Thread Number: 34752
Longest running automatic washer design?
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Post# 521015   5/28/2011 at 11:30 (4,688 days old) by minermike ()        

I got to thinking what was the longest running automatic washer design? My guess is GE's Filter Flo but thats just a guess. Also out of curiosity how long is the current Speed Queen Top Loader design in production For?




Post# 521022 , Reply# 1   5/28/2011 at 11:56 (4,688 days old) by cfz2882 (Belle Fourche,SD)        
filter flo

probably is GE filter flo-those ran from around the early '50s through 1995
the basic design of the current speed queen top loads dates to around 1981,
the earlier ones have a two section belt driven pump and feature a "rim flo"
lint filter much like on 70s/80s GE built hotpoint top loads.


Post# 521023 , Reply# 2   5/28/2011 at 11:57 (4,688 days old) by mtn1584 (USA)        

I think the current SQ top loader will be in production thru 2012, but Danman, can answer that better than me.
Mike


Post# 521037 , Reply# 3   5/28/2011 at 12:53 (4,688 days old) by PeterH770 (Marietta, GA)        

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But GE at least had some changes when going from a solid tub to a perforated tub. I would say Whirlpool has them beat. The design didn't changed much from 1947 until the direct drives hit.

Post# 521038 , Reply# 4   5/28/2011 at 12:55 (4,688 days old) by pierreandreply4 (St-Bruno de montarville (province of quebec) canada)        

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Me i would say inglis whirlpools because my grandmother had an inglis whirlpool dryer from the 1970 that lasted 40 years that she replace last fall here is a picture as proof of her old inglis whirlpool 40 year old dryer lol

Post# 521078 , Reply# 5   5/28/2011 at 15:23 (4,688 days old) by cfz2882 (Belle Fourche,SD)        
maytag

maytags had a pretty long run too-mid 50s(?)to Ca 1988 for the iron geared
trannys,orbital Ca'89-06.


Post# 521115 , Reply# 6   5/28/2011 at 17:10 (4,687 days old) by bendixmark (Winchester Mass)        
Bendix

The Bendix washer came out in I think 1936 and was still around with the same basic design as a coin op Dexter into the early 1990s

Post# 521119 , Reply# 7   5/28/2011 at 17:33 (4,687 days old) by minermike ()        

I never really thought there was that many long running designs, I guess why mess with a good thing!

Post# 521146 , Reply# 8   5/28/2011 at 19:53 (4,687 days old) by combo52 (50 Year Repair Tech Beltsville,Md)        
LONGEST RUNNING AW DESIGNS

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1ST MT helical drive washers 60 years 1956-2006, 2nd WP BD washers 1947-1987 50 years, 3rd Franklin-Frigidare mid 1970s- current 35 years+, 4th GE preforated basket washers 1961-1995 34 years, 5th place SQ solid tub washers mid 1950s-1979 and the 6th longest 3B westinghouse FL washers 1959-1988 29 years, and of coerce the first automatic washer the bolt down Bendix 1936- early 1950s.

 

 

Frigidare and most of the others didn't keep a design much over 10 years, all tough i am sure I may have missed someone, please jump in.


Post# 521152 , Reply# 9   5/28/2011 at 20:24 (4,687 days old) by MaytagA710 ()        

I was going to say Maytag too. Even though they swapped the Helical transmission out in the late late 80s for the Orbital drive, the principal and theory, and general set up of the machine remained the same until the end.

PS Pierre, someone from my province used a photo of your dryer for an advertisement on Kijiji, I don't want to hijack the thread, so email me and I will try and find the ad lol.


Post# 521188 , Reply# 10   5/28/2011 at 23:52 (4,687 days old) by PeterH770 (Marietta, GA)        

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I disagree. When Maytag switched from the pittman transmission to the orbital transmission, the agitation changed radically. Because of this, Maytag would move to about the 30 year place.

Post# 521205 , Reply# 11   5/29/2011 at 03:31 (4,687 days old) by pierreandreply4 (St-Bruno de montarville (province of quebec) canada)        

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ok but i don't mind since my grandmother no longer has this particular dryer model anymore

Post# 521211 , Reply# 12   5/29/2011 at 05:22 (4,687 days old) by HiLoVane (Columbus OH)        

Design "tweaks" (switching from solid to perforated tub; relocating water flumes; redesign of agitators and filter pans) notwithstanding, GE introduced the Filter-Flo system in 1955.

Post# 521229 , Reply# 13   5/29/2011 at 07:17 (4,687 days old) by matthewza (Cape Town, South Africa)        
SPEED QUEEN

i'd say the speed queen design because after the solid tubs, the design has stayed the same. just the control panels change colour...

Post# 521230 , Reply# 14   5/29/2011 at 07:35 (4,687 days old) by combo52 (50 Year Repair Tech Beltsville,Md)        
LONGEST RUNNING AW DESIGNS

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In my reasoning for longest running designs I reasoned that the design was substantially the same with almost all parts being interchangeable from year to year. When MT dropped a new transmission in thier helical drive washers it was interchangeable with the old transmission. In fact MT encouraged you to change over to the better new orbital transmission if you wanted a complete transmission for any 06 and later machines. The name helical drive refers to the spiral cut on the bottom of the agitator shaft that pulls off the brake and allows the washer to shift into the spin mode. Even though MT did stop calling thier dependable care Newton built washers helical drive when they changed to the more reliable orbital drive, they were still in every sense still helical drive as they still used the exact same method of changing from wash to spin.

 

The change in name to orbital drive was something the sales department came up with as the new orbital transmission equipped washers are just as much helical drive as the old machines were. 

 

GE did use the same type of lint filtering system from 1955-1995, but the washer design was completely different and you would be hard pressed to find any part that was carried over to the new washer. It is every much as different as the WP BD and DD are.

 

And no body caught me as I missed the most produced automatic washer design ever the WP DDs 1981-2011 over 100 produced and counting. Easily the most reliable and easy to repair automatic washer ever produced world wide.


Post# 521285 , Reply# 15   5/29/2011 at 13:51 (4,687 days old) by gansky1 (Omaha, The Home of the TV Dinner!)        

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I'm with John on this, the Maytag design was virtually the same, other than component changes they were indistinguishable from earlier Maytag machines all the way up to 1994 when the cabinet got wider and the basket, tub and cover changed inside the larger opening lid.  When I had a service tech out for a dishwasher repair many years ago, I had the turquoise A & DE 700 set, he told me that he could drop a new orbital tranny and agitator in it and "update" the washer 25 years to the "latest in technology."  I declined, of course, but you're right, John, other than that difference the machines were relatively the same.  The same could be said for the WP belt-drive machines.  However, if you could separate  them out by interchangeable parts, many of the early pumps, etc. were not used in following years but they were functionally the same.   Obviously, the differences in the unimatic and pulsamatic put them into different categories of design even though there was little difference peering in for an eyeful of money-shot from above.  Not the case with Maytag, Whirlpool, Speed Queen, etc. when changes in design began by unrolling the blueprints and schematics of the current production.

 

Raytheon changed from the solid-tub washer platform to the perforated tub design in 1979-80 that in some part is still made today.   Here is the Amana from about 1984'ish that I just got from a friend's "new" house, it was left in the basement after the rapture of a elderly woman last spring.  Works like a charm - with lots of water and an extraordinary amount of noise, just like the new models from Speed Queen today!


Post# 521286 , Reply# 16   5/29/2011 at 13:58 (4,687 days old) by Spankomatic (Ukiah,CA)        

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Love the safety switch by-pass you got going there,Greg!Laughing


Post# 521320 , Reply# 17   5/29/2011 at 17:09 (4,686 days old) by combo52 (50 Year Repair Tech Beltsville,Md)        
LONGEST RUNNING AW DESIGNS

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I missed another one Greg you are correct that the current SQ washer design has quite a bit in common with the first preforated basket machines that arrived around 1980, 31 years and going strong. I do not believe the MT dependable care washers ever got any wider in the cabinet size of 25 1/2" all the way through 2006 when WP pulled the plug on helical drive MT washers for good.


Post# 521425 , Reply# 18   5/30/2011 at 08:56 (4,686 days old) by ingliscanada ()        
WP Since Semi-Auto

Whirlpool seemed to have that same BD design since their cylindrical semi-automatics dating back to the late 30's or early 40's.

Gary


Post# 521427 , Reply# 19   5/30/2011 at 09:07 (4,686 days old) by danmantn (Tennessee)        

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From what I've been able to squeeze out of the SQ rep on the phone @ HQ...2012 is the last year of the current design. Will still look the same in 2013, but will do the 1/2 fill of fresh water trick in the rinse cycle--currently in the laundromat models. "Unless we can figure out somethine else to make the government happy...". Also, new frontload models were in testing as of April - but haven't seen anything yet except their new website look--which is nice.

I'm going to buy one last AWN542 next year and put away. My mom will eventually need one, will give her my current one, and then I will crack open the last traditional American washer. :(


Post# 521447 , Reply# 20   5/30/2011 at 10:49 (4,686 days old) by minermike ()        

danmantn;
Is Speed Queen going to redesign the internals on there top load machines or just adjust the water levels to keep the feds happy? I bought my mom a AWN542 and she loves the machine. My daily driver is a late 70's filter flo and about the only new machine I would replace it with is a Speed Queen top loader.


Post# 521454 , Reply# 21   5/30/2011 at 11:29 (4,686 days old) by danmantn (Tennessee)        

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According to the guy I spoke with in March, just the 1/2 fill at that time...no telling what will actually happen.

Post# 521518 , Reply# 22   5/30/2011 at 17:24 (4,685 days old) by combo52 (50 Year Repair Tech Beltsville,Md)        
FRIST WP AUTOMATICS

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Came out in 1947 they did not sell anything that remotely resembled thier bolt down automatics before that time.



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