Thread Number: 2560
The Golden Age of Washers-Comment
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Post# 72363   7/5/2005 at 14:51 (6,840 days old) by Rinso (Meridian Idaho)        

I agree that the golden age of washers was during the 50's and 60's. Manufacturers were experimenting with all sorts of different wash actions, and cycle sequences, though most were trouble-prone. Water use was not an issue at that time, so the sky was the limit! Toward the end of the 50's, the washers all started to reflect our faux space age technology. Frigidaire washers really embraced the jet age concept. (I was suprised that that Frigidaire didn't bring out a model with fins) Also, we all remember the phrase, "Just push the button" in ads for machines back then. The only problem is that microprocessors had not yet been invented. When you pushed the button, (wearing white evening gloves, or course) you usually actuated a sequence of solenoids, levers, cams, clutches, and relays that would make Rube Goldberg jealous. (Rumors are that Rube Goldberg patterened his Mouse Trap game after the Whirlpool/Kenmore Wig-Wag mechanism) I will have to say that the most boring and mediocre washers of that time were the Maytags. It wasn't really until they brought out their helical drive mechanism, that their reliablity took off. But, they were still mediocre performers and still boring. They lasted with few repairs, but really didn't do anything very well. But, who can forget the loud bang that Norge's and Wards braking mechanisms made when they were actuated. The noise traumatized many children, who have never opened the lid of a washing machine since, and are probably now all in therapy because of it.






Post# 72367 , Reply# 1   7/5/2005 at 15:38 (6,840 days old) by mrcleanjeans (milwaukee wi)        
that I may tag the Maytag

I partly agree.The helical drive Maytag,though sensationally durable,had one weakness.The Power Fin agitator could not handle huge,heavy to the rim loads that other agitators could better handle.HOWEVER,if loaded with a less than capacity load,they clean perfectly fine.IMHO,the Power Fin wash was intentionally designed to only have bottom vanes,and to have them flex and give. Thus, very little load on the tranny and motor,and hence a highly long lasting machine.I do like them alot,they just have certain limitations.

Post# 72368 , Reply# 2   7/5/2005 at 15:38 (6,840 days old) by mrcleanjeans (milwaukee wi)        

p.s. welcome Rinso

Post# 72375 , Reply# 3   7/5/2005 at 16:25 (6,840 days old) by Gyrafoam (Wytheville, VA)        
In my opinion--------------

Maytag proved years before the helical drive tranny that their products would last by being the first people to add a higher level of quality to nearly every part used to manufacture their machines. (Hows that for a "run-on sentence??!!)

The "Gyratator" agitator in its earliest forms from metal to bakelite, solid center post or hollow with a lint filter was not known for rolling over an overloaded tub full of clothes. HOWEVER if the machine was properly loaded, good roll over occured. When the "Power-Fin" was introduced the roll-over rate really improved----at least untill they cut length off some of the fins to accomodate the "orbital" tranny. In any event, the bottom line was that the operator should be intelligent enough to stay within the operating parameters of the machine.

Of course, nearly everyone knows that reading the provided directions for product usage is an un-American activity. The "'ignant" way to do it is pack it full, slop detergent powder all over everything, and turn it on. Whatever happens will happen. Perhaps the people at Norge and Whirlpool grasped the importance of this before most. NEVERLESS untill recent times the (boring) Maytag products were ALL superior including the AMP's as proved by their longevity and abundance. It is amazing how many turn up even today.

Maytag proved on the farm that field hands clothes such as coveralls and overalls, jeans, etc. could be cleaned well. The "Gyratator" was aggressive and thorough and if the clothes didn't roll-over it would then drag them through the water without mercy!

Oh yeah, I loved all the different machines of the "golden age" especially Frigidaire and Kelvinator, but when push comes to shove and it is time to take care of business I'll take a boring old Maytag anytime.


Post# 72387 , Reply# 4   7/5/2005 at 18:20 (6,840 days old) by kenwashesmonday (Carlstadt, NJ)        

My Maytag A606 scrubs the living hell out of my jeans, but I don't overload it. I've also read complaints about the 2 minute rinse agitation, again, 2 minutes is plenty if it's not overloaded. Sure there were machines that held more clothes, but keep in mind the Maytag only uses 34 gallons of water (40 gallons for large capacity machines like my A606). They're also above average spin-dryers, 618 rpm with the clothes spread high on the tub.

If you overload a new washer it may wash the clothes, but it will not last. At least the new Whirlpool has the plastic motor coupling to put an overloading user out of business.

If I was designing a washer I'd rather give the clueless user/abuser poor performance than warranty repairs.

If the classic maytag has one fault, it's a poor lint filter.

Ken D.



Post# 72391 , Reply# 5   7/5/2005 at 18:47 (6,840 days old) by tolivac (greenville nc)        

I too have had experience with the WP-KN DD coupler.They make it out of plastic so it breaks off if the washer transmission is overloaded-say a tennis shoe wedged between one of the agitator blades and the tub.With a BD machine-the belt would slip momentarily and no damage.This same idea is used in Kee Lawnmowers and similar rough cut walk behind mowers-if the blade hits a stump,survey stake,etc it won't break the engine crankshaft.The belt would slip momentarily.When a KN tech replaced the tubs in my KN DD machine he warned me not to overload the machine or try to clean tennis shoes in it.He commented that he had replaced the couplers in several machines from folks trying to wash sneakers in them.
I remembert the Maytag my mother had-It had the blue "power-Fin" agitator-wasn't real specttacular to watch-but sure did the job-she knew just how much to load the machine.The machine got sold when she moved into a home that came with a GE washer dryer pair-the washer had the Filter-Flo and the Mini-basket.


Post# 72395 , Reply# 6   7/5/2005 at 19:20 (6,840 days old) by agiflow ()        

Washing sneakers in my DD KM is something i have not tried yet.
I'm glad i read these posts about this. My conscience was telling me not to try this. It seems like the flexible fins would probably snap off.

With the Norge and Westinghouse washers my folks had in the past, i never had to worry about agitator damage or something worse.

I wouldn't dare wash these sneakers on an extra small load with the current DD. Yikes!

Pat


Post# 72456 , Reply# 7   7/6/2005 at 00:05 (6,840 days old) by gansky1 (Omaha, The Home of the TV Dinner!)        
Bashing the 'Tags

gansky1's profile picture
I also have to take exception to the notion that seems to prevail about Maytag having mediocre performance ability and that the Dependabilty reputation was invented by them to sell inferior products. Of course, everyone is entitled to their own opinion, but the more I've studied Maytag, the more I've come to look at them a little differently. I spent many a washday during my childhood with my thumb depressing the lid switch of my grandmother's Maytag Highlander washer watching every cycle over and over. We had a GE at our house which also provided hours of splashy water-play fun for a young washer nut, but that Maytag in my grandmother's laundry room was just as much fun. Little did I know at that tender young age that her Maytag was probably one of the best built and reliable washers ever made. It has only been in the last few years that I have come to appreciate the high level of craftsmanship and attention to construction details that went into those Maytag appliances. Being in the heart of 'Maytag country,' it doesn't take a lot of research to understand why the loyalty to Maytag washers thrived and market penetration of the Maytag brand was consistently double or more than any other brand. It certainly wasn't because of our proximity to Newton, Iowa, but more significantly because this is an agriculture-based economy with a rural population that depended on reliable and well made equipment from threshing machines, tractors, planters, plows, combines, etc. which naturally follows that there would be a demand for household equipment equally as long-lasting, easy to use and work on if necessary. In the mid-1920's you could buy a Maytag washer with a gasoline powered engine that not only would wash your clothes cleaner, but also churn your butter, grind meat, make ice cream (if you had ice) and even run the pump to pull the water out of the well to use in the washer. This was a boon for the rural farms of the time that were still 25 years away from having electric service. The reputation for "Maytag Dependability" was not dreamed up around a conference table in an advertising agency in New York, it was earned from many years of manufacturing high quality washers that the name Maytag became synonymous with quality and reliability. Maytag proved their mettle, the ad agencies just expanded it into one of the most sucessful advertising campaigns of all time. A good example of this Maytag quality was just found two weeks ago at an estate sale here in Omaha. I brought home a model 160 Maytag washer that was still hooked up and in use when we found it. Had I not found it, I have no doubt that someone would have snapped it up, took it home and start washing clothes. I think that speaks volumes for a washer that is 45 years old that had only two sets of belts needed over that time. I'm not saying this type of story is exclusive of Maytag, nor is it the rule, but as Steve said earlier, we are still finding 20, 30, 40 year old Maytag washers and dryers that are still running strong, very nearly as well as they day they rolled off the factory line. Of course Maytag has made some mistakes through the years, lets not even talk about the last 15+ years, but the reality is, that if the machines didn't get clothes clean, people would not have bought them, much less paid a higher price for them. Maytag used a very similar agitator design in their washers, wringer and automatic, for many, many years because it did work. 54 strokes per minute with that solid-fin agitator got things moving and churning in that tub even if you can't see a lot of drama going on at the top of a full load. Set your Maytag to small water level and see what's really going on at the bottom of the tub - the clothes aren't just laying around down there and remember, the rate of turnover is not necessarily an indicator of good washing. Maytags were just as susceptible to overloading and incorrect usage as any other washer, overload a Frigidaire and see what happens - turnover all but stops and the load just bounces up and down. Overload a belt-drive Kenmore and it can't dissolve the detergent poured on top of the load until the spray rinses - you get the point I'm sure. ;-) With the WashPower automatics intro'd in 1966, Maytag increased the agitation strokes to 63 per min to accomodate the large capacity tub and also to compensate for some of the power lost to the flexible fins but necessary to move a load in their deeper, 'large capacity' tubs.

Post# 72483 , Reply# 8   7/6/2005 at 08:08 (6,839 days old) by agiflow ()        

The only Maytag washers i used were coin-op machines in laundromats. I always thought the wash action was more vigorous
in those machines of the 70's and 80's.

Kind of a wave action effect,...very similar to Robert's Norge timeline. Anyhow, i have always enjoyed Maytag washers from the time i was very young. They were among the best IMHO.

Pat


Post# 72494 , Reply# 9   7/6/2005 at 09:51 (6,839 days old) by lightedcontrols ()        
THE MAYTAG...............

WELL SAID GYROFOAM!!! Maytag has always been a solid machine. If you really want to see some wash action, watch the video of Robert's AMP! Great wash action and really good rollover. The later models were not as agressive, but clothing and fabrics changed and they couldn't take a real agressive washing action. Maytag (and Whirlpool) was one of the first manufacturers to address the "new fabrics" fads of the 60's. I can't say in all of my years that I ever didn't get a good washing from a Maytag. And as far as dependability goes, well.............Mark

Post# 72501 , Reply# 10   7/6/2005 at 10:28 (6,839 days old) by spiralactivator ()        
Maytags

I've used classic workhorse Maytags in the form of coin-ops from the '70s and '80s, and I think they do a really good job without beating the clothes. Oddly enough, I was the only one in the laundromat to actually fill the washer to capacity while properly distributing the clothes. The other patrons would either use several washers with two socks in each (exaggeration, but not by much) or pack one washer so tight it couldn't agitate. Just be nice to the Maytag, and the Maytag will be nice to you!

Post# 72523 , Reply# 11   7/6/2005 at 14:53 (6,839 days old) by Rinso (Meridian Idaho)        

I still think they were boring. Of course, that's mostly because opening the lid, stopped all action. One couldn't easily observe the wash action. My parents had four sets of Maytags between 1952 and 1962. All were troublesome. The earlier ones had the unbalance and lid open mercury switches and water level switches in the lid which malfunctioned at least once a year and had to be replaced or repaired. Their water extraction was dismal, and the spin actuated with a loud solenoid bang. The newer helical drive ones were much more refined, easier to watch, but not exactly trouble-free. I agree there were some very good developments, like the low post agitator drive, but even on my 1969 18 pounder, the roll over with large items like a bedspread, or 6 pairs of jeans in a 10 minute cycle, was less that optimum. I will have to admit that the simplicty of their controls and backsplashes was refreshing after seeing other brands trying to look like the bridge of the enterprise.

Post# 72527 , Reply# 12   7/6/2005 at 15:07 (6,839 days old) by partscounterman (Cortez, Colorado)        
Video?

Where is there a video of an AMP Maytag? Did I miss something?

Post# 72538 , Reply# 13   7/6/2005 at 16:28 (6,839 days old) by Gyrafoam (Wytheville, VA)        

David, thats what I am thinking!!! Where is that AMP video?

Post# 72539 , Reply# 14   7/6/2005 at 16:47 (6,839 days old) by PeterH770 (Marietta, GA)        

peterh770's profile picture
I have it as an .mpeg file. Email me and I will send it, or maybe Unimatic1140 will hear our cries on this thread and repost it...

Post# 72553 , Reply# 15   7/6/2005 at 18:09 (6,839 days old) by partscounterman (Cortez, Colorado)        
Repost Please!

I've found that those huge video files don't go into my email box

Post# 72861 , Reply# 16   7/8/2005 at 22:44 (6,837 days old) by laundramatt (Youngstown, Ohio)        

Peter, please send the video to me. Thanks,Matt

mattstar49@yahoo.com


Post# 72884 , Reply# 17   7/9/2005 at 11:26 (6,836 days old) by Mrsalvo (New Braunfels Texas)        

So when did Maytag switch to the short fast strokes in
agitation and why? That's how my machine works.



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