Thread Number: 68213  /  Tag: Vintage Automatic Washers
POD 12/03/2016 		[Down to Last]

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Post# 909452   12/3/2016 at 06:56 (2,694 days old) by brucelucenta ()        

There were quite of few MW machines like that around this area. Not as many as Sears/Kenmore though. They washed pretty well, but were kind of noisy and the dryers created a lot of lint due to the front seal on the door and the way they were designed to move the air. Montgomery Wards apparently had several different companies at various times who made appliances for them. I remember seeing toward the end of MW stores White Westinghouse machines too with the MW badge. Didn't Apex even make some for them at one time?




Post# 909474 , Reply# 1   12/3/2016 at 10:36 (2,694 days old) by Helicaldrive (St. Louis)        
Who manufactured

 This MW pair?

Post# 909475 , Reply# 2   12/3/2016 at 10:46 (2,694 days old) by akronman (Akron/Cleveland Ohio)        
Norge

 akronman's profile picture
looks pure Norge to me

Post# 909486 , Reply# 3   12/3/2016 at 12:20 (2,694 days old) by Helicaldrive (St. Louis)        
Oh. Of course

 DUH. Thanks

Post# 909487 , Reply# 4   12/3/2016 at 12:29 (2,694 days old) by alr2903 (TN)        

The were visually striking on the showroom floor.
Post# 909534 , Reply# 5   12/3/2016 at 23:10 (2,693 days old) by gansky1 (Omaha, The Home of the TV Dinner!)        

gansky1's profile picture
I remember the showroom at our MW store full of these Signature sets. They had a set with clear cabinet top, front and sides so you could see the huge fan at the back of the dryer drum and the solid construction of the washer. They also had a Westinghouse built front-load stacked set loaded with white towels and running to show the thorough tumbling action.



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Post# 909551 , Reply# 6   12/4/2016 at 05:42 (2,693 days old) by brucelucenta ()        

We didn't actually have a big M/W store here in Tulsa, just the small catalog order stores which had a few appliances on display. In Oklahoma City there was a huge M/W store though. I still saw lots of M/W badged Norge sets here. Norge apparently rebadged their machines for several companies. Another source of rebadged Norge machines was Otasco, which had Tempmaster machines. I think that the dryers were kind of troublesome because the the way they were designed. I think that instead of sucking the air through the machines to accomplish air movement, they blew air through the machine. This seemed to cause quite a bit of lint in the area and if venting was partly blocked, forced the air into the area where the dryer was. The gas dryers were sometimes a source of danger because the excess lint would catch on fire. I know the older dryers that Norge made were real work horses and lasted a long time, but even they had this problem too. The newer super large capacity dryers they made until the 80's were the culprits for more problems of this type. The washers were just plain noisy, but washed and spun really well. I found it amazing that when Norge introduced their first perforated tub model they called it a 13 pound tub, 1 pound larger than the GE V-12. That same tub graduated from there all the way to a 22 pound tub, which is what I had on my Norge made Magic Chef washer and dryer set.

Post# 909574 , Reply# 7   12/4/2016 at 10:18 (2,693 days old) by combo52 (50 Year Repair Tech Beltsville,Md)        
Norge Washer Capacities

 combo52's profile picture

No washer maker ever called there tub capacity 13#s, especially Norge who always lived under a cloud of poor reliability, 13 would have been just too unlucky, LOL.

 

You are somewhat correct, the same size tub started out life as a 15# washer and went to 16, 18 and finally 20 # capacity with a 3/4 HP motor to turn over 20 pounds of clothing, I never saw a 22# model.
Post# 909583 , Reply# 8   12/4/2016 at 11:56 (2,693 days old) by appnut (TX)        

appnut's profile picture

John, the last of the Norge products did have 22 lb. designation.  I remember seeing the Jenn Air version.  I think someone here got one of those or at least was shown in shoppers square. 
Post# 909603 , Reply# 9   12/4/2016 at 15:07 (2,693 days old) by DADoES (TX, U.S. of A.)        
Jenn-Air Ultra 22

 dadoes's profile picture
Post# 909656 , Reply# 10   12/4/2016 at 20:02 (2,693 days old) by combo52 (50 Year Repair Tech Beltsville,Md)        
22 # Capacity Norge ?

 combo52's profile picture

Hi Bob, you could be partly correct, but I was referring to Norge style washers that still had the same steel wash basket they started using in 1964 through the early 80s.

 

Once MT redesigned these machines somewhat they used a plastic inner and outer tub and these may actually have been bigger than the orignal steel tubs, so I am not sure it is accurate to say they just relabeled the same tub as a larger capacity. I also think there was never a washer labeled Norge with a 22 # capacity.
Post# 909685 , Reply# 11   12/5/2016 at 01:57 (2,692 days old) by tolivac (greenville nc)        

Sounds like Norge was sizing their washers after some old time artillery piece sizing-the size shell the gun fired.

Post# 909690 , Reply# 12   12/5/2016 at 04:06 (2,692 days old) by brucelucenta ()        
combo

 Yes, I think you are right about the poundage. I knew it was an odd number, but I thought it was 13. I realize that would make no sense though. I think by then Norge had rated the old solid tub at 10 pounds, even though it would barely hold 8. However the 22 poundage rating is what a Magic Chef set that I had was rated on the machine. It was still the same Norge mechanism with the solenoid that clanked when the spin stopped and the porcelain tub. I guess a lot of these machines were regional in sales. We had a couple of places here that sold Magic Chef washers and dryers. GE did somewhat the same thing with the poundage rating. The same size tub went from 12 pounds up to 16 pounds and then they made the larger tub model rated at 18 pounds.



This post was last edited 12/05/2016 at 04:56
Post# 909982 , Reply# 13   12/7/2016 at 05:18 (2,690 days old) by brucelucenta ()        

I think I might have figured out what confused me about the poundage rating. Not that it matters, but I think that by the time Norge came out with their new large capacity model GE had already raised their poundage rating to 14 pounds. I do remember that GE started making the V14 machines of which they raised the blades of the agitator higher than the original V12, but kept the same size tub. The 15 pound rating was 1 pound larger than they were.


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