Thread Number: 80990  /  Tag: Vintage Dryers
Maytag DE713 Restoration
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Post# 1049902   11/4/2019 at 11:23 (1,606 days old) by maranoman (Des Moines, Iowa)        

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Probably one of the more elusive Maytag dryers is the D713 model. It was introduced as the new top of the line dryer in mid-1989 and replaced the D712. A year later, Maytag released their new 1990 laundry line featuring their new charcoal black control panels which brought to an end the decade-long brown control panels of the 10- and 12-series laundry lines. So effectively, the D713 dryer was a one year (mid-1989 through mid-1990) TOL model.

I had spotted a DE713 up in Wisconsin this past summer but that was a bit of a drive for me from central Iowa so I kept looking. Then early in October I found a DE713 in Nevada, Iowa (pronounced Neh-VAY-da) on Facebook Marketplace. Nevada is about a 45-minute drive from Des Moines and the machine was advertised as free! I responded right away but then learned that it was already pending pickup...

I had already resolved to keep looking when a couple of days later the seller of the Nevada machine messaged me that the original buyer never showed up and the machine was mine if I wanted it! I picked it up the next night.

The seller told me that he had bought a used Maytag pair for his daughter but she only really needed the washer. He said the dryer worked when they tried it, but it had been sitting for six months unused. It looked decent in the one picture he had posted but after bringing it home, I could tell that this machine had a rough life and had not run in quite some time. There were significant scratches and paint oxidation on both sides of the cabinet. The front panel had a significant scratch across the entire length about 6 inches up from the floor. The base, heater and inlet duct were all rusty. At some point the heater coil had broken and welded itself to the heater shell. But the porcelain top, tumbler support assemblies and drum were all in very good condition. Even the plastic light lens cover was intact. Still, if I was going to restore a DE713, I wanted it to look perfect when it was finished, and this one would need a significant amount of work. But who can complain when the price is free?

Here are some pics of the machine once I brought it home. As seen in the serial number photo, the dryer was assembled in December 1989.




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This post was last edited 11/04/2019 at 12:10



Post# 1049903 , Reply# 1   11/4/2019 at 11:25 (1,606 days old) by maranoman (Des Moines, Iowa)        
Maytag Documentation on D713 Series

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Below are snips from the Maytag "Let's Talk Service" May 1989 edition where the D713 was introduced. You can see what some of the differences are from the D712 - they are pretty significant. Thanks to Ben (swestoyz) for sharing this with me.

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This post was last edited 11/04/2019 at 12:21
Post# 1049905 , Reply# 2   11/4/2019 at 11:34 (1,606 days old) by maranoman (Des Moines, Iowa)        
Getting Started...

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I completely disassembled the DE713 and decided that the following would be replaced:

1) Rear roller drum supports
2) Front bearing drum supports
3) Idler pully bracket
4) Front and rear felt
5) Thermostat and thermal cutoff
6) Belt
7) Heater coil

In addition, I would need to address the rust on the base, blower housing cover, heater enclosure and inlet duct. I would also need to address the paint issues on the cabinet and front panel.

Here are some pics of the disassembled dryer.


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Post# 1049906 , Reply# 3   11/4/2019 at 11:42 (1,606 days old) by maranoman (Des Moines, Iowa)        
Donor machine to the rescue!

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With the amount of effort needed to address the rust and paint issues with my DE713, I decided to see if I could find a donor machine. It helps to live in central Iowa, the land of milk and honey when it comes to used and cheap Maytags.

I found a $50 DE308 up in Zearing Iowa that seemed to be a great fit. The cabinet and side panels were perfect. The base, inlet duct and heater were near perfect as well. So I would just need to address the rust issues on the blower housing front cover of the DE713.

The only difference that would be noticeable to the trained eye would be the lack of ribbing on the sides of the cabinet. No big deal to me.

Here are some pics of the donor DE308.


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This post was last edited 11/04/2019 at 12:13
Post# 1049907 , Reply# 4   11/4/2019 at 11:58 (1,606 days old) by maranoman (Des Moines, Iowa)        
Mashing up the DE308 and DE713 parts

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To keep the original white/beige interior of the DE713, I had to replace the gray inner door of the DE308 front panel. I also took the time to transfer the DE713 serial badge on to the DE308 front panel. Because the DE713 has a drum light, I also swapped out the door switch.

The only issue with the DE308 was a broken belt and worn support bearings. The heater assembly looked and worked fine. The inlet duct had much less rust near the bottom and it cleaned up nicely.

I kept the original blower housing and motor assembly that came with the DE713. I addressed the rust on the blower housing front panel with a 3 stage marine paint treatment system.

By this time, my new felt had arrived and it was a breeze to install it in the metal-tabbed drum supports when compared to the old glue system used in earlier Maytags.

I replaced the support rollers and bearings with NOS parts from eBay. A new thermostat and thermal cutoff were installed (the old ones were badly rusted).

The idler pulley bracket on the DE713 had worn the pivot hole into a pivot oval, but the bracket from the DE308 was an exact match and fit perfectly.

The top cover, control panel and wiring harness were transferred over to the DE308 cabinet and fit perfectly. Nice that Maytag kept their cabinet design pretty much the same (other than the side ribbing) over the ten years between the production of the donor and recipient machines.)

The rest was just cleaning out the lint and putting on a new belt and power cable.

I really hated parting out such a nice DE308, but it was just a timed-heat machine and the DE713 is well, so much more. I can still find a second donor body for the DE308 top cover/control panel/wiring harness in the future if I choose to bring it back to life.

Here are some pics of the assembly of the DE713.



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Post# 1049908 , Reply# 5   11/4/2019 at 12:09 (1,606 days old) by maranoman (Des Moines, Iowa)        
Restoration Complete

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With cleaning and reassembly complete, it was time to move the DE713 up into the laundry room where it replaces my LDE808 (for now) as my daily driver.

It fired right up and after a few test loads, appears to be fully functional. It is very quiet which can be expected with new support rollers, bearings and felt.

I do miss the lighted control panel and the chime at the end of the cycle from my LDE808, but will have to admit that I can hear the buzzer from most rooms in my house!

It was a fun and rewarding project. Sometimes the washers here get all the glory, but I really enjoy restoring dryers as well and find them to be sometimes more challenging.

I was a design engineer in the dryer group at Maytag for a brief period of time (hired in January 1990) so I knew and worked with the guys who designed and tested this DE713. They were a great bunch to work with and all extremely bright. I dedicate this machine to Don S., Dan W., Chris M., Mike L. and Dean K. of the Maytag R & D dryer group from the 1980's - 1990's!

Thanks also to Ben (swestoyz) for all his help and advice on this project!

- Jeff



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Post# 1049921 , Reply# 6   11/4/2019 at 14:50 (1,606 days old) by swestoyz (Cedar Falls, IA)        

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One of the first times we chatted you had brought up that you knew these dryers inside and out, and it certainly shows. Well done! And don't feel bad taking the 308 and combining parts to make a really nice dryer.

I bet your old dryer group would be proud - their efforts paid off with a fully featured machine. Have you had a chance yet to run through enough loads to get a feel for the different levels of less dry/normal dry/more dry?

Ben


Post# 1049924 , Reply# 7   11/4/2019 at 14:59 (1,606 days old) by maranoman (Des Moines, Iowa)        
Testing

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Thanks, Ben! Still haven't run more than a couple of loads through but the next one will be with the less dry option selected.

I kept all the good parts from the DE308 that weren't used so I would still like to put it together again once I find a good cabinet and base. I really like the style and simplicity of the DE308.

- Jeff


Post# 1050035 , Reply# 8   11/5/2019 at 16:33 (1,605 days old) by LowEfficiency (Iowa)        

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Never would I have known that the D713 existed... or was so rare! If those two models were in front of me, I probably would have naively done the opposite swap and kept the DE308 control panel! :D

Good on you, Jeff, for saving all of the leftover parts. Even if the DE308 was a lesser model, those parts are only getting harder and harder to find. Hopefully they go to a good home, and help keep another old machine running.


Post# 1050048 , Reply# 9   11/5/2019 at 20:06 (1,605 days old) by appnut (TX)        

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Jeff, what a terrific, amazing story.  As far as I am concerned, you are a celebrity in these parts since you got to work for Maytag briefly.  I actually got to see this dryer in person.  Friends from church had this dryer.  They moved here in like 1986 or 1987.  They were originally from Iowa.  They had a A407DE806 pair at the time.  The dryer had to be replaced in like 1990 or 1991 and was replaced with this model.  And it was replaced with a Whirlpool Maytag in 2008 or 2009.  First thing I noticed was the new medium heat setting.  Always was mad at Maytag because they didn't offer a medium heat. 

 

The first time I went to visit my friends was on a Saturday morning not too soon after I'd met them.  I walked in the front door and about 20 seconds later, the washer started a spin.  I loudly proclaimed "You have a Maytag".  The wife just kind of looked at me strangely and asked, how did you know?  They found out soon about my appliance obsession.  

 

I have a LDE9824 that will be 25 years old December 7th.  

 

Ben, thank you for being such a tremendous help and mentor.

 

Also Jeff, you've amassed quite a collection in a short period of time.  

 

Bob

 


Post# 1050257 , Reply# 10   11/8/2019 at 04:58 (1,602 days old) by potatochips ( )        

Great job, Jeff! I have the LDE712, and when I discovered there was a 713 I was very interested. There is only a few posts on it with little detail on this forum but now thanks to yours there is lots of info on this super rare find. Thanks, Jeff!


Post# 1050266 , Reply# 11   11/8/2019 at 06:48 (1,602 days old) by combo52 (50 Year Repair Tech Beltsville,Md)        
Great Restoration Of a Slightly Rare Maytag Dryer

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What a fun and satisfying machine to restore since you actually worked at Maytag when this dryer was built.

 

I have probably seen less than a dozen of this model in homes since it was built, Ironically my last customer last evening on Capital Hill had this exact dryer in gas, along with the matching MT washer. I replaced the WV in the washer a supplied a good used lint filter for the dryer.

 

About 4 years ago I did the usual blower replacement, belt and cleaning and lubrication to the dryer, She is trying to hold on to them for a few more years till her daughter takes over the house. The automatic dryness control no longer works properly but they just keep and eye on it.

 

This dryers control system was about the last remake of Mts original electronic control combined once again with a mechanical timer, it had reliability issues like the first MT electorally that used a timer with the EC, I always though it a shame that MT did not continue to use a timer along with the electronic sensor [ and perfect it a little better ] so customers would have had more control over dryness and also had a descent timed dry cycle.

 

 I hope you enjoy your very cool rare dryer Jeff I always like having the the rare and complicated machines.

 

John L. 


Post# 1050340 , Reply# 12   11/8/2019 at 17:34 (1,602 days old) by de409 (Maryland)        

Hey man, if you are ever in need, I still have every piece of the one I sold you the controls for, including the base.

Post# 1050572 , Reply# 13   11/10/2019 at 18:42 (1,600 days old) by electronicontrl (Grand Rapids, MI)        
Beautiful dryer!

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I love it!!

Post# 1050601 , Reply# 14   11/10/2019 at 21:14 (1,600 days old) by gansky1 (Omaha, The Home of the TV Dinner!)        

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Very nicely featured dryer, and a superb restoration job.  I've never seen one of this model in the wild around here, usually Maytags of this era were MOL or lower auto-dry only.  


Post# 1050649 , Reply# 15   11/11/2019 at 08:23 (1,599 days old) by maranoman (Des Moines, Iowa)        
Thanks for all the positive comments!

maranoman's profile picture
So far everything on the DE713 seems to be working as it should! It's always a crap shoot when buying a used electronic control dryer as to whether the controls will work as they should - but I have been lucky so far. Ben alerted me to the electronic control assembly for a DG713 on eBay and I bought it as a spare. The only difference between the control assemblies for the DG713 and the DE713 seems to be the relay.

I have done a variety of different loads from towels to delicates and tried the various temperature and dryness settings - all seem to work as intended. The only complaint I have is that the buzzer duration isn't long enough. There is a slider control to adjust the loudness of the buzzer, and I can make it loud enough for me to hear from our living space, but it only buzzes for about a second. Of course, the chime on my DE808 (and DE712) are short and sweet, but it was distinct enough that we never missed it. Despite that, the ability to have more options for temperature and dryness on the DE713 make it a more versatile machine.


Post# 1050654 , Reply# 16   11/11/2019 at 09:23 (1,599 days old) by appnut (TX)        
Jeff, a suggestion to try

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As far as feature set goes, my LDE9824 is essentially the same as your.  The only difference is I have a no heat temp button allowing for over 60 minutes of air fluff on timed dry.  Otherwise, electronic dry control for both regular and perm press cycles with varying degree of less dry to more dry on both cycles. I pretty much use the regular cycle only for sheets, towels, underwear because it has such a shortened cooldown of only 5 minutes vs 12 minutes on Perm Press.  And if I dried casual cottons on regular, they'd still be too warm at the end of 5 minutes and gets terribly wrinkled sitting in the quite warm dryer after only a 5 minute cooldown.  If I'm not in a hurry, sometimes I'll even use Perm Press for towels because the cool down is 12 minutes and it continues to use all of that residual heat to make sure all little nooks and crannies of big towels are dry.  My PP cycle buzzes 2 to 3 times during the cool down and it's like 5-10 seconds each buzz.  Do you know if yours does?  If it doesn't, then try the Perm Press with Press Care.  I bet it does have longer buzz sounds.  Mine does.  


Post# 1050659 , Reply# 17   11/11/2019 at 09:37 (1,599 days old) by maranoman (Des Moines, Iowa)        
I will try that!

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I should have mentioned that all of the test loads I have made so far have been on the regular cycle. I will try the PP and PPWPC cycles next to see how often and how long the buzzer goes off. Thanks for the suggestion!

Post# 1050700 , Reply# 18   11/11/2019 at 14:27 (1,599 days old) by qsd-dan (West)        

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I had a DG713 dryer for five and a half years until a couple of weeks ago (slimming the collection down a bit).

I found myself using the Permanent Press cycle 99% of the time and it worked fantastic. It's basically the "Regular" cycle but with a 10-ish minute cool down period that fluffs and de-wrinkles clothing. It'll produce 2 long buzzes about 7-8 minutes apart. The second buzz triggered me to remove, hang, and fold the laundry. I probably shouldn't admit it on this site, but I never did try the "Permanent Press With Care" cycle the entire time I had the machine.

Most of the time I used the "Regular" heat and "Normal" dry settings which produced the exact results I was seeking. I'd occasionally use the "More Dry" option for larger comforters during the winter months and it did a great job getting the balled up center area moisture free without the need of turning it inside-out from my end.

All in all, it was a fabulous dryer that never once gave me a single problem. Not bad for a 30 year old appliance.


Post# 1050716 , Reply# 19   11/11/2019 at 16:44 (1,599 days old) by brisnat81 (Brisbane Australia)        

Is the Heat range on all US driers that narrow? Is the difference between low and high really 10F, 5C? That means that Medium is only 5F or 2.5c different. It hardly seems worth having an intermediate temp, that narrow temp window, it wouldnt seem to achieve anything other than marketing.

Were all US driers that narrow of a window temp wise?


Post# 1050729 , Reply# 20   11/11/2019 at 17:45 (1,599 days old) by combo52 (50 Year Repair Tech Beltsville,Md)        
Heat Range On US Dryers

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Many 50s dryers went from around 140-180, later they started lowering it somewhat, today good dryers range from around 120-150.

Maytag never had much variation in any dryers they built, in fact all HOH dryers only had one operating temperature around 150, and as MT proved you really don't need a lot of temperature range to build a dryer that gets the job done.

John L.


Post# 1050852 , Reply# 21   11/12/2019 at 21:35 (1,598 days old) by LowEfficiency (Iowa)        

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Hey Jeff, if you need any parts or spares, another one of these just popped up a few hours ago on Craigslist, just east of Cedar Rapids:

cedarrapids.craigslist.org/app/d...


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Post# 1050853 , Reply# 22   11/12/2019 at 22:23 (1,598 days old) by Repairguy (Danbury, Texas)        

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Wow that’s a deal! If they used all OEM parts to replace what was listed the parts total comes close to the asking price.

Post# 1050854 , Reply# 23   11/12/2019 at 22:28 (1,598 days old) by Repairguy (Danbury, Texas)        

repairguy's profile picture
Great job on the restoration of an elusive dryer that you were after!

Post# 1050867 , Reply# 24   11/13/2019 at 07:39 (1,597 days old) by maranoman (Des Moines, Iowa)        
Missed the CL Ad before it was sold

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Thank you, Repairguy!

Looks like the Cedar Rapids machine sold as the posting was deleted overnight by the seller. That's fine, most of the wearable parts in my machine were replaced and I do have spares of most of the electronic portion. As long as my timer keeps working, I plan on this machine lasting a long time. It's weird how these rarer machines seem to pop up in clusters and then long periods of time go by before you see them again!

How much were they asking for it?


Post# 1050872 , Reply# 25   11/13/2019 at 09:01 (1,597 days old) by Repairguy (Danbury, Texas)        

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It happens to me too. I always thought it odd how several vintage machines will pop up at one time and it may be 6 months to a year before any more surface. Any machine built before 1985 has been pretty rare in my area for years now. The asking price on the Craigslist dryer was $125.

Post# 1050877 , Reply# 26   11/13/2019 at 10:20 (1,597 days old) by LowEfficiency (Iowa)        

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Yep, $125. I should have posted the other pictures, didn't expect it to go so fast. The ad was only 8 hours old when I made my post! The description had a long list of parts that had just been replaced, and the seller claimed to have several decades of experience doing appliance servicing, so it probably would have been a good one.

After reading your thread here, I had briefly thought about buying it and doing a reverse cabinet swap to backdate it to a center-dial appearance. :D


Post# 1050979 , Reply# 27   11/14/2019 at 07:13 (1,596 days old) by ozzie908 (Lincoln UK)        
Can anyone post a picture of the matching washer please?

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I am almost certain the washer that goes with this dryer was the one in Beverly Farms 20 years ago. I thought this was the washer when I first saw it.!

Thank you and I want to say well done that Maytag Dryer looked as good as new :)

Austin


Post# 1050982 , Reply# 28   11/14/2019 at 08:24 (1,596 days old) by maranoman (Des Moines, Iowa)        
1989 Washer Line

maranoman's profile picture
Thank you, Austin! Below are a couple of snips from the 1989 Maytag Laundry brochure. I am also including some pictures of my 1990 A712 which was Maytag's top of the line washer in early 1990. It is pictured next to my DE712 dryer (not my DE713) in the last photo. - Jeff

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Post# 1050997 , Reply# 29   11/14/2019 at 10:37 (1,596 days old) by ozzie908 (Lincoln UK)        
Thank you

ozzie908's profile picture
If memory serves me well it was the 612 we had but I don't recall the PP cycle being where it was I seem to think it was opposite as if you clicked the timer a couple of increments the machine would fill and sit there for about 15 mins I think as the timer moved to the 15 min wash portion of the cycle, Almost like a built in soak cycle but without saying so :)

We had an older Kenmore dryer as it had outlived 2 washers !!

Thank you for sharing it fires the brain into remembering things of old.

Austin


Post# 1051009 , Reply# 30   11/14/2019 at 12:39 (1,596 days old) by Repairguy (Danbury, Texas)        

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I know you said you worked with Maytag dryers briefly, but I have a question about the Maytag washers at that time. I have always been curious about the change from the pitman to the orbital transmission. How was it phased in? A certain line? All at once? What year? I know it was around 1988. Any information is appreciated.

Post# 1051036 , Reply# 31   11/14/2019 at 17:06 (1,596 days old) by qsd-dan (West)        

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The orbital transmission debut around July, 1989. Some of the very last 12 series washers had them installed. All of the short lived 13 series washers through the end of the LAT production in '06 used this newer transmission as the standard workhorse. Orbital transmissions can be used in all 2 belt washers dating from 1966-2006, just make sure to match the correct tub/trans combination.

Post# 1051107 , Reply# 32   11/15/2019 at 07:36 (1,595 days old) by maranoman (Des Moines, Iowa)        
Let's Talk Service Announcement

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Here is the announcement of the new orbital transmission from Maytag's July-August 1989 "Let's Talk Service" bulletin (courtesy of Ben). After the pages shown below they included several pages on how to repair the new transmission.

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Post# 1051113 , Reply# 33   11/15/2019 at 08:52 (1,595 days old) by Repairguy (Danbury, Texas)        

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Thanks so much for taking the time to post information on the transmission change!

Post# 1051117 , Reply# 34   11/15/2019 at 09:06 (1,595 days old) by maranoman (Des Moines, Iowa)        
Orbital Transmission Time to Develop and Test

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When I arrived at Maytag R & D in January 1990, the orbital transmission was already in production for 6 months and the guys in the washer group were working on the front-load concept that would eventually become the Neptune.

To give you an idea on how long it took to develop and test the orbital transmission, below is the orbital transmission patent from Maytag and engineer John Goodlaxson from August of 1983. It took six years from the filing of the patent to the production of the transmission. When I arrived in 1990, John Goodlaxson was already retired from Maytag and working on his own venture involving commercial popcorn machines.

And it took Maytag another 7 years before they released the Neptune, albeit still with some issues.


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Post# 1051118 , Reply# 35   11/15/2019 at 09:12 (1,595 days old) by maranoman (Des Moines, Iowa)        
Original Concept Model of the Orbital Transmission

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In the Jasper County Historical Museum in Newton sits this original inventor's model of the orbital transmission made by John Goodlaxson. It all started with an idea and a primitive model!

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Post# 1051119 , Reply# 36   11/15/2019 at 09:38 (1,595 days old) by maranoman (Des Moines, Iowa)        

This post has been removed by the member who posted it.




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