Kenmore Harvest Gold dryer in PA

Dan -

That washer needs a good loving home. I have had it at least 11 years, and it went straight into storage without even being tested. One of my customers referred a friend of hers to me, who was moving and wanted to get rid of two older Kenmores, this washer and an avocado match-all dryer from the early 70s. I got them and gave the dryer to my good buddy, who was experiencing a dryer shortage at the time and needed it to make a set for sale.

Anyway, the 500 series is just part of the line-up that goes from 100 to 900. Some machines make more "advertisement" of their series than others, and the same was/is true in certain eras. The most common series are the 60/600, 70/700, and the 80/800.

Right now, new Kenmores seem to have 500, 600, 700, etc. on them (top loaders). In the 1980s it was 60, 70, 80, 90. My mom's 1974 Kenmore 60 series didn't say it's series anywhere. I am not sure I ever saw 500 or lower written on a machine (maybe a 400?). But, the line starts with the 100 series, which is usually a single cycle, single knob deal with no water level selection and timer set temps. BOL for sure. As the line went up, features were added. Oddly, in the 60s, the 400 was the BOL, but when Sears added features and less change per model, they needed more series numbers.

The 100, or 600, etc. are parts of the actual model number, so one can tell what series the machine is whether or not the console says so.

This machine has a 500 series counterpart that doesn't have the pre-wash or pre-soak, and does have the manual filter. I need to take a picture of it. It's a better example of a 500 series. This one is odd to have those cycles and the self-cleaning filter. It does have a straight vane agitator, since Roto-Swirls didn't usually appear until at the least the 60-series.


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Post# 327687 1/30/2009 at 07:36 (5,558 days old) by turquoisedude (.)
Checkrate/Likes In Scranton, according to the auction listing. Looks like an early 70's model to my untrained eye! CLICK HERE TO GO TO turquoisedude's LINK on eBay

Post# 327695 , Reply# 1 1/30/2009 at 08:55 (5,558 days old) by kenmoreguy64 (Charlotte, NC)
Checkrate/Likes That would be a '72 70 series dryer. They are quite well equipped and were nice machines. There was a whole line of dryers in the early 70s which used the same timer, which is equipped with the "Automatic Fabric Master" capabilities and a pulser for Wrinkle Guard, which started the drum tumbling every five minutes or so after cycle completion for up to 45 minutes or until one's lazy butt came and opened the dryer.I am pretty sure the matching washers had a quiet-pak belt which made for a great machine. The consoles are lighted. My washer buddy/mentor forced me to dump a matching washer to this dryer into the city crusher dumpster in 1993 or so, saying "You can't save 'em all and we're not leaving until you push that off the tailgate!". Was most tormenting.... :-)

Post# 327707 , Reply# 2 1/30/2009 at 10:04 (5,558 days old) by countryford (Austin, MN)
Checkrate/Likes *just like mine* I have the same dryer in white. It is currently in storage, but when I start cleaning out the storage I'm going to be selling it. The only thing wrong with mine is the lint trap door got broke on mine

Post# 327711 , Reply# 3 1/30/2009 at 10:38 (5,558 days old) by danelto (State College, PA)
Checkrate/Likes *Washer Pics* Does anybody have pictures of Kenmore washers from this era with similar timers? I'm just hoping that somebody will have an old 70-72 Sears catalog--and would be willing to scan a few pages out of it so we can all take a look. Nice dryer, by the way. Dan

Post# 327716 , Reply# 4 1/30/2009 at 11:33 (5,558 days old) by kenmoreguy64 (Charlotte, NC)
Checkrate/Likes *Here's a pic of the one of the two 60-series lines in &#* This is very much the same dryer without an adjustable signal knob. Sorry that the pic isn't better. I do have the catalogs, but no scanner. I may be able to get someone in my dept. to scan it. The curious jokes from that ought to be a hoot....

Post# 327734 , Reply# 5 1/30/2009 at 12:36 (5,558 days old) by danelto (State College, PA)
Checkrate/Likes *Center Dial Kenmores* Gordon: Don't you have a machine--same dial--but located in the center of the console? It seems to me I saw a picture of this out in one of your sheds.

Post# 327736 , Reply# 6 1/30/2009 at 12:49 (5,558 days old) by kenmoreguy64 (Charlotte, NC)
Checkrate/Likes *Do you mean this one?* Here's one of my trailer pictures again. Some of these machines have found themselves repaired and in use now, but the machine you're talking about I think is in the middle, a couple back, with the lid half-propped, right? If so, that's a neat machine. Very well featured for a 500-series, as it has a pre-wash and a pre-soak. I have another, not shown, that has 3 cycles and a knob which is half which and half chrome.

Post# 327738 , Reply# 7 1/30/2009 at 12:53 (5,558 days old) by kenmoreguy64 (Charlotte, NC)
Checkrate/Likes Forgot to say Danelto, that's a 1970 model, I think from about the time the knob first debuted.

Post# 327775 , Reply# 8 1/30/2009 at 16:17 (5,557 days old) by danelto (State College, PA)
Checkrate/Likes *Beautiful Washer* Gordon: That's the washer. It's gorgeous. I would give it such a good, loving home ;-) I even bet that it has a golden lint filter that showers water down onto the clothes. Yes? And would you mind explaining the Kenmore 500 series? How did they differentiate from the heavy duty 60's, 70's, and 80's/ or 700's and 800's? Dan

Post# 327783 , Reply# 9 1/30/2009 at 16:44 (5,557 days old) by kenmoreguy64 (Charlotte, NC)
Checkrate/Likes Dan - That washer needs a good loving home. I have had it at least 11 years, and it went straight into storage without even being tested. One of my customers referred a friend of hers to me, who was moving and wanted to get rid of two older Kenmores, this washer and an avocado match-all dryer from the early 70s. I got them and gave the dryer to my good buddy, who was experiencing a dryer shortage at the time and needed it to make a set for sale. Anyway, the 500 series is just part of the line-up that goes from 100 to 900. Some machines make more "advertisement" of their series than others, and the same was/is true in certain eras. The most common series are the 60/600, 70/700, and the 80/800. Right now, new Kenmores seem to have 500, 600, 700, etc. on them (top loaders). In the 1980s it was 60, 70, 80, 90. My mom's 1974 Kenmore 60 series didn't say it's series anywhere. I am not sure I ever saw 500 or lower written on a machine (maybe a 400?). But, the line starts with the 100 series, which is usually a single cycle, single knob deal with no water level selection and timer set temps. BOL for sure. As the line went up, features were added. Oddly, in the 60s, the 400 was the BOL, but when Sears added features and less change per model, they needed more series numbers. The 100, or 600, etc. are parts of the actual model number, so one can tell what series the machine is whether or not the console says so. This machine has a 500 series counterpart that doesn't have the pre-wash or pre-soak, and does have the manual filter. I need to take a picture of it. It's a better example of a 500 series. This one is odd to have those cycles and the self-cleaning filter. It does have a straight vane agitator, since Roto-Swirls didn't usually appear until at the least the 60-series.