Email From Joe "K"

Thought the club might enjoy reading this...

THANKS FOR THE WONDERFUL WEBSITE. I WORKED ON WASHERS SINCE I WAS 16 BACK IN I952. I SAW THEM ALL. I USED TO BOLT DOWN THE OLD BENDIX WASHERS AND LAUNDERALLS. DID YOU KNOW THE OLD LAUNDERALL TRANSMISSIONS WERE UPDATED BY A HORTON TRANSMISSION THAT RESEMBLED THE BENDIX BOLT DOWN MODELS. ONCE YOU STARTED THE LAUNDERALL & THE BLACKSTONE WASHERS YOU HAD TO LET THEM FINISH BY THEM SELVES AS THEY HAD NO TIMERS AND WERE CONTROLLED BY CAMS IN THEIR TRANSMISSIONS. THEN THERE WAS THE BENDIX ECONOMAT THAT HAD A RUBBER TUB THAT COLLAPSED AND SQUEEZED THE CLOTHES DRY AROUND THE AGITATOR. MANY SETS OF TUB BEARINGS DID I PUT IN THE BENDIX BOLT DOWNS AND THE DUO MATICS. AND THERE WAS THE RUBBER BOOTS (Q4711) FOR THE WESTING HOUSE FRONT LOADERS. I ONCE PUT 15 OF THEM ON IN A LAUNDRAMAT ONE AFTER ANOTHER AND COULDN'T MOVE MY FINGERS FOR A DAY. MANY FIBER GEAR DID I PUT IN THE EASY SPINNERS AND THE THOR AUTOMAGIC HAD A FIBER GEAR ON THE PUMP AND WHEN THE WATER GOT INTO THE TRANSMISSIONS THE WOULD JUST DISINTAGRATE. THE APEX AUTOMATIC WAS ANOTHER UNBELIEVEABLE WASHER AS THE FIBERGLASS TUB WOULD GYRATE AN ALL DIRECTIONS TO WASH THE CLOTHES AS IT HAD NO AGITATOR. THIS WAS A TOP LOADER TOO. I REBUILT HUNDREDS OF THE BENDIX TRANSMISSIONS. THE DIFFERENT MODELS HAD DIFFERENT SPIN SPEEDS. THE OLD S MODEL SPUN AT 330 RPM FOLLOWED BY THE 440 RPM AND FINALLY THE DUOMATIC SPUN AT 550 RPMS. THE THOR AUTOMAGIC WOULD ALSO DO DISHES AS YOU COULD LOCK OUT THE SPIN ON THE LEVER AT THE FRONT OF THE MACHINE. I WORKED ALSO FOR THE DISTRIBUTER OF THE ABC WASHER IN PHILADELPHIA, STUART F. LOCHEIM AND THEY ALSO DISTRIBUTED THE JAMES DISHWASHER.PULLED MANY AGITATOR SHAFTS TO PUT BELTS ON THE SPEED QUEEN AND NOT MANY REMEMBER THE "T " KEY THAT USED TO CATCH THE HELICAL SPRING ON THE OLD MAYTAG WASHERS WITH THE MERCURY SWITCHES IN THE LID. I SOLD MY BUSINESS IN 1998 AND SURE MISS IT. NEEDLESS TO SAY THE NEW STUFF IS REALLY DIFFERENT WITH THE PRINTED CIRCUITRY AND WATER SAVING INOVATIONS. I REMEMBER PUTTING A LOT OF SUS MISER PUMPS ON THE SEARS MODELS AIN THEN THERE WAS THE OLD KENMORE BOLTDOWN WASHERS. HOPE I HAVE NOT BORED YOU AND THANKS FOR READING THIS AND GOOD LUCK IN ALL YOU DO.
JOE "K"


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Post# 155068 9/17/2006 at 09:27 (6,423 days old) by unimatic1140 (Minneapolis)
Checkrate/Likes Thought the club might enjoy reading this... THANKS FOR THE WONDERFUL WEBSITE. I WORKED ON WASHERS SINCE I WAS 16 BACK IN I952. I SAW THEM ALL. I USED TO BOLT DOWN THE OLD BENDIX WASHERS AND LAUNDERALLS. DID YOU KNOW THE OLD LAUNDERALL TRANSMISSIONS WERE UPDATED BY A HORTON TRANSMISSION THAT RESEMBLED THE BENDIX BOLT DOWN MODELS. ONCE YOU STARTED THE LAUNDERALL & THE BLACKSTONE WASHERS YOU HAD TO LET THEM FINISH BY THEM SELVES AS THEY HAD NO TIMERS AND WERE CONTROLLED BY CAMS IN THEIR TRANSMISSIONS. THEN THERE WAS THE BENDIX ECONOMAT THAT HAD A RUBBER TUB THAT COLLAPSED AND SQUEEZED THE CLOTHES DRY AROUND THE AGITATOR. MANY SETS OF TUB BEARINGS DID I PUT IN THE BENDIX BOLT DOWNS AND THE DUO MATICS. AND THERE WAS THE RUBBER BOOTS (Q4711) FOR THE WESTING HOUSE FRONT LOADERS. I ONCE PUT 15 OF THEM ON IN A LAUNDRAMAT ONE AFTER ANOTHER AND COULDN'T MOVE MY FINGERS FOR A DAY. MANY FIBER GEAR DID I PUT IN THE EASY SPINNERS AND THE THOR AUTOMAGIC HAD A FIBER GEAR ON THE PUMP AND WHEN THE WATER GOT INTO THE TRANSMISSIONS THE WOULD JUST DISINTAGRATE. THE APEX AUTOMATIC WAS ANOTHER UNBELIEVEABLE WASHER AS THE FIBERGLASS TUB WOULD GYRATE AN ALL DIRECTIONS TO WASH THE CLOTHES AS IT HAD NO AGITATOR. THIS WAS A TOP LOADER TOO. I REBUILT HUNDREDS OF THE BENDIX TRANSMISSIONS. THE DIFFERENT MODELS HAD DIFFERENT SPIN SPEEDS. THE OLD S MODEL SPUN AT 330 RPM FOLLOWED BY THE 440 RPM AND FINALLY THE DUOMATIC SPUN AT 550 RPMS. THE THOR AUTOMAGIC WOULD ALSO DO DISHES AS YOU COULD LOCK OUT THE SPIN ON THE LEVER AT THE FRONT OF THE MACHINE. I WORKED ALSO FOR THE DISTRIBUTER OF THE ABC WASHER IN PHILADELPHIA, STUART F. LOCHEIM AND THEY ALSO DISTRIBUTED THE JAMES DISHWASHER.PULLED MANY AGITATOR SHAFTS TO PUT BELTS ON THE SPEED QUEEN AND NOT MANY REMEMBER THE "T " KEY THAT USED TO CATCH THE HELICAL SPRING ON THE OLD MAYTAG WASHERS WITH THE MERCURY SWITCHES IN THE LID. I SOLD MY BUSINESS IN 1998 AND SURE MISS IT. NEEDLESS TO SAY THE NEW STUFF IS REALLY DIFFERENT WITH THE PRINTED CIRCUITRY AND WATER SAVING INOVATIONS. I REMEMBER PUTTING A LOT OF SUS MISER PUMPS ON THE SEARS MODELS AIN THEN THERE WAS THE OLD KENMORE BOLTDOWN WASHERS. HOPE I HAVE NOT BORED YOU AND THANKS FOR READING THIS AND GOOD LUCK IN ALL YOU DO. JOE "K"

Post# 155071 , Reply# 1 9/17/2006 at 09:34 (6,423 days old) by brent-aucoin ()
Checkrate/Likes Great Letter Robert! I wish he would have talked a little more about the Apex. Hard to understand what his opinion was about them. Invite him to post on the club. I am sure that we would wear him out with questions! Thanks for posting the letter. Brent

Post# 155076 , Reply# 2 9/17/2006 at 10:03 (6,423 days old) by peteski50 (New York)
Checkrate/Likes *Letter* This is a real great letter. I hope he gets involved in posting. He would be a great asset for this club. Peter

Post# 155079 , Reply# 3 9/17/2006 at 10:46 (6,423 days old) by appnut (TX)
Checkrate/Likes Joe K, you could never bore me with all this trivia from a personal perspective. in fact, plese "bore" me some more!!! Bob

Post# 155092 , Reply# 4 9/17/2006 at 11:36 (6,423 days old) by bajaespuma (Connecticut)
Checkrate/Likes I was always hoping we'd get a serviceman in here! Great stuff.

Post# 155100 , Reply# 5 9/17/2006 at 12:35 (6,423 days old) by scott55405 ()
Checkrate/Likes That was interesting! I'm glad people like that tell us about their experiences, and that we still have some connections to that time and place. How interesting that work must have been then, compared to now, when everything is the same.

Post# 155107 , Reply# 6 9/17/2006 at 13:23 (6,423 days old) by rickr (.)
Checkrate/Likes What an interesting read! It is very nice that Joe took the time to write this for us. Thank you Joe! Rick

Post# 155139 , Reply# 7 9/17/2006 at 16:05 (6,423 days old) by sudsman ()
Checkrate/Likes *How very nice* Please write us some more. I think we would all love it

Post# 155149 , Reply# 8 9/17/2006 at 16:55 (6,423 days old) by alr2903 (TN)
Checkrate/Likes *Way Cool* A REAL repairman, from a time when U could get things repaired after U spent your hard earned money on them. Sound like a great idea. JOE K. please let us here more from you. Thanks alr2903

Post# 155234 , Reply# 9 9/17/2006 at 23:10 (6,423 days old) by easyspindry (Winston-Salem, NC)
Checkrate/Likes Hey Joe "K" thanks for all the wonderful info. Everybody in here would love to hear more of your experiences and you have a vast amount of knowledge that we all could benefit from. Bore us some more. I grew up with a Thor Automagic and a Maytag with the mercury switches in the top. We had 2 neighbors that had the rubber tub Bendix and another neighbor who had the square bolt down. We're all knuts and love hearing about your experiences. Jerry Gay

Post# 155254 , Reply# 10 9/18/2006 at 02:31 (6,422 days old) by tolivac (greenville nc)
Checkrate/Likes Joe K-I'd like to hear more as well-great information from an appliance tech that worked on machines from the "golden era"!not boring at all!!