POD 12/1/11 U for the Universal joint in you

....was the electric range in 1915. They had a few unsuccessful turns at electric washing machines before that date - but the designs were somewhat impractical**. It's first real venture into home laundry equipment was a wringer-type washer in 1920. These items were followed by electric water heaters, stand-alone ovens, and ironers. Often, Landers would licence a design to a product - but they were always built in their own factory in New Britain Connecticut. This explains why many of their products looked and operated like other brands. Universal refrigerators had been made for several years by Artkraft Manufacturing of Lima Ohio under licence.

Landers found it's major appliance division losing ground in the years following WWII and in 1951 decided to create the Universal Major Appliance Company. The new company was made up of the Landers major appliance division, ArtKraft mfg., the Baltimore Porcelain Steel company, and "associated companies". ArtKraft had long made private label refrigerators, and freezers and the "associated companies" would be making dryers, dishwashers, room air conditioners, and even televisions - all with the Universal name on them. The tools and dies were moved to Lima in 1951 for ranges and water heaters. This was the start of Universal Major Appliances.

LF&C then concentrated on improving and expanding it's small appliance and household helps lines which had really brought the company to be the leading manufacturer of small appliances starting about 1905. (LF&C had started in 1842 making hardware).

That's about as much as I know about the major appliances as the records Terry Lattz and I dug up on a trip to New Britain a few years ago stops with Landers. It would be interesting to know when the Universal name stopped being applied to major appliances, or what other companies products were made by this concern! The Universal name for small appliances stopped in 1965 with the demise of LF&C. The housewares division being purchased by GE. Surprisingly, you can still by a new food chopper or coffee grinder....see link....but I think these are now made in China.

Rick

**There was a Universal washer that had a half-round tub with a single oscillating "agitator" that swung from front to back. The machine was on wheels, and the slogan of the times was that "you start the washer in the kitchen, and by the time the cloths were washed, the machine had walked itself out to the cloths line"!

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Post# 560547 12/1/2011 at 05:59 (4,530 days old) by Tomturbomatic (Beltsville, MD)
Checkrate/Likes That Universal dryer looks suspiciously like the very early dryers offered by several other brands, like Speed Queen and APEX, to name two. They featured a heating element that extended to cover the top 30 to 40% of the arc above the perforated drum. The ads talked of the aspects of radiant drying and of the increased moisture evaporation in the reduced air pressure provided by the vacuum drying principle because, you know, water boils at lower temperatures the higher in elevation you go because the air pressure is lower up there. So this magic chamber claimed to create the effects of mountain top drying on a sunny day.

Post# 560549 , Reply# 1 12/1/2011 at 06:15 (4,530 days old) by toploader55 (Massachusetts Sand Bar, Cape Cod)
Checkrate/Likes *Do any members...* Have this Washer and / or Dryer ? I don't think I've ever heard or seen them here.

Post# 560561 , Reply# 2 12/1/2011 at 07:03 (4,530 days old) by Jetcone (Schenectady-Home of Calrods,Monitor Tops,Toroid Transformers)
Checkrate/Likes *Is the washer an APEX* rebadged? It says 'Agitator Basket' in the ad.

Post# 560602 , Reply# 3 12/1/2011 at 09:50 (4,530 days old) by Tomturbomatic (Beltsville, MD)
Checkrate/Likes Jon, That would explain the APEX look-alike dryer.

Post# 560608 , Reply# 4 12/1/2011 at 10:29 (4,530 days old) by hydralique (Los Angeles)
Checkrate/Likes What about that mammoth combo washer-dryer in the upper left corner? I've never heard of another manufacturer making a combo that's literally nothing more than a washer and dryer installed side by side in a single long cabinet. I'm sure delivery guys and repair techs must have just loved dealing with that thing! I doubt they made many of them, but it would be cool to see one. I wonder if Universal made any of their own applicances, or if they were more of a marketing company that subcontracted everything to others.

Post# 560612 , Reply# 5 12/1/2011 at 10:58 (4,530 days old) by Tomturbomatic (Beltsville, MD)
Checkrate/Likes I am quite sure that they made their own electric stoves, but I think this washer/dryer line was purchased from another maker to expand their line, like we have seen so many other times. The company that produced Universal was Landers, Frary & Clark, but not much about the majors is mentioned in the linked article. CLICK HERE TO GO TO Tomturbomatic's LINK

Post# 560883 , Reply# 6 12/2/2011 at 21:45 (4,529 days old) by Crevicetool (Snellville Ga.)
Checkrate/Likes *LF&C's first major electric appliance.....* ....was the electric range in 1915. They had a few unsuccessful turns at electric washing machines before that date - but the designs were somewhat impractical. It's first real venture into home laundry equipment was a wringer-type washer in 1920. These items were followed by electric water heaters, stand-alone ovens, and ironers. Often, Landers would licence a design to a product - but they were always built in their own factory in New Britain Connecticut. This explains why many of their products looked and operated like other brands. Universal refrigerators had been made for several years by Artkraft Manufacturing of Lima Ohio under licence. Landers found it's major appliance division losing ground in the years following WWII and in 1951 decided to create the Universal Major Appliance Company. The new company was made up of the Landers major appliance division, ArtKraft mfg., the Baltimore Porcelain Steel company, and "associated companies". ArtKraft had long made private label refrigerators, and freezers and the "associated companies" would be making dryers, dishwashers, room air conditioners, and even televisions - all with the Universal name on them. The tools and dies were moved to Lima in 1951 for ranges and water heaters. This was the start of Universal Major Appliances. LF&C then concentrated on improving and expanding it's small appliance and household helps lines which had really brought the company to be the leading manufacturer of small appliances starting about 1905. (LF&C had started in 1842 making hardware). That's about as much as I know about the major appliances as the records Terry Lattz and I dug up on a trip to New Britain a few years ago stops with Landers. It would be interesting to know when the Universal name stopped being applied to major appliances, or what other companies products were made by this concern! The Universal name for small appliances stopped in 1965 with the demise of LF&C. The housewares division being purchased by GE. Surprisingly, you can still by a new food chopper or coffee grinder....see link....but I think these are now made in China. Rick There was a Universal washer that had a half-round tub with a single oscillating "agitator" that swung from front to back. The machine was on wheels, and the slogan of the times was that "you start the washer in the kitchen, and by the time the cloths were washed, the machine had walked itself out to the cloths line"! CLICK HERE TO GO TO Crevicetool's LINK

Post# 560942 , Reply# 7 12/3/2011 at 11:44 (4,528 days old) by tlee618 ()
Checkrate/Likes Hey Rick, thank you for providing us with all of those details. Universal was a fascinating company and such an important part of our appliance history. The trip to New Britain was so much fun and doing the research was so very interesting. Terry