Todays POD 2012-11-26

Mark -

It seems that 1980 70-series model is significant for both of us.

In February 1981, my mother's 1974 Kenmore 60 series machine, which was essentially identical to this model features-wise (it had an infinite water level but a Penta-Vane agitator) had a premature failure in the basket drive, which we were told required a whole new one, at less than 7 years old. The repair bill was going to be 200-some dollars, and my Mom wisely balked at that.

I went with her to Sears, and we bought this very model, the 20721, for about 100 bucks more than the repair estimate. I was excited about getting a new machine, but not happy about loosing the '74. I remembered how excited I was when we got the '74, until I saw our 1961 70 going off on its side in the back of an old Dodge pickup. I said to myself "not again" and set out to fenagle a way to get the '74 fixed, without the cost.

Turned out I could buy the recommended basket drive at a decent discount at the Sears parts warehouse. I think it was $60 maybe $70 dollars. They were willing to show us how to put it in using some of the machines that were there for in-house service. They sold us a DIY repair manual, and said we could return the basket drive in the event of a botched job, or they'd finish the work at a reduced labor rate if we had the machine already taken apart or spewed all over the laundry room. Somehow my folks agreed with my logic and we went for it. It saved the '74 from an early departure, and we canceled the 20721, much to the displeasure of the salesman. It took us two hours or more on the back porch in a driving Colorado snow storm, but I can still remember the absolute glee when re-installing the '74 and it going into its first spin. The feeling of success, and saving a machine, and my parents over $200! It was a prelude to a lot of future washer work.

I always wanted that 20721 model ever since we cancelled it, and oddly enough, Mom bought a 21721, which is the 1981 equivalent, in December 1982 when we got transferred to Charlotte and bought a new pair. I found a home with some friends for our '74 which lasted until 1999 at least.

Earlier this summer I acquired a 20721 machine. I've never seen that many of them. The two lesser 1980 70-series models are much more common (the five cycle, four level machines). Can't wait to restore it...maybe it can be yours one day Mark!

Gordon

By the way - if you look closely in the catalog ad above, it says this machine has a porcelain lid, but an enamel top. This I believe was in the spring/summer 1980 catalog? I never liked those enameled parts much, they rust too easily on the east coast. By the Spring/Summer 1981 catalog, it had both the porcelain lid and the porcelain top. Sears must have re-aligned things a bit.


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Post# 641718 11/26/2012 at 11:53 (4,168 days old) by Kenmore71 (Minneapolis, MN)
Checkrate/Likes What year are these machines? The washer looks to be DD and the redesigned console looks like late 80s. 1987?

Post# 641781 , Reply# 1 11/26/2012 at 14:12 (4,168 days old) by StrongEnough78 (California)
Checkrate/Likes I think late 80's to early 90's. My Grandmother bought this washer when her 71 Lady K gave out. And that was in the early 90's I believe. And they are Direct Drive.

Post# 641843 , Reply# 2 11/26/2012 at 17:54 (4,167 days old) by Kenmore71 (Minneapolis, MN)
Checkrate/Likes Does anyone know the exact year of these models?

Post# 641861 , Reply# 3 11/26/2012 at 20:08 (4,167 days old) by whirlykenmore78 (Prior Lake MN (GMT-0500 CDT.))
Checkrate/Likes *OH Gordon!* WE need your expertice but I would venture 87 or 88. WK78

Post# 641866 , Reply# 4 11/26/2012 at 20:25 (4,167 days old) by appnut (TX)
Checkrate/Likes I bought that exact pair October 11, 1986 when they first were released on the market. The Lady Shredmore!!

Post# 641885 , Reply# 5 11/26/2012 at 21:50 (4,167 days old) by Kenmore71 (Minneapolis, MN)
Checkrate/Likes OK, that likely means it was a 1987 model.

Post# 641893 , Reply# 6 11/26/2012 at 22:00 (4,167 days old) by Kenmoreguy64 (Charlotte, NC)
Checkrate/Likes Those are definitely 1986 models. The 6 in both stock numbers gives it away. There was a nearly identical set in 1988, in fact most 1986 model DD machines were re-released as 1988 models, and I could never tell much difference, not in features anyway. I have never been as interested in the DDs though as the BDs so there may have been subtle differences I didn't notice. I looked at these machines with considerable disdain for a number of years because they displaced the belt-drives, and also because I'm not usually a quick fan of new things. I appreciate certain aspects of the DD today, both from a user's standpoint and from a service perspective. The DDs were largely unchanged between the 1986 models, the 1988s, and the few additions in 1987, '89, and 1990. A whole new line debuted for 1992 which was incredibly successful. Nearly all 2-speed models included the new Heavy Duty cycle, the revised Normal, and benefitted from the previous decade of DD experience by consumers, which is how the adjustment in agitation speed, and the designation "Heavy Duty" cycle came about. The '92 models, and especially those later machines with the speed control switches, may be a little bit better suited or easier to use than the earlier models, if the consumer has any sense anyway, and we know a lot don't seem to, or don't use it anyway. These machines certainly benefitted from some evolutionary improvements post 1986. Mark - is there something significant about this set to you? Gordon

Post# 641894 , Reply# 7 11/26/2012 at 22:03 (4,167 days old) by appnut (TX)
Checkrate/Likes The last available BD Lady Kenmore I could have gotten my hands on locally was late August, 1986. If I'd only know at that time what I "found out" later. ugh!!! But I got seduced by the pizzazz of it's top loaders of the future.

Post# 641897 , Reply# 8 11/26/2012 at 22:13 (4,167 days old) by Kenmoreguy64 (Charlotte, NC)
Checkrate/Likes Bob - Somebody short-changed you it seems, unless your sales region did not order shipments. Sears here was still advertising the Lady K BD machine in later October 1986, and I have two made in week 35, which is early September. I clearly remember the newspaper ad as my 1986 BD 70-series was about two months old and the price decrease on the Lady K was such that I could have bought the Lady had I waited two months. I don't think they had a matching dryer however, but I won't swear to that. They still had one 70-series BD too, large capacity, but it was matched a standard dryer, which Sears would always sell you, but not often purposely pair up in a sales ad except during clearance time. I remmeber the day when I first saw the new line of DDs in the store, I was NOT a happy camper...but glad I'd bought mine when I did.

Post# 641934 , Reply# 14 11/26/2012 at 23:42 (4,167 days old) by MattL (Flushing, MI)
Checkrate/Likes This is the period of LK I really dislike, and that is too mild a word for it. The LKs I remember always had unique styling, Like my '73 piano key model, or my TOL ( no longer called LK...) electronic version, These looked just like their cheaper siblings and quite honestly there is nothing there at interests me. I really think it was a bad styling move by Sears. While most of the guts may be the same as the less expensive models there was always a bit of flash and style to the LKs prior to this design. In a way I consider these models the "lost years" at Sears.

Post# 641898 , Reply# 9 11/26/2012 at 22:22 (4,167 days old) by appnut (TX)
Checkrate/Likes Gordon, I had gone on vacation to Rochester, NY mid-October that year. Went to the "big city mall Sears" and sas the whole new line. Came back here and the new line was all Sears had available. I should have listgened to the "twinge" inside after taking delivery and washing my first few loads, send them back, but I didn't.

Post# 641899 , Reply# 10 11/26/2012 at 22:23 (4,167 days old) by Kenmore71 (Minneapolis, MN)
Checkrate/Likes Gordon, there is nothing particularly significant about this set to me other than that I thought it might be the set that marked a definitive moment in the "paradigm shift" to the DD WP-made Kenmores. Now, in terms of significance...if you could get me in touch with a 1980 70 series THAT was the washing machine I used as a teenager!

Post# 641918 , Reply# 11 11/26/2012 at 23:07 (4,167 days old) by Kenmoreguy64 (Charlotte, NC)
Checkrate/Likes Mark - It seems that 1980 70-series model is significant for both of us. In February 1981, my mother's 1974 Kenmore 60 series machine, which was essentially identical to this model features-wise (it had an infinite water level but a Penta-Vane agitator) had a premature failure in the basket drive, which we were told required a whole new one, at less than 7 years old. The repair bill was going to be 200-some dollars, and my Mom wisely balked at that. I went with her to Sears, and we bought this very model, the 20721, for about 100 bucks more than the repair estimate. I was excited about getting a new machine, but not happy about loosing the '74. I remembered how excited I was when we got the '74, until I saw our 1961 70 going off on its side in the back of an old Dodge pickup. I said to myself "not again" and set out to fenagle a way to get the '74 fixed, without the cost. Turned out I could buy the recommended basket drive at a decent discount at the Sears parts warehouse. I think it was $60 maybe $70 dollars. They were willing to show us how to put it in using some of the machines that were there for in-house service. They sold us a DIY repair manual, and said we could return the basket drive in the event of a botched job, or they'd finish the work at a reduced labor rate if we had the machine already taken apart or spewed all over the laundry room. Somehow my folks agreed with my logic and we went for it. It saved the '74 from an early departure, and we canceled the 20721, much to the displeasure of the salesman. It took us two hours or more on the back porch in a driving Colorado snow storm, but I can still remember the absolute glee when re-installing the '74 and it going into its first spin. The feeling of success, and saving a machine, and my parents over $200! It was a prelude to a lot of future washer work. I always wanted that 20721 model ever since we cancelled it, and oddly enough, Mom bought a 21721, which is the 1981 equivalent, in December 1982 when we got transferred to Charlotte and bought a new pair. I found a home with some friends for our '74 which lasted until 1999 at least. Earlier this summer I acquired a 20721 machine. I've never seen that many of them. The two lesser 1980 70-series models are much more common (the five cycle, four level machines). Can't wait to restore it...maybe it can be yours one day Mark! Gordon By the way - if you look closely in the catalog ad above, it says this machine has a porcelain lid, but an enamel top. This I believe was in the spring/summer 1980 catalog? I never liked those enameled parts much, they rust too easily on the east coast. By the Spring/Summer 1981 catalog, it had both the porcelain lid and the porcelain top. Sears must have re-aligned things a bit.

Post# 641920 , Reply# 12 11/26/2012 at 23:14 (4,167 days old) by Kenmore71 (Minneapolis, MN)
Checkrate/Likes Gordon, thanks for the info! My mother purchased this machine, if you can believe it, in the fall of 1982! It was a suds-saver with the 4-port pump and tub mounted self-cleaning filter. I bet I did over 1000 loads of laundry in that between 1982 and 1990. I also had that machine apart multiple times in the late 1980s and early 90s repairing various and sundry things. Once I went to college there was a failure of some sort and I was informed WEEKS later that it had been replaced with a Maytag LAW9400AAW. I guess it COULD have been worse, LOL.

Post# 641925 , Reply# 13 11/26/2012 at 23:21 (4,167 days old) by Kenmore71 (Minneapolis, MN)
Checkrate/Likes One thing I will have to say about that machine is that I have NEVER encountered (with the possible exception of a Frigidaire 1-18) a top loading machine that could turn over a 15 to 18 lb. load of work clothes like that large capacity Kenmore with the DA agitator. That machine was a freakin' workhorse!