Wednesday afternoon I got a phone call from my friend David, asking if I would have any interest in this.   I was quite stunned when he told me what it was.    So I called the seller and made arrangements to drive out the next day to take a look at it.

So yesterday I did something I would normally N E V E R - E V E R do on a week day after work, get on the highway and head East.    Here in LA the Eastbound afternoon traffic is just horrendous, but I felt this was worth braving the traffic in the rain for two and a half hours just to get there, to go check this thing out.

The story goes.... 22 years ago the sellers bought this property, an old chicken ranch and this machine was already in the barn back then and who knows how many years before that.   Recently they decided to start clearing all the stuff out of the barn because it's collapsing.   But instead of throwing this machine in the scrap pile with everything else, they decided to pull it out, do a little research on the internet (and discovered how rare it is) and see if they could get anything for it.   They had to cut a large hole in one of the barn walls just to this machine out because the door was no longer accessible.

So now I'd like to introduce you to... the teaser photo!

More later........

Kevin

A Launderall?

and I see it has a new nickname.  Meet Rusty!!  (that's what ya get for bein such a tease!!!)

I'd say circa 1953.

As I said it had been sitting in this barn for many, many years so it was just a teensy bit dirty!    

The dirt under the lid was 1/8 inch thick!

The timer is seized as I guessed it would be.   It does pull in/out to start/stop though.

Of course it's going to need some TLC and a lot of paint.   Fortunately the vast majority of the rust looks to be light surface rust.

Unfortunately the badge is missing off the front of the machine.

As I mentioned, the seller did some research on the internet and they even found a video of one on Youtube.   I asked him to describe the video and it turns out it was MY video of Roberts machine at the May, 2010 wash-in!

I was quite stunned when my friend David called me about it and KNEW I had to check it out as soon as I could!

Thank you so much David for letting me know about this Apex!!!

Kevin

Holy crap!!!!

One of THE GREAT ALL-TIME FINDS!!!

The basket looks like maybe 6 pounds? One pair pants and 2 underwear?

CONGRATULATIONS, lots more pics needed and then a video wash--

So much for the newly aquired garage space.....

THANK YOU EVERYONE!!!   I still cant believe it myself!

I started dismantling the washer this afternoon to inspect and clean.

I discovered there was a lot of crap in the outer tub.... so I scooped it all out!

As I was cleaning all this stuff out, I discovered the reason, which I assume the washer taken out of service.   What's left of a large towel was in the outer tub blocking the drain port.

All told, there was A LOT of crap in the outer tub!   (and by the way, it's hard to tell in the photo, but that is not

just a little dirt across the bottom of that box, it's an MIN 1 1/2 inch deep!)

Kevin

I found this down in the outer tub with all the debris.   Anyone (Robert) have any what this might be for?

Thank you again everyone!

That's what I thought too Allen, but the only way into the outer tub would be between the top of the wash basket and the... entry shoot?   Plus there would be no way for them to get up and out if they were in the bottom of the outer tub. 

The model tag.

According to the owners manual I just downloaded from "Ephemera" today, "Wash action is best when not over eight pounds is loaded at one time"

Thank you again!   I STILL can't believe it!   Maybe I'm in shock because it still hasn't sunk in yet!

Kevin

WOW Kevin you have saved a very rare piece of Automatic Washer history, can't wait to see it repainted and running.

And a big THANK YOU to the sellers that had the good sense not to just scrap it.

Amazing, amazing find Kevin!  I will echo John's thoughts - I'm so glad the owner's decided to seek out someone who would appreciate it instead of just scrapping it.  I cannot wait to see the progress shots and details.

Even more of a reason now to come out to Cali... :)

Ben

Yes that is my video from Robert & Fred's May 15, 2010 Wash-In.   

Funny that the seller also found this video on Youtube and was surprised when I said I had recorded it.

= = = = = = = = = = = = =

After David told me about this and after speaking to the seller, going to check out this washer was suddenly took the highest priority above everything else!   An APEX was never on my wish list OR on my radar due to how rare they are.   I never imagined one would show up, let alone show up anywhere near me!   I think I am STILL in shock!  

Kevin

Again, Thank you so much everyone for all of your wonderful comments *blush*

Robert, thank you for any and all assistance you can offer, will be greatly appreciated!   You are the resident Apex expert after all!  

Kevin    

Thanks so much for the tips Robert!   I'll check out Ephemera on Thursday, Thank You!   Does the service manual have the wiring diagram in it?   As you can see from the photo, the power cord goes nowhere and while I have not examined everything closely, it looks like some other wires (and all the hoses) may be frayed or chewed or...

I've been busy the last couple days and haven't had time to do anything with it yet this week, so no I haven't tried to turn the belt, but I will!   The "stuff" in the drain pump came out with the vacuum.   I was surprised to see an separate electric drain pump.   Does this run the entire time the washer is on?

Kevin 

Actually the whole wash tub is one piece molded out of fiberglass. For the wash action the entire tub wobbles and bounces, that is how these Apex made machines got to be known as the Bouncing Basket Apex models. In the video link below you can see very clearly what I am talking about when the machine goes from a spin into the rinse cycle.....PAT COFFEY

Robert, THANK YOU for the information above and putting the Apex docs up on the Doctrine.   I've downloaded everything and I know it will be a HUGE help!

To answer Malcoms questions:

1) What is the length of the cycle in minutes?  27 1/2 minutes and a total of 24 1/2 gallons water.
2) How fast is that spin speed?  I believe it's 610 rpm.
3) How is the cleaning performance?   Robert can answer that one, but I believe it's gental, but pretty good.

Pat: Thank you for answering Mikelondon's questions and posting the video link!

Jackson:  Hearing Coconuts???

I absolutely love this machine. Not only is the entire cycle filled with splashy drama, it just has a such of feeling of antiquity in everything it does. It is extremely solid and stable and has never ever walked one iota unlike some of my other machines. With a proper restoration it is also one of the quietest machines in my collection.

In order to rate the cleaning performance of this washer you have to look at it from a 1953 perspective as well as a 2012 perspective. In 1953 its cleaning ability was fair to poor. Fast forward 60 years to today and with the marked improvement of modern HE detergents the cleaning ability of this machine in 2012 is much better. The machine is a perfect candidate to use HE detergents as the water level is barely 1/2 up the wash basket. After the wash fill, the water level continues to drop as 2/3rd of it gets bounced out of the wash basket by the energetic action.

This machine clearly is the very first HE top loader ever produced. It is like a front loader in the fact that there doesn't need to be any water in the tub to safely agitate the clothes. As a matter of fact when you start the washer it immediately goes into a fill & agitate, no part of fill cycle has the tub stationary, just like a front loader! Another positive feature of this machine is the fiberglass wash basket. Because the basket is not metal it does not absorb much of the heat of the hot water so the water temperature stays much hotter during the 12 minute wash. It stays so hot in fact that the cabinet gets very hot during the wash cycle. The wash basket has six large pockets molded onto the outside of the basket. During spin the water is thrown over the top of the tub and enters these pockets and is held inside these pockets via centrifugal force. The pockets are designed to catch more water on the opposite side of the unbalanced side of the tub so this tends to balance out the wash tub during spin even with quite out of balance loads. Since quite a bit of water is bounced out of the tub during wash there is a 30 second fill before the first spin to replenish some water for balancing. When the spin stops you can hear the water rush out of the pockets and into the outer cabinet where it is then drained.

As for the capacity, it holds just as much as any 8lb 1950's automatic washer such as a Unimatic or Speed Queen. Because of the bouncing action it has excellent turnover but at the same and does not seem to tangle clothes and no special loading technique is needed.

I wish everyone here could experience an Apex for a while in their laundry room. I suspect many would be impressed with its performance.

Here are the threads from when I first found my Apex....

#1 CALLING A CLUB MEETING AT 10PM CENTRAL TIME

#2 AFTER 13 LONG YEARS THE SEARCH IS OVER!!!!!!!!!!

#3 My Basket is Bouncing once again