Matching set of Wp BD's

Perhaps Magic Clean can clarify, but unless I'm wrong, LB5500XL (1982 model) was the first Whirlpool-branded DD. I participated in delivery/setup of several while working for the local Whirlpool dealer. It was (or is, as some still may be in existence) 24" wide, tagged as Design 2000, and did not have neutral drain. The lint filter is the passive under-basket type. Four water levels. Cold/Cold, Warm/Cold, Hot/Cold. Regular/Heavy, Knits/Gentle, Perm Press, Soak/Pre-Wash. Bleach dispenser. No softener dispenser, although the agitator has drain openings to allow for it. No clothes guard ring on the basket. Agitator as pictured. Plastic insert lid handle.

The LA7400XM (1984) Design 2000 my grandmother had was pretty much the same, except had the clothes guard ring. Still was spin-drain.

I have Service Manual L-46 "Design 2000 Direct Drive Washer" dated 1981. Agitation is stated as 100� arc, 177 to 181 SPM high speed (vs. 195� arc @ 68 SPM for belt-drive), 118 to 122 SPM low speed. Spin is 640 to 650 RPM high (vs. 500 RPM for belt-drive), 425 to 429 low.

I also have Service Manual L-55 "Direct Drive Washers" dated 1987, which covers the neutral drain design. Can't say if 1987 is an indication of when neutral drain went into effect, or if that's just the printing date of the service manual. Parts diagrams show examples of both a dual-action agitator and a straight-vane with removable filter barrel. It was never clear to me why neutral-drain was added, perhaps Leslie can address that as well. Maybe one reason was to eliminate the high-speed spin/drain leading into slow spin, consumers who noticed that may have complained. Granny ran her machine for 15 years with no repairs, not even a drive coupler.


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Post# 348142 5/11/2009 at 18:06 (5,457 days old) by everythingold (Grand Rapids, Michigan)
Checkrate/Likes Late bd spins, sounds good. dryer has bound motor. nice set

Post# 348143 , Reply# 1 5/11/2009 at 18:07 (5,457 days old) by everythingold (Grand Rapids, Michigan)
Checkrate/Likes ms

Post# 348145 , Reply# 2 5/11/2009 at 18:09 (5,457 days old) by everythingold (Grand Rapids, Michigan)
Checkrate/Likes panel mod #la5580xpw1

Post# 348146 , Reply# 3 5/11/2009 at 18:10 (5,457 days old) by everythingold (Grand Rapids, Michigan)
Checkrate/Likes dryer is gas

Post# 348147 , Reply# 4 5/11/2009 at 18:11 (5,457 days old) by everythingold (Grand Rapids, Michigan)
Checkrate/Likes if iterested let me know. matt

Post# 348184 , Reply# 5 5/11/2009 at 20:05 (5,457 days old) by 70series ( Connecticut.)
Checkrate/Likes We had the super capacity version of this dryer. This must be a 1985/1986 set, judging by the consoles. Have a good one, James

Post# 348191 , Reply# 6 5/11/2009 at 20:18 (5,457 days old) by yogitunes (New Jersey)
Checkrate/Likes I had the 1984 version ... SUPREME SYSTEM ... with push buttons for temperatures...but that agitator was called DOUBLE DUTY...one of the best ones they put out in my opinion...still thats a nice set you got there

Post# 348192 , Reply# 7 5/11/2009 at 20:18 (5,457 days old) by appnut (TX)
Checkrate/Likes This was the tail end of teh BD Whirlys. When I was transferred here in 1986, a friend of mine had to move here in Nov, 1985 to help set up stuff. She had to get a new W&D because she had a gas hamilton and had to have electric. So, she got a fairly high-end version of these. About a year later after her purchase, the DD Whirlys appeared.

Post# 348201 , Reply# 8 5/11/2009 at 20:40 (5,457 days old) by dadoes (TX,�U.S. of A.)
Checkrate/Likes 1 The Whirlpool Design 2000 direct-drive model debuted in 1982. I remember the model number being LB5500. SearsParts lists LB5500XKW0 (K = 1982) and LB5500XLW0 (L = 1983). I have the receipt in-hand for Granny's LA7400XMW2 (M = 1984; S/N C43505625, Clyde 35th week of 1984). Kenmore had DD before Whirlpool, so 1981? That makes direct-drive at minimum 28 years on the market now.

Post# 348308 , Reply# 9 5/12/2009 at 09:31 (5,456 days old) by kenmoreguy64 (Charlotte, NC)
Checkrate/Likes 1981 sounds about right, but I want to say that there was one 1980 model DD Kenmore (I am not absolutely certain of that). I think it was probably a short-lived model, as there was a 1981 model with almost the same identical model number. Only a couple years before the DD took over the whole 24-inch line-up. But yes indeed, Kenmore had the DD first. These first few models were the ones with the gold straight vane agitators and the funky filters. The whole mechanism was situated at a different orientation such that the motor and pump were on the side, not the front like they have been ever since. Seems like Sears got to be the store to sell the test guinee pigs. Something tells me that when my mother bought her BD set in December 1982, something was casually said by the sales guy about machines having been recalled or voluntarily replaced by Sears at customer request on some of those early DDs. The recession in 1981/1982 kept sales down across the board on Sears appliances (as compared to the mass volumes that were sold in 1984-1986) and I believe I've only ever seen ONE of those ultra-early DDs.

Post# 348309 , Reply# 10 5/12/2009 at 09:56 (5,456 days old) by davek ()
Checkrate/Likes *Design 2000* I think it's kind of funny that the "Design 2000" name was used briefly on home machines, but I've seen a commercial machine that was new when installed in 2003 that still said Design 2000 in those 80s bubble digital letters. Although I knew the machine to be brand-new when it was installed, those letters and the boxy sloped panel made it appear to be much older. It cost $1.25 to run in a "9-hole" laundromat that had 8 Neptunes that were $2.00 each to run. It was the only top loader and was the only cheap one. Needless to say, it was ALWAYS occupied and was used to death quickly and wasn't replaced.

Post# 348315 , Reply# 11 5/12/2009 at 10:35 (5,456 days old) by supremewhirlpol ()
Checkrate/Likes I have a magazine with a brief time line of the Whirlpool washing machines, from the wringer-style, the BD's to the Mark Imperial with solid-state electronics to the DD's up to the catalyist. I will try to find it and post some pictures of it. But, on the time line, there is shown what looks like a 24" DD Whirlpool maybe made ~1982 that has a console that looks like the one that was used on the 1984 model BD's. My question is: Has anyone seen this model in person? I have only seen it once and the one I saw was in the back of an appliance store. The cabinet was off, and it had lots of rust on the frame. It had the lid with the plastic insert. I do not think it was a design 2000 machine. I always thought the Design 2000 machines were the 2nd model DD that Whirlpool made. Can anyone correct me/chime in on this?

Post# 348450 , Reply# 12 5/12/2009 at 20:08 (5,456 days old) by redcarpetdrew (Fairfield, CA)
Checkrate/Likes I seem to remember that the D2000 machines were "Direct to Spin" machines without the neutral drain mech in the transmission. From what I remember, they went to the neutral drain design due to transmission failures and shake issues as the suspension was designed to better handle loads sitting on the bottom of the tubs as vs. loads stuck to the basket sides... Any Whirlpool pros correct me if I'm mistaken as it's been a while... RCD

Post# 348522 , Reply# 13 5/12/2009 at 23:02 (5,456 days old) by dadoes (TX,�U.S. of A.)
Checkrate/Likes Perhaps Magic Clean can clarify, but unless I'm wrong, LB5500XL (1982 model) was the first Whirlpool-branded DD. I participated in delivery/setup of several while working for the local Whirlpool dealer. It was (or is, as some still may be in existence) 24" wide, tagged as Design 2000, and did not have neutral drain. The lint filter is the passive under-basket type. Four water levels. Cold/Cold, Warm/Cold, Hot/Cold. Regular/Heavy, Knits/Gentle, Perm Press, Soak/Pre-Wash. Bleach dispenser. No softener dispenser, although the agitator has drain openings to allow for it. No clothes guard ring on the basket. Agitator as pictured. Plastic insert lid handle. The LA7400XM (1984) Design 2000 my grandmother had was pretty much the same, except had the clothes guard ring. Still was spin-drain. I have Service Manual L-46 "Design 2000 Direct Drive Washer" dated 1981. Agitation is stated as 100� arc, 177 to 181 SPM high speed (vs. 195� arc @ 68 SPM for belt-drive), 118 to 122 SPM low speed. Spin is 640 to 650 RPM high (vs. 500 RPM for belt-drive), 425 to 429 low. I also have Service Manual L-55 "Direct Drive Washers" dated 1987, which covers the neutral drain design. Can't say if 1987 is an indication of when neutral drain went into effect, or if that's just the printing date of the service manual. Parts diagrams show examples of both a dual-action agitator and a straight-vane with removable filter barrel. It was never clear to me why neutral-drain was added, perhaps Leslie can address that as well. Maybe one reason was to eliminate the high-speed spin/drain leading into slow spin, consumers who noticed that may have complained. Granny ran her machine for 15 years with no repairs, not even a drive coupler.