Thread Number: 1093
Speedy Washers 		[Down to Last]

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Post# 54831   1/26/2005 at 19:52 (7,019 days old) by partscounterman (Cortez, Colorado)        

Another scan I wanted to share to liven things up! (Although Roberts new aqua Kenmores are a tough act to follow!)




Post# 54833 , Reply# 1   1/26/2005 at 19:55 (7,019 days old) by partscounterman (Cortez, Colorado)        
Speedy 2

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Post# 54834 , Reply# 2   1/26/2005 at 19:58 (7,019 days old) by partscounterman (Cortez, Colorado)        
speedy 3

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Post# 54841 , Reply# 3   1/26/2005 at 20:10 (7,019 days old) by SactoTeddyBear ()        
Re: Speedy Wahsers:

 One of these Speedy Washers {or similar machines} are used at a nearby Car Wash place, to wash their Towels used on the Vehicles. I've always wanted to go there and ask the Manager if I could check out the unit, but haven't done it as of yet.

Someone in the Club last year was wondering about how to get one of these Washers, for their home use, but I don't remember for sure who it was.

Peace and Happiness, Steve
SactoTeddyBear...

Post# 55098 , Reply# 4   1/28/2005 at 09:21 (7,017 days old) by designgeek ()        

Thanks for posting that. Very interesting. I guess we could call that a "three-tub," abbreviated 3T.

SactoTeddyBear, I'd be interested in finding out more about the one you know is still in service. Specifically, manufacturer and model number, and where the manufacturer is located. And if they ever plan to scrap it out, well, I live in the Bay Area, so...

This also gives me an idea for a way to improvise something like this. The simple version is two wringer Maytags or equivalent, with an extractor between them. (One wouldn't necessarily use the wringers on the Maytags, just the washtubs) Though I don't know if it would offer significant operating efficiencies over a twin tub for residential use.

The key to energy efficiency has a lot to do with the choice of motors, and getting the best results from a given motor depends on the design of the other components, i.e. washtub and agitator. This in turn gets us to another interesting question. Assume a top-loading washtub with American-style agitator. Conventionally the washtubs are cylindrical. But we see on POD here, a lot of unorthodox washtub designs, for example semi-spherical.

The washing action in an agitator-type TL is basically a toroidal flow. But a toroid does not intersect a cylinder particularly well, i.e. there are dead spots in the "corners" of the cylinder. So now, how'bout designing the washtub with a "bulge" in the center of what would otherwise be a cylinder, and a wider-radius curve at the bottom...? I can picture this in my mind's eye, and it seems that it would do a better job at capturing the kinetic energy of the toroidal flow. The shape of the agitator would also match to the inside curve of the toroid, and have fins designed to maximize the water flow at the bottom circumference.

Hmm, anyone have any feedback on this? Does the toroid-shaped washtub idea sound workable, or does it sound like someone spiked my pipe tobacco with that funny green stuff..?

Post# 55103 , Reply# 5   1/28/2005 at 10:13 (7,017 days old) by westie2 ()        
2 tub washer with spinner

 These are still being made under the UniMac (part of Alliance)brand. Go to the link below. Speed Queen is part of the Alliance group.

CLICK HERE TO GO TO westie2's LINK
Post# 55125 , Reply# 6   1/28/2005 at 13:22 (7,017 days old) by geoffdelp (SAUK RAPIDS)        

As a student in high school, I worked in a nursing home laundry part-time one summer and they had two of these type of machines. I thought they were really cool to operate. When they wanted to add fabric softener to a load, they would return the clothes back to a fresh tub of water. The extractor had a spray rinse in it.

This would really be something to have at home, wouldn't it?

I haven't seen one in use for quite a while.

Post# 55318 , Reply# 7   1/30/2005 at 11:10 (7,015 days old) by designgeek ()        

Westie, very interesting link there, thanks.

Geoff, "at home"...? Hmm, if you live with extended family or in some kind of intentional community, that generates something like 100 lbs. of laundry per week. Then you could do the entire 100# in an hour. Though it would take quite a bunch of clothes lines to hang them all out to dry a bit more while waiting their turn for final drying in the dryer.

Post# 56685 , Reply# 8   2/9/2005 at 19:23 (7,005 days old) by Washer_lover ()        
Speedy Washer Age?

 How old was the Speedy Washer shown.

CLICK HERE TO GO TO Washer_lover's LINK
Post# 979958 , Reply# 9   1/26/2018 at 01:59 (2,272 days old) by ticketp1 (Pflugerville, TX)        

Hi, this is a Speedy Washer from the late 40s or early 50s. (This picture was taken by me as a kid in 1984 on a 126 Instamatic camera so I apologize for the bad quality.) It was used to various degrees for over 40 years by a motel court on the Texas coast. We would stay there every summer, and as a kid I was fascinated with this machine. By the time I came along only the lefthand wash tub and extractor were working; the owners had made a number of "modifications" to it over the years. The extractor basket--which was made of stainless steel and very heavy--had 'Speedy Washer Mfg Co Miami FLA' stamped into its center hub.

I noticed other posts about these machines and can add to the mechanical info if anyone is interested. Many thanks to partscounterman for posting the brochure! Really enjoyed seeing that. A number of the specs listed in that brochure are identical to this machine's. It had a Maytag Gyrator transmission, and the motors were manufactured by Master Electric in Dayton, OH. The owners couldn't remember exactly when they bought the machine, but based on the NEMA frame code on the extractor motor I estimated it had to be manufactured no later than the early or mid-50s (the codes changed in 1953 if I remember correctly).

Apparently Speedy Washer was started by a couple of guys in Miami who originally owned some laundromats named Speedy Wash. At some point I guess Speedy Washer became Unimac; do any of you have any information on this?

I take my vehicle to a full service car wash, and it has a Unimac 202 for washing rags and towels. Pretty amazing that the basic design hasn't changed in over 60 years. Every time I see it I think of this old machine.

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Post# 979959 , Reply# 10   1/26/2018 at 02:15 (2,272 days old) by dylanmitchell (Southern California)        

dylanmitchell's profile picture
Used depending on condition I've seen them from a couple thousand to several thousand. Anything from a car wash could be pretty heavily used.



CLICK HERE TO GO TO dylanmitchell's LINK
Post# 980101 , Reply# 11   1/27/2018 at 11:21 (2,270 days old) by Partscounterman (Cortez, Colorado)        
Thank you for bringing this back up.

 It was nice to see this again as I long ago gave this away at one of Robert's wash-ins, just before we did the full time RV thing.

I think it would be a fun day to have this huge boatload of washing to do and these machines to do it with-a few Hugh Jazz commercial dryers to follow that up.

When I was a kid you would see these outfitted with the Whirlpool Surgilator and as time went by it switched to the Speed Queen agitator from the Marathon series.

Amazing splashy washday fun. Makes you want to get a job at a car wash (Sing it with feeling now...Car Washyeah!)

Post# 980149 , Reply# 12   1/27/2018 at 19:11 (2,270 days old) by Launderess (Quiet Please, There´s a Lady on Stage)        
Not just car wash

launderess's profile picture
But Unimac markets their UM100 and UM202 for all sorts of situations where large amounts of small to medium sized articles need laundering with fast turn around.

Hotels and motels would install these machines for doing napkins/table linen, pillow slips, shirts, and other things.

Today of course you can replicate much of this by using a Maytag wringer washer (or any other with a square tub), and a spin dryer.

Post# 980332 , Reply# 13   1/29/2018 at 01:19 (2,269 days old) by abcomatic (Bradford, Illinois)        

In the late 1950's I remember doing laundry with my grandmother in Kenosah, Wis. in one of these machines which was in a laundromat. You could fill the washer with as much water as you wanted and do several loads in the same water. These machines washed well it seemed. Gary


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