Thread Number: 42656
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Post# 627729 , Reply# 1   9/26/2012 at 15:54 (4,201 days old) by goatfarmer (South Bend, home of Champions)   |   | |
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Post# 627772 , Reply# 3   9/26/2012 at 19:31 (4,200 days old) by norgeway (mocksville n c )   |   | |
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I say NORGE!!! Noisy,yes,uses a ton of water, yes,rough on clothes oh yeah, but for nasty work clothes,aint nothing better! |
Post# 627773 , Reply# 4   9/26/2012 at 19:32 (4,200 days old) by norgeway (mocksville n c )   |   | |
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PURE..Not PUR!!LOL. |
Post# 627778 , Reply# 5   9/26/2012 at 19:57 (4,200 days old) by whirlykenmore78 (Prior Lake MN (GMT-0500 CDT.))   |   | |
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Post# 627787 , Reply# 6   9/26/2012 at 20:36 (4,200 days old) by joelippard (Hickory)   |   | |
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Post# 627817 , Reply# 7   9/26/2012 at 22:43 (4,200 days old) by combo52 (50 Year Repair Tech Beltsville,Md)   |   | |
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Post# 628525 , Reply# 8   9/30/2012 at 11:27 (4,197 days old) by turquoisedude (.)   |   | |
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Post# 628559 , Reply# 10   9/30/2012 at 14:13 (4,197 days old) by Kenmore71 (Minneapolis, MN)   |   | |
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In terms of parts and repairablilty I would say stick to Kenmore/WP & Maytag. The Frigidaires are GREAT fun to watch and play with, but parts are getting mighty hard to find. Frigidaire totally reworked their drive mechanism 4 times between 1947 and 1970, AND the last mechanism has been out of production since 1980. Kenmore/WP basically used (with some notable minor exceptions) the same belt-drive mechanism from 1949 until 1986 and then their direct drive mechanism from 1982 until about a year ago. I would personally stay away from the original AMP-style Maytag (1949-1956) and look at the helical drive machines that were produced (much like the Belt-drive Kenmore/WP machines) with largely interchangeable parts from 1957-2006. If you like the rounded corner, glass-panel Maytags I would look at the 141, 142, A700 & A702. The beauty of these machines especially is that with the exception of the actual glass panels, almost all of the other parts are interchangeable with ANY Maytag machine built from 1957-1965 and many components from even later machines. Even the same timer used on the 141, 142 & A700 was also used on the lower 131 & 132.
Now, I would agree that Maytags were not necessarily considered the best washing or rinsing machine on the market from their time period, but they were rugged, used modest amounts of water, and relatively easy to repair compared to Frigidaire and GE. They were also priced relatively high for the features that they offered. People who bought Maytag tended to be fiercely loyal to the brand AND to their local appliance dealer. They also did not reinvent their "look" all that often compared to the other manufacturers. In fact, near as I can tell the Maytag look only changed drastically in 1956, 1966, 1980, 1994 and 1997. In those early years, Kenmore, GE and Frigidaire did a significant overhaul almost EVERY year. |
Post# 628586 , Reply# 12   9/30/2012 at 16:33 (4,197 days old) by danemodsandy (The Bramford, Apt. 7-E)   |   | |
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As has been said here, all of this is a matter of opinion, so take mine with a grain of salt too, okay?
I'm partial to Maytags, and before I got my first one, I heard a few people knock them for washing ability. Well, my experience was very different - my vintage Maytags were replacing a late-'80s Whirlpool set with a direct-drive washer. The very first load out of the 'Tags had a very noticeable difference in cleanliness and brightness. Clothes that had gotten a bit dingy brightened back up like new after a few washes. I have never found anything to complain about in the performance of Maytag washers. I have owned both a near-BOL machine - an LA108 - and the TOL LA806 I currently use. Both washed equally well, with the major difference being more bells and whistles on the 806. Anyway, that's my story, and I'm stickin' to it.... |
Post# 628608 , Reply# 13   9/30/2012 at 17:52 (4,196 days old) by FEster (Lafayette La USA)   |   | |
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My experience is limited to the older belt driven Kenmore/Whirlpool stuff. They cleaned as well as anything I've ever used and were anvil reliable as as well. I sure wouldn't hesitate to own one again. When did Whirlpool switch to direct drive ? FEster |
Post# 628645 , Reply# 14   9/30/2012 at 21:58 (4,196 days old) by Kenmore71 (Minneapolis, MN)   |   | |
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You can download the 1962 Maytag Helical Drive service manual from this very website for $6. If you find that manual on ebay you're most likely gonna pay at least $20. Parts lists are amusing to study but not all that useful without the service manual in tow. If you need the parts list for the A700 I have it scanned and can email it to you.
To download the service manual, go up to the picture icon just to left of the login information and click on it. It will take you to the "Automatic Ephemera" site. Do a search for materials published by "Maytag". It is the first of the 3 service manuals at the bottom of the search results. If I remember correctly, Whirlpool began manufacturing the first direct drive machines in 1982 on the Kenmore 24" models. By sometime around 1986 they had transitioned the entire Kenmore line to direct drive. I'm not sure when Whirlpool made the transition on their own machines but I would assume that it would also have happened within this 4 year window. |
Post# 628660 , Reply# 15   9/30/2012 at 22:21 (4,196 days old) by Kenmoreguy64 (Charlotte, NC)   |   | |
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The first direct drives did enter the market in 1982 as Kenmores I believe, though there was one model in Kenmore's line in 1980 and 1981 which show up as DDs. These could have been limited production models however, and may be the ones with the rear mounted motors.
The two designs, BD and DD, co-existed for more than four years, as the last Kenmore belt-drives were manufactured in mid fall, 1986, but Whirlpool continued limited belt-drive production into April, 1987. I have been told that some of this limited production was used to manufacture a warehouse storage lot of LA7800 machines, which were used for several years to pacify angry DD customers, when necessary. Gordon |
Post# 628664 , Reply# 16   9/30/2012 at 22:28 (4,196 days old) by AutoWasherFreak ()   |   | |
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For me Maytag, WP/KM, and GE. |