Thread Number: 71542
/ Tag: Vintage Automatic Washers
POD 7/4/2017 |
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Post# 946668 , Reply# 2   7/4/2017 at 09:57 (2,459 days old) by speedqueen (Metro-Detroit)   |   | |
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Post# 946684 , Reply# 4   7/4/2017 at 12:38 (2,459 days old) by brucelucenta ()   |   | |
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From what I remember they were a product of the mid to late 70's when they first came out. |
Post# 946685 , Reply# 5   7/4/2017 at 12:41 (2,459 days old) by speedqueen (Metro-Detroit)   |   | |
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This agitator was introduced in the late '70s to replace the under-performing PentaSwirl in KM large capacity BD (Belt Drive) machines. The machine you had was likely a DD (Direct Drive) Kenmore with short stroke agitation. From your description, it sounds like the agitator-dogs (ratchet mechanism) were worn in your machine.
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Post# 946687 , Reply# 6   7/4/2017 at 12:44 (2,459 days old) by speedqueen (Metro-Detroit)   |   | |
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Post# 946714 , Reply# 7   7/4/2017 at 18:29 (2,458 days old) by brucelucenta ()   |   | |
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No problem man |
Post# 946725 , Reply# 8   7/4/2017 at 20:04 (2,458 days old) by gansky1 (Omaha, The Home of the TV Dinner!)   |   | |
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I remember when this agitator was first introduced at Sears and one of the kinder salesmen in the white-goods department gave me a demonstration. He had a load of towels that he wrapped into a ball, one-by-one and then dropped the ball into the washer. When he started the Dual-Action on high speed, it unwrapped the ball and continued washing as normal. My demo was over when I told him I'd done a similar trick with our GE Filter-Flo at home. Go away kid.
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Post# 946747 , Reply# 9   7/5/2017 at 01:04 (2,458 days old) by 70series ( Connecticut.)   |   | |
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The Dual Action made its debut in 1976. One of my aunts and uncles bought the Kenmore 80 model with this agitator. |
Post# 946833 , Reply# 11   7/5/2017 at 19:21 (2,457 days old) by Kenmoreguy64 (Charlotte, NC)   |   | |
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Since the Roto-Swirl came out in the 50s, Kenmore always offered more than one agitator. Agitators got better, according to Sears anyway, as you progressed upward in the model specs. The "better" agitators were advertised as reasons to spring for pricier models. By the time the Dual Action debuted in several 1976 models, the line up of agitators was:
Standard capacity Entry to MOL - Straight vane MOL to almost TOL - Super Roto Swirl TOL - Standard cap DA Large / Super capacity Entry to MOL - Penta Vane MOL - Penta Swirl High-end 90 series and TOL - DA Before the advent of the DA, some high end agitators were the Roto-Flex (1965-1969 ish) and the Vari-Flex 1968-1974). Both were for standard capacity models. Another reason Kenmore seems to have had so many agitators is in part due to their effort to find a really good agitator for the large tub models. The large cap roto-swirl was huge, and I suspect it may not have been gentle enough. In 1973 and 1974 the two Pentas came out. The 'Swirl is wonderfully gentle but effective, but on large loads it can get bogged down. In a full load of jeans, etc, it is just beginning to turn a load when the two minute rinse ends. I am using a machine with one in it right now, it is great in medium and medium-large loads. The Penta Vane is great, a bit more effective at turn over than the Penta Swirl, but in less than full loads it could be seen I think as too aggressive. It doesn't look like it, but this agitator is much more brutish than you would think. I will sometimes do most of the wash agitation on delicate speed when using this agitator on a less than full load. The DA offers delicate agitation when needed, yet effective load handling on large loads. Kenmore did not develop new agitators for the BD after the DA, and not for the DD either, except several innovations/improvements were made to DD Dual Action versions. Overall, Kenmore wanted to give buyers reasons to progress up the model line to the more profitable higher priced models. I think my favorite of all the KM agitators is the standard capacity Striaght Vane (the plastic version, not the earlier bakelite). It is tremendously effective, very vintage in appearance, and dramatic. The DA though is surely the best agitator of the bunch for the majority of consumers. Gordon |