later sold the house and moved to an apartment, where I spent years doing wash in the complex's laundry room. When I got my own apartment years later, I was determined to have one with a washer and dryer. I bought a Hotpoint washer and electric dryer in 1983; it was a good pair and lasted for years until I sold them.
Today, I have my own condo, and after nearly a decade, my Roper (Whirlpool-built) washer and gas dryer continue to do load after load with no service problems whatsoever. Occasionally, I think seriously about buying a new front load pair such as a Duet or one of the Bosch models like Lynette has on "Desperate Housewives." But as long as the Ropers do their job, I'll stick with them.


Post# 229600 , Reply# 67   8/11/2007 at 10:07 (6,074 days old) by easyspindry (Winston-Salem, NC)        
Wish I had pictures

Growing up with parents from the Great Depression, there was never any money for a lot of appliances. My first memory was getting my fingers caught in our Maytag wringer. Mother had to hook up a hose at the kitchen sink on the other side of the kitchen to fill it. It gravity drained through a hole Daddy cut in the floor.

Next was a Thor Automagic that could be turned into a dishwasher, but we couldn't afford that.

Next came the Maytag AMP, lighted logo on the front and 2 dials on the top front. That machine lasted 16 years with never a problem.

After that was a Frigidaire Rollermatic that was still working when we gave it away.

Daddy had died and I didn't want Mother going down in the basement to do laundry, so I got her a Westinghouse front load pair that could fit under the kitchen counter.

Our neighbor had a bolt-down Bendix which fascinated me. Whenever I was lost, my frantic mother soon learned that I probably was at Kate's watching her Bendix. It drained into a sump pump. When the pump came on, I could rush up the stairs and out into the back yard to watch the water drain away.

Another neighbor had a Bendix Economat with the rubber tub. It worked great. But another neighbor had a Bendix rubber tub that never worked properly.

Daddy was on the faculty at a small college in NC, and in the gymnasium were several Jacob Laundryalls used for cleaning the athletic gear. They were replaced with commercial equipment, and other faculty members bought the old Jacob Laundryalls which I remember using. It was a tumble action, but a top loader with glass in the top so you could watch. And the tumble action would reverse. And had to be bolted to the floor.

A friend of the family had a Norge timeline. I remember it being very noisy.

There were several friends with Kenmores from the early '50's. Flat top, 2 dials on the front sticking out at 45 degree angle. Didn't take me long to figure out that you could turn the timer dial past 10 and it would start agitating with a partial level of water.

When the whole college moved from one town to another, many friends built houses and bought GE appliances in 1956 -- first year for the filter-flo. Most of those seemed to give the same problem at the same time when the seals wore out and water ran all over the floor.

Many other friends installed Bendix Combos, the ones with the front mounted contols on the right under a door that lifted.

I drove our friends crazy on Saturdays when I'd call them to see if they were going to do washing and could I come over and help. It was fun.

Jerry Gay


Post# 229625 , Reply# 68   8/11/2007 at 14:21 (6,074 days old) by mielew4840 ()        
My first washer memory

This Is the brandnew washer my Grandma got around 1987:

AEG Öko Lavamat 530


Post# 229635 , Reply# 69   8/11/2007 at 14:57 (6,074 days old) by mrx ()        
Hoover Logic + Matching dryer

I remember we had an early 1980s Hoover Logic and the matching "Tumble Dryer De Lux". They lasted years!

Ultimately replaced by a pair of Mieles in the 1990s.

Neither hoover had any problem, just seriously outdated by then.


Post# 229640 , Reply# 70   8/11/2007 at 15:20 (6,074 days old) by mrcleanjeans (milwaukee wi)        

We had the Hotpoint Silhouette 15 washer with the turquoise lint filter and its matching dryer.The dryer was SO cheesy in build quality that it had bend-tabs over the dryer cover and a bakelite impeller,and the washer's curvy and pretty agitator couldn't move a load of clothes if it tried,but they were cool looking.I'm guessing 1966 to be their year.

Post# 229751 , Reply# 71   8/12/2007 at 00:57 (6,073 days old) by mcmodern ()        


We had 1959 Whirlpools, second from the TOL. Lighted consoles and the famous sugilator! But the really cool washers were at others homes:
One aunt had 1958 Kenmore 4-stars which I thought were beautiful.

Another had a 1958 or 9 Kelvinator that fascinated me. It wasn't until seeing the video of the ABC-O-Matic here that I knew how it worked.

And a cousin had a (oh, '58 or 9, I think) Frigidaire pulsematic. At that time the BOL models used that older mechanism while the others were unimatics. I did know how it worked and loved to watch it!

Kelly


Post# 229768 , Reply# 72   8/12/2007 at 04:51 (6,073 days old) by foraloysius (Leeuwarden, Friesland, the Netherlands)        

foraloysius's profile picture
My mother's first washer was a twintub, I think it was a DRU, made in the Netherlands. She also used a laundry service while she had that twintub. Then in 1965 she got a Candy frontloader that didn't have a long life. In 1966 she bought a Bosch V550 frontloader. In 1976 that was replaced by a Miele W423. In 1997 she bought a Miele Frontstar that she still has.

Post# 229778 , Reply# 73   8/12/2007 at 07:04 (6,073 days old) by 70series ( Connecticut.)        

The first washer we had was a 1964 Hotpoint Silhouette. It was replaced in 1972 by a Maytag A206. Until I figured out how to trip the lid switch, I got my first views of it washing by lifting the lid a little bit, and sticking my thumbs between it and the top of the machine. Once I figured out where the lid switch was, and how to bypass it, I would use the handle end of a letter opener to keep it pressed in when the lid was up. That machine lasted until 1999, replaced by a 90 Series DD Kenmore 110-20902. It was a relief to have a washer that would operate with the lid raised without having to resort to measures. My parents moved almost three years ago, leaving the Kenmore behind. Now they have another Maytag LAT900BAE, which was left behind by the former owner.

Our first dryer was a 69 GE (gas), which lasted until 1986 when the motor burned out. It was replaced by a Whirlpool Imperial Seventy LAG811XP. This lasted until September 2003, when the gas valve failed. It was replaced by a Kenmore 80 Series 110-72822. This made for the first (almost) matched set my parents had. It was also left behind when they moved. Now they have a 2003 Maytag of Norge design, also left by the former owner. It was the first electric dryer they had. A coincidence: The Maytag dryer was purchased within two weeks after my parents bought the Kenmore.

In the house where I grew up, our washers emptied into a pipe. The house my parents moved to has a two tub slop sink which the washer empties into. Because the sewer line is above the sink, the only way for the sink to empty is with the aid of an electric pump hooked up under it. The one they have now works automatically. For the first year though, they had to contend with an old system which operated manually. This of course meant you had to be near the washer during the cycle. Although the replacement of this pump was already in the works, a week before this took place, my father decided to do the wash one morning. He forgot completely about it, and went out for a ride with my mother. Oh what a flood.

Our relatives had the following;
Grandma: Late 60s Westinghouse washer with spiral vane agi. This was replaced in '79 by an early 60s 24 inch RCA Whirlpool, which originally belonged to my great great aunt. This was replaced in '87 by a BOL Hotpoint, which she had until she died in 1994.

Aunt and uncle on Long Island had an unmatched '74 Kenmore set.

Aunt in Forest Hills Queens had a '67 RCA Whirlpool Imperial with chrome capped Super Surgilator, and console light. She had it 28 years.

Aunt and uncle in Northern Virginia had later 60s near BOL Kenmore, which used to belong to my aunt's mother. It had a center dial, and the gold str8 vane agitator. The dryer was a 1974 model with the funky console that was a match to Trainguy's '74 washer. The washer was replaced in 1988 with a GE Filter Flo with Mini Basket. They also had a '71 Kenmore gas dryer which they could not use because their house did not have a gas hookup. They moved into the house in 1974, after renting for 2 years. They had to bring the dryer with them. Unfortunately it was not used again, but they had a big family. It was 2 years of use, but it dried a fair amount of laundry.

Friends and Neighbors:
Next door:
Left: 1966 Kenmore 800 set.
Right: 1968 GE Filter Flo

Across the street: (6 houses)
1. '82 BD Kenmore set
2. '75 BD Whirlpool 80 set
3. '69 BOLish Kenmore set with center dials. The washer had a gold Roto Swirl.
4. '66 or 7 Kenmore 600 washer with the latch filter and black str8 vane agitator, and a late 60s-early 70s Kenmore 70 dryer.
5. '72 Maytag A407 set.
6. '66 RCA Whirpool washer, and Hamilton dryer from same year.

My best friend from around the corner had a '68 Kenmore 70 washer with gold Roto Swirl, and the Match All dryer.

I would post more, but I don't want to add to the clutter.

Have a good one,
James


Post# 229819 , Reply# 74   8/12/2007 at 10:05 (6,073 days old) by dubstar85 (Glasgow, Scotland)        

My parents first washing machine was a hoover with a round door from 1982 i guess. They had a hoover dryer as well but that had the square door. I remember the washing machine having a silver plated door and big white door catch. It was an 800rpm model. That broke down in 1989 and mum wanted a dishwasher so she sold the Tumble dryer and bought a Hotpoint 9934 washer dryer and a 7128 dishwasher. The dishwasher was apparently made my Siemens and was cool. It lasted till 2002 when it sprung a leak and was uneconomical to repair. It got replaced by another hotpoint dishwasher. The washer Dryer was a fun machine to watch. It had Pulse Spining so the spin cycle kept stopping and starting. Sadly it ripped clothes and died in 1994 after gradually declining for the past 2 years. We got an Indesit omega 1296. I didn't like it really cos i had my eye on an Asko (I was only 8 mind, so i didn't have much sway. That and money was very tight!) The machine is still going, even after i broke the door in 1997 haha.

Other machines i loved were: My Auntie's Zanussi WDI9091 (1987- 1998) Spent hours watching the machine! It was so quiet and i liked how it tumbled then span instead of our machines which distributed then span.

My grannie has a philco until 1987 then she got an electrolux that was made by Zanussi. It had the blacked out door and i thought that looked pretty cool.

My friends back then had various hotpoint and hoover washing machines. A couple of others i saw was an ariston washer dryer, a very old colston washing machine, a servis quartz and a phillips front loader from the late 80's.


Post# 229897 , Reply# 75   8/12/2007 at 14:16 (6,073 days old) by fredriksam (Sweden)        

Hi there. Good thread.

My family had 2 washing machines. A Hoover Keymatic 3224 and a machine i dont know the name of. The nameless machine was replaced 1975-76 with a Miele w433. I have included a pic from the german forum where you see the nameless machine. In germany it was called Brocke. I asked mum if it was named the same here, but she didnt think so. The only memories of this machine i have, is that it was terribly noisy and what it looked like.

The Keymatic still worked when they gave it to me in 2004-2005. I had the Keymatic until 2006, when it began showing weakness and faults. I later sold the Keymatic to someone in Sweden that also collected washing machine. He later sold the machine to someone in Norway.

They still have the Mile W433 and a Asko 10 005. The Asko has broken down one time (changed cole in motor). The Miele has never broken down. We have just changed the belt and the door seal. Also i have helped mum getting out 2 bh metallic from the drum



Post# 231169 , Reply# 76   8/17/2007 at 15:25 (6,068 days old) by fa_f3_20 ()        

My parents' first set was a mismatched combination of Kenmores. There was a circa 1960 washer, the details of which I can't seem to recall properly. Several people here have tried to help me by posting pics of dials and consoles, but I haven't seen one that looks quite right. Possibly I don't remember it properly. I know it had infinite water level, a knob that selected one of five temp combinations, and three cycles including a lo-speed delicate cycle. It had the cartridge filter, which my mom hated to clean. Possibly as a result, I recall the hose from the pump to the filter bursting twice and flooding the garage. (What is it with lint filters and the women in my life? My DW refuses to touch the lint filter on our dryer. She says the feel of it grosses her out.) It also had a socket for a tub light, but it seldom worked because the bulbs didn't last long and my dad thought it was too much trouble to open up the top just to change the bulb. It had a white basket and black agi.

The dryer was the '61 Lady Kenmore with the big pastel rocker switches that was a POD a couple of weeks ago. I recall that the timer mechanism seldom worked properly. Dad was always having to work on it. Eventually he just wired it so that it ran anytime the door was closed. (Actually, I can, just barely, recall that this was our first dryer. Before that, everything was dried on the line. The line was one of those four-sided things that rotates on top of a pole. It remained in service for some time after the dryer arrived, since my mom preferred towels and linens to be dried on the line.

My maternal grandmother and great-aunt (who lived a few doors apart on the same street) both had identical Maytag wringers. It was the one with the red push-pull knob for turning the motor on and off, and the red release bar on the wringer. My great-aunt had hers on her back porch, and my grandmother had hers in an unheated back room in her house, so in the winter they took their clothes to a laundromat the next street over. Washing with the wringers had a certain rhythm to it: put stuff in, agitate it, run it through the wringer and into a galvanized washtop full of water for the rinse. Dunk the clothes in the rinse water a few times. Switch the wringer to run in the other direction (and the little drain plate tilts the other way), run the rinsed clothes through, toss them in a basket to go out to the line. Then start the next batch. Same water used for all, unless there was a really big pile, in which case the rinse water might get changed halfway through. My grandmother filled hers from a hose attached to an ancient wall-hung sink. My great-aunt was more gonzo than that. She liked her wash water hot. She'd get out a huge old canning pot, fill it with water, boil it on the stove, take that to the washer, and dump it in. Then, a couple of pots of cold water in on top of it (got the temp down to bearable, just barely). At end of washday, grandmother hooked the hose from hers over the lip of the sink and engaged the pump. Great-aunt just wheeled the machine over to the door of the bath adjoining the porch, and let it gravity drain into the toilet. Once it was empty, there was the ritual of removing the agi, greasing the shaft, cleaning the lint filter, and drying out the interior with towels. In all of her life, my grandmother refused to allow an automatic washer to cross her threshold. She didn't believe in those new-fangled things. (She never had any beef with the ones at the laudromat, though...)

An aunt on my father's side (wife of one of my father's brothers) I recall having a frog-eye Kenmore. It was sort of built into the kitchen cabinets, with some kind of foam rubber material to try to isolate the vibration from the adjoining cabinetry. Once, my aunt was trying to wash a largish rubber-backed bath rug by itself. It agitated okay, but when it tried to spin, the rug bunched up on one side and it went off balance (setting off the horrible Kenmore buzzer). She tried to rearrange it several times, to no avail. Then she had an inspiration. She took the rug out of the tub and draped it over the top of the agitator. It spun just fine that way!

Another aunt had a mid-'60s Kenmore washer, the one with all of the curlicues on the panel and the pincushion-shaped areas where the water level and temp knobs were located, on either side of the timer. I had not seen her or that uncle in years (he was my father's oldest brother, and they were both in ill health for some time). The uncle died last year. After the funeral, the whole family went to their house to eat. (It's a family tradition; we eat after a funeral. Or a wedding. Or at a holiday. Or pretty much any time, come to think of it...) The house was like a time capsule. It still looked like what I remember of it from their mid-'60s remodel. Kitchen table with stainless steel banding and a red speckled laminate top. Vinyl-covered chairs. Etc. Anyway, I was poking around a bit and I went out onto the porch. I was stunned to find that same Kenmore still there! It was in pretty bad shape, though. Lots of rust. No telling when was the last time it worked.


Post# 235159 , Reply# 77   9/5/2007 at 22:44 (6,049 days old) by vintagekenmore (Spokane, Washington)        

When I was little..Mom had a Wizard Citation..one of two she had up until I was 9..then she switched to a Speed Queen....we had that one for about 9 years til it died and we went to a coin op(YES coin op) turquoise Frigidaire..it had the gold light to let ya know it was working and the red when it went out of balance...we never got a dryer until after Dad died..then it was a Kenmore 70 series with Suds Saver and a Kenmore Match-All dryer...when those finally died, Mom bought her first brand new Speed Queen washer and dryer..which she had up until 99 when the dryer went kaput and she moved to a Frigidaire dryer.....after she died...all that went to my youngest brother...who lost every bit of her stuff when he quit paying on the storage unit.

Post# 235184 , Reply# 78   9/6/2007 at 04:32 (6,048 days old) by ceebee23 ()        

first g'day to all on this board ....as a newbie here i should intro myself briefly .... (as an Aussie a special g'day to the other aussies here) ...I have always been fascinated by washers, dryers, dishwashers etc... but never though that anyone would collect them wow was I wrong!!!!...it is great to find this board!!!

My earliest recollection is around the age of 4 or 5 the Kelvinator lady came to demonstrate my mother's brand new Kelvinator semi auto ...I was entranced by sight of the washing through the perspex lid she put on the machine!!!!



Post# 235317 , Reply# 79   9/6/2007 at 19:43 (6,048 days old) by pturo (Syracuse, New York)        

We had a 1957 Whirlpool Imperial suds saver in White with matching dryer. Robert has posted the exact model in pink as picture of the day. I remember it lit up somewhere and that my mother never used the suds saver thing, she wanted fresh water washes each time. I also seem to remember the push bar on the dryer to open it, but the push bar on the washer did not do a thing, just decorative, I think. Then we got a Norge, with lots of pushbuttons which was a crummy washer, then a Maytag, which is still in use. So it was the Whirlpool from 57 to 68, 11 years. Then the Norge from 68 to 74, 6 years, then the Maytag from 74 to 2007-33 years and still running with new belts and water solenoid.

Post# 235345 , Reply# 80   9/6/2007 at 23:09 (6,048 days old) by laundromat (Hilo, Hawaii)        

laundromat's profile picture
The first washer I remember was a Bendix Economat with a rubber tub.I can't tell you how many times my grandfather cussed that machine out after replacing the tub just weeks earlier and having to replace it again from it imploding during the wringing out of the clothes.He finaly got rid of it and bought an Easy Rivera automatic.We already had a 1954 Kenmore gas dryer.After replacing the pump 7 or 8 times in 6 years,My mother wanted another washer.Now mind you,the home we had in B'more was a rancher with 4 bedrooms,1 bath and nowhere other than the utility room which was seperate from any entrance in the house and had to be entered by going out the back door into the cold,wet,raw winter air with a basket of wet or dry vclothes to take to and from the dryer.Mom hated that as well as my grandmother who had a sister in law that ahd a Bendix combination washer dryer.

We went to Sears and as we escalated down to the appliance department,I saw a washer dryer combination that looked different but did the same functions as my Aunt lou's Bendix.As my mom and grandmother looked around,I saw a saleslady and pointed to my mom telling (begging)her to sell them on the Lady Kenmore gas combination washer-dryer.On my birthday while my smartalec dad took me out to learn how to rollerscate,Sears had come to our house and installed that gem.By the time we got home,all the laundry had been washed,dried and out away.I knew there was a raeson to have dad take me away from home but mom could hsve at least saved a load for me to watch.Nontheless,I did get many chances to watch it and was able to bring home my schoolmates gym clothes to show off to them how great it was.we owned it from 1963 to 1981.My dad remaried after mom died and Betty(my stepmom) hated it.She came from a Jet Action 12 pound tub Frigidaire Gold crown model in coppertone.She and my dad went and replaced the combo with a Montgomery Ward (norge)washer and a cheap ass Whirlpool gas dryer.


Post# 235352 , Reply# 81   9/7/2007 at 00:02 (6,048 days old) by bobbins (Victoria, BC, Canada)        

Reading all your postings, brings back many memories of me growing up as a little boy who always wanted watch the washing machine work (aunts, cousins, friends).

1956 – Bendix Duomatic Combo Washer and Dryer
1965 – MOL Kenmore Washer
1972 – TOL Kenmore Washer
1979 – TOL Inglis Washer
1985 – A608 Maytag Washer
1987 – A510 Maytag Washer

My mom and dad first washer was a 1956 Bendix Duomatic. My mom hated this machine, it was always breaking down, clothes didn’t spin well and took forever to get the laundry down. She didn’t like the ordor it produced (I bet she never left the door open to dry). Eventually the washer was not fixable in 1965 and she decided to buy a MOL Kenmore. This was the first washer I remember. I spend hours rotating the agitator and watch the drain hose bang against the cabinet while it was spinning. (get this my dad surprised me on my 8th birthday with this washing machine after it broke down at the shop...this was the best bday present I ever had...I had a playhouse that was 12'x10') After my younger sister was born (1972), my mom decided to by a TOL Kenmore. This washer was really cool, it had the 2nd rinse, self-cleaning filter, lots of cycles and an automatic water temperature control. I remembered when it was delivered I would poke my head in the tub and take a sniff of the new washer smell. This washer had an orange Roto-Swirl and agitator mounted fabric softener. This washer had a lot of problems with the water level switch and fill valve in the beginning. Tub overflowed several times.

Then in 1979 the washer wouldn’t drain. The self cleaning filter was plugged solid. My dad taken the filter out and blow it with compressed air at the shop. This worked OK for a few months and plugged up again. My mom was quite frustrated and we went washing machine shopping. We ended up getting a TOL Inglis….well this machine was crap. It was really quiet and washed the clothes well, but it started leaking water about 2 years later. I placed a tray to catch the water and eventually it was full of oil. The tranny needed replacing and the spin tube. Then a year later the timer broke. After a while the washer will make a clunking noisy while washing.

About 1985 I bought my mom an used A608 Maytag. This machine was amazing and powerful compared to our old Inglis.

1987 I bought my mom an used A510 Maytag. This machine lasted to about 1997.

My mom and dad moved and decided to buy a new Maytag in 1997. They still have it and seems to be working well.

Bob


Post# 235374 , Reply# 82   9/7/2007 at 09:21 (6,047 days old) by unimatic1140 (Minneapolis)        

unimatic1140's profile picture
When I was first born my dad bought my mom a bottom of the line 1962 Kenmore. In the fall of 1968 the white coated lever of the safety lid switch had fallen out so it would not spin anymore. So my mom sent my dad and my 5 year old self out to get a new washer and my mom's only request was that it be a "large capacity" machine. So my dad got her a middle of the line 1968 Kenmore, the only difference in the tub between the old and the new machine was was the new tub was white. I remeber her reaction when the machine was delievered, "wow this tub looks a lot bigger".



Post# 235388 , Reply# 83   9/7/2007 at 11:17 (6,047 days old) by revvinkevin (Tinseltown - Shakey Town - La-La Land)        

revvinkevin's profile picture
My parents bought the house in 1964, they also bought a new Maytag A700 in pink. It had the backlit console, a tub light (VERY neat!!) and a little knob on the top right of the control console to select the rinse temperature (automatic or cold). I used to wedge anything I could between the lid and the safety switch (car keys, wooden ruler, a spoon) so I could watch it with the lid open.

At some point my parents had to do a repair (themselves!!), which was either a bearing or seal at the bottom of the tub (not sure). After that repair (and one drive belt later) it worked fine for many years.

It was eventually replaced in the mid 80's (with a used late 70's Maytag, also adding a used Maytag dryer too) but ONLY because I wanted machine with a larger capacity. That large cap Maytag lasted until about 2 years ago (something finally failed) when it was replaced by a new Whirlpool Duet front loader.

My Grandparents had a mid-50's(?) Westinghouse front loader (I LOVED to watch it), probably a near the B.O.L. as (from what I can remember) it only had only one control knob and "Laundromat" printed in red across the window glass. Unfortunately something happened to it and was replaced in the late 70's with a new (basic) Maytag washer. They never had a dryer other then the sun and the wind.


Post# 235408 , Reply# 84   9/7/2007 at 13:35 (6,047 days old) by dadoes (TX, U.S. of A.)        

dadoes's profile picture
I used to do that for fun with our 1962 Whirly -- drape towels and wash cloth over the agitator for spinning. Had a couple incidents of the smaller items flying off and almost going under the tub ring between the basket and outer tub!

Post# 235466 , Reply# 85   9/7/2007 at 21:29 (6,047 days old) by pierreandreply4 (St-Bruno de montarville (province of quebec) canada)        
washers i rembers

pierreandreply4's profile picture
inglis libarator push to start pull to stop (do not know the year) (my grand mother)

inglis superb washer and dryer bought before my birth

1988 kenmore (grand mother) broke recently

Ps: is it possible to see inglis libarator washer push to start pull to stop picture and inglis superb washer and dryer pictures.

tank you


Post# 235524 , Reply# 86   9/8/2007 at 11:59 (6,046 days old) by mrsalvo (New Braunfels Texas)        

Great thread. You opened a pandora's box.
Lets see, Mom had a 1950's Speed Queen that Dad fixed and fixed kept it running until 1969 when it finally died. I hated that machine, I found it boring and LOUD. Next was a 1969 M. Wards Norge that had a huge capacity, like 20lbs with a continuous lint filtering system...but that washer was LOUD too. Sometime in a mid 70's was a new Speed Queen that was ok but smaller capacity, not so loud. That lasted into the mid 80's when Mom got a cool TOP filter-flo. The first great washer we ever owned. After it started leaking oil, another GE and it started leaking oil only after 5 years of use. The last machine my Mom bought before she passed on was one of the last Dependable Care Maytags that were made, a true Maytag and is the one I own now. I seem to remember nothing but LOUD washers that you could hear a mile away, I thought it was embarrassing whenever company came over, esp. the Speed Queen monster. Like a Toyota, you couldn't kill a Speed Queen.
As I wrote in my profile, my babysitter had the best washer ever...to this day I wish I had it. Early 60's Kenmore with the different colored control panel, scrubber cap, and lint filter. Oh and don't forget the Salvo!! KEWL!
Grandmother (Dads mom) had an early 60's Frigdaire. Loved that up and down action.
Grandma, Mom's mom, had a wringer washers as there was no indoor plumbing in the farm house at all. Oh the memories of washday. Drawing the water from the cistern, heating it on the stove in buckets (usually 4-6 large buckets of hot boiling water mixed with 3 buckets of cold water) and poured into the Western Auto Wizard wringer washer. Fab was the detergent. More buckets of water was pulled from the cistern for the two wash tubs for rinsing, the same wash tubs that we bathed in on Saturday nights (no I'm not kidding here). The last tub of rinse water she would put in Final Touch. [Water was NEVER wasted, after finishing the wash, the wash water was used to wash down the porch and the rinse water used to water the plants around the house and yard...yes plants do thrive on Final Touch rinse water!] All clothes were hung out on the line, or on the porch, no matter the weather. This process took all morning with an early start, right after breakfast, no later than 8:00am. Tuesday's was ironing day, and that would take all day. Life on the farm in northern Arkansas. It was the best. Move over Beverly Hillbillies, you had nothing on us. Life was good!!!


Post# 235537 , Reply# 87   9/8/2007 at 14:55 (6,046 days old) by bobbins (Victoria, BC, Canada)        

Funny how in the early 50's water conservation was quite important....I believe we are going back that way today. Good potable water becoming hard to come in many cities and urban areas. When I talked to people about water wastage, they mock me and laugh. They could not imagine using less water for watering their lawns, gardens and doing laundry/ dishes. In Victoria, I work for an employer who offers $125 rebates to each home owner (in the local area connected to the drinking water supply) buys a new front loader that meets the water reduction requirement (one time offer). We also offer $75 rebate if the homeowner replaces their old toilet with a low flush toilet. The catch is that the old vintage washer and old toilet must go to the local recycling depot.

Bob


Post# 235555 , Reply# 88   9/8/2007 at 18:16 (6,046 days old) by tbolt25 (Kentucky)        
washers of my childhood

My Mom had a 1960's model chrome finished BD Sears washer in the late 1970's with the black 'Duralite' straight-vaned agitator that I always took out and put back-even put a toad in it once. The first house it was in had hook-ups for it, but the second house-Mom had to heat water in a pan and pour the water in the washer to fill it up-eventually the washer got parked, we had no use for it, and sadly my Dad hauled it to the creek side and got rid of it on the creek bank. She also had a Maytag wringer that when we sadly had that house fire(electrical)it got burned up in it-we lost our home! My Grandma had a late 1960's BD Kenmore with a gold straight-vaned agitator. One aunt of mine had a mid-to-late 1970's BD Whirlpool washer with the standard capacity tub, wavy-vaned white Surgilator agitator-this washer also had the L-shaped console endcaps that the hold-down screws went into. This washer had a unique "woo-woo-woo-woo" sound during agitation-but the problem with this washer was the spin clutch was going bad-excessive slippage. She eventually got rid of it and replaced it with a green BD Kenmore with scrubber cap gold Roto-Swirl agitator. Another aunt of mine had an early 1970's BD Kenmore, gold Super Roto-Swirl agitator, but in a few months time, it developed a problem. When it first started agitating, it would make a loud noise-bearings, and as the bearings warmed up, the noise would go away.

Post# 236773 , Reply# 89   9/15/2007 at 15:40 (6,039 days old) by pierreandreply4 (St-Bruno de montarville (province of quebec) canada)        
Maytag history

pierreandreply4's profile picture
hello

here is the link to see the maytag history

tank you


CLICK HERE TO GO TO pierreandreply4's LINK


Post# 236997 , Reply# 90   9/17/2007 at 16:59 (6,037 days old) by mattl (Flushing, MI)        
Washers I recall and more

Hey, interesting topic! I guess I'm not the only one to be fascinated by washers, dishwashers and vacs too.

I recall being very fascinated with my mom's original washer. I wish I knew what brand and model it was, I think it was a Kenmore from about 1953-1954. It had interesting lights, the temp buttons glowed red yellow and green. The tub was lighted and it had a germicidal light too. The dial was black and off to the right side and was also back lit. It was a suds saver too and had an army green discharge hose. In going through the pictures posted in another section of this site I saw a very similar looking Kenmore dryer about the same vintage. I would love to know the model and see a picture but so far that has eluded me.

Unfortunately it was replaced about 1962 with a generic Hamilton pair, but the dryer did have a window in the door which was a plus. The pair had a nondescript console with a tan- brown painted area behind the control knobs and it had a red lint filer the agitator pumped the water in. I recall it making a sound like "ha wow e" as it agitated.

It only lasted 10 years and in 1973 I replaced it with the top of the line Kenmore pair, the one with all the selection buttons and the lighted console. Since I was always fascinated with electric things and did quite a bit of research on the topic at the age of 17 I was making the purchasing decisions.

I loved the lighted console and the white interior and the pent-a-vane agitator that had adjustable fins, the top of the agitator had a gold sunburst type of cap that reflected the light and had Lady Kenmore printed on it. I kept it going for over 20 years, with a few repairs. I recall replacing the timer once and the lint filter many times. Late in it's life I replaced the agitator when the original stripped out. The dryer held up well and my cousin has it still, I wonder what it is worth, it's in fairly good condition.

I replaced it with the electronic top of the line Kenmore about 1996 and it's going strong, but the Off button does not work, not a problem worth worrying about. Of course it has a lighted console, kind of a must for me. I hope it last for years too.

I feel the same way about dishwashers and my favorite was a top of the line GE with all the sensors and lots of cycles. I hated to see it go but all the seals deteriorated and everything was covered in black sticky stuff. I replaced it wiht a sort of generic GE that lasted only 6 years. At first I replaced it with a Whirlpool but really hated it and paid Sears to take it back. My current dishwasher is another GE. It has a gently curved front and a tall tub with extremely flexible racks. I opted for the white plastic interior rather than the stainless option because I like a light interior.

So I guess I fit in here, though I don't have the area, or skills for the matter, to collect and restore machines. I really like looking at the pictures.

BTW, I do have 1958 Frigidaire Custom Imperial stove, it's built like a tank and most of the features work. Now this is something I'd like to restore at some point, just need a few controls. The unit is still in mint condition and I use the rotisery quite often...



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