Thread Number: 93919  /  Tag: Wringer Washers
Agitator re-manufacturers
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Post# 1185877   7/26/2023 at 02:13 (283 days old) by Adam-aussie-vac (Canberra ACT)        

Hey guys, does anybody know if there is a company that remakes agitators? As I am potentially wanting to have them build a visaswirl agitator(The kind used on Kenmore wringer washers, but I want to have it slightly sized down that way it would be a perfect fit on my Simpson wringer washer which has a slightly smaller base and a little bit smaller agitator spline as I do love the vigourous wash action that a ramped agitator can give




Post# 1185880 , Reply# 1   7/26/2023 at 06:40 (283 days old) by tolivac (greenville nc)        

I don't thin k a plastics molding company would be interested in tooling for one agitator-now maybe for a hundred or more.Can a large 3D printer make up one?That maybe more practical.

Post# 1185922 , Reply# 2   7/26/2023 at 20:11 (282 days old) by Adam-aussie-vac (Canberra ACT)        
Potentially, but considering that there’s a lot of

Force behind each agitation stroke i’m not sure if 3-D printing is going to hold up, plus I don’t think there’s normally a 3D printer that could print something that big and if there is it will be probably more expensive than getting a plastic company to re manufacture it

Post# 1185923 , Reply# 3   7/26/2023 at 20:52 (282 days old) by HobartHero (New York)        
Kenmore Wringer Agitator

hobarthero's profile picture
I have a 60’s era Kenmore spiral agitator from a wringer machine you could have if you could make it work for you, but if it’s too large then I suppose it may not work for your application anyway. I kept a bunch of spare parts off a junk machine I had a while back.
-Shannon


Post# 1185925 , Reply# 4   7/26/2023 at 20:59 (282 days old) by LowEfficiency (Iowa)        

lowefficiency's profile picture

I actually think neither the forces nor the size would be a problem... there are some rather large consumer-grade 3D printers available now, and the material selections are growing all the time. And you could freely mix and match materials to take advantage of their characteristics - say a stiff and strong plastic for the concentrated forces at the hub, but then a more flexible/resilient plastic for the remainder of the agitator.

The only real hurdle I can think of is that the additive process creates an irregular surface that could trap debris/bacteria, so you would have to post-coat the print (this is what is done to make 3D prints food-safe, for example).


Post# 1185926 , Reply# 5   7/26/2023 at 21:03 (282 days old) by gizmo (Victoria, Australia)        

Getting a plastic company to re-manufacture it will cost many thousands of dollars.

You aren't asking for re-manufacture of an existing product, you are asking for a whole new item to be tooled up which is a mixture of two existing products.

 

If you really want a ramped agitator for your Simpson, look at other existing ramped agitators that were used on washing machines that were sold here in Australia - such as Westinghouse top loaders from the 1970s and Hoovers from 1970s and 1980s, see if any of them could be adapted for your machine. Hoover had two versions, the long shaft which joined the agitator above the water (spline at top of agitator through a brass block), and the later short shaft which was below water, the agitator presded directly on the the shaft just like Simpson autos of the time did. I don't know if that spline matched the Simpson one or not, they look the same but are probably different???

 

I don't think you have any chance of doing what you are suggesting, and should probably look for other projects, but adapting an existing Australian agitator to fit the Simpson spline will be much easier than commissioning a whole new agitator. If the splines are similar but not exactly the same, and the agitator otherwise fits, you MIGHT have some luck with using epoxy putty to create a new spline in your chosen agitator. But that might chew out in a few minutes, too. It would be a "try it and see" situation, no guarantees.

 

There have been many discussions on this website over the years about getting obsolete parts re-manufactured, and even when there is an existing part to copy (which you don't have) the cost for tooling is thousands of dollars. It's an expensive business.

 

Maybe you could start a search for a wringer washer with a spiral ramp agitator? Westinghouse made wringer washers in Australia, they used spiral ramp agitators in their automatics so they might have made wringers with them too?? I don't know if they did or didn't, it's homework for you to find out.


Post# 1185998 , Reply# 6   7/27/2023 at 21:44 (281 days old) by LowEfficiency (Iowa)        

lowefficiency's profile picture

>> There have been many discussions on this website over the years about getting obsolete parts re-manufactured,
>> and even when there is an existing part to copy (which you don't have) the cost for tooling is thousands
>> of dollars. It's an expensive business.

I actually think this project sounds reasonable.

A 3D printer of the size required would only run around $500 USD. If you can 3D model, then your only costs beyond that are the plastic and the sealant. There's no expensive tooling, nothing requiring machine shop time, no minimum production runs, etc. And if it doesn't work out (or simply when you are done), you can re-sell the printer and recoup some of that cost.

The model itself is also reasonable in this case, simply due to the fact that it isn't intended to be an exact reproduction. The fitment to the agitator shaft and the clearance to the tub bottom are really the only critical dimensions - the rest has a lot of leeway. "Make it look similar to this" is *far* easier than "Make a reproduction of this". It's a project for a CAD-savvy freelancer, not a machine shop or design firm.


Post# 1186015 , Reply# 7   7/28/2023 at 03:07 (281 days old) by Adam-aussie-vac (Canberra ACT)        
Oh cool, I’m actually pretty happy to hear how reasonable

This project is, considering it really only needs to be about at least 2 cm or 3 cm shorter and a slight redesign on the spline which is really just a coned hexagon

Post# 1186042 , Reply# 8   7/28/2023 at 10:38 (280 days old) by LowEfficiency (Iowa)        

lowefficiency's profile picture

Can you post some pictures of what you are working with?

ie: What the machine looks like, what the agitator shaft looks like, and the agitator shape you are thinking of adapting into it?


Post# 1186070 , Reply# 9   7/28/2023 at 15:12 (280 days old) by Adam-aussie-vac (Canberra ACT)        

I’ll grab some photos later today as I have both agitators

Post# 1186110 , Reply# 10   7/28/2023 at 21:58 (280 days old) by Adam-aussie-vac (Canberra ACT)        

Here’s the agitator I wanna put on compared to the original one and some photos of the original shaft, plus are used a 1/4 inch garden hose connection fitting for scale of the fitting

  Photos...       <              >      Photo 1 of 7         View Full Size
Post# 1186153 , Reply# 11   7/29/2023 at 09:37 (280 days old) by gizmo (Victoria, Australia)        

That spiral ramp agitator fits OK in the washtub, doesn't it? Looks OK to me?

It would be cheaper and easier to get a new, larger drive block made up to adapt the Simpson agitator shaft to the new agitator's hex drive socket.

 

If the spiral agitator is too big to fit, what about a UK Hotpoint top loader - didn't they use a smaller spiral ramp agitator? They were made in New Zealand under license by Fisher and Paykel too, though I don't remember the model name. They were made by F&P before the ECS / Gentle Annie of their own design. So you might be able to source an agitator from NZ?? (Still no guarantee the drive block will match.)


Post# 1186174 , Reply# 12   7/29/2023 at 14:59 (279 days old) by LowEfficiency (Iowa)        

lowefficiency's profile picture

Oh, are both agitators the same mating shape then, just different sizes?
So all you need is a tapered shim to make up the difference?


Post# 1186231 , Reply# 13   7/30/2023 at 04:39 (279 days old) by Adam-aussie-vac (Canberra ACT)        
I think I completely forgot to mention that

In the Simpson machine the agitator sits almost flush with the inner bottom lip of the bowl,

  Photos...       <              >      Photo 1 of 5         View Full Size
Post# 1186234 , Reply# 14   7/30/2023 at 05:30 (279 days old) by Adam-aussie-vac (Canberra ACT)        
I will potentially try to get my hands on a hot point

Toploader agitator the one that was manufactured under license by Fisher and paykel Does anybody even have a photo of what they look like?

Post# 1186235 , Reply# 15   7/30/2023 at 05:44 (279 days old) by Adam-aussie-vac (Canberra ACT)        
Speaking of Hotpoint agitators does anybody know if this

Could fit? And the Type of agitator shown came out of a hotpoint twin tub, I did ask for a photo of the whole the spline used to fit in, as well as The diameter of the bottom of the agitator

  View Full Size
Post# 1186236 , Reply# 16   7/30/2023 at 05:51 (279 days old) by ozzie908 (Lincoln UK)        
If its to fit in a Servis type washer

ozzie908's profile picture
It won't work as Hotpoint agitators fit onto a tripod with a long screwed knob, You would be better off finding a Servis twin tub agitator as they would fit the hexagon drive that you have.

Post# 1186243 , Reply# 17   7/30/2023 at 06:40 (279 days old) by Adam-aussie-vac (Canberra ACT)        
Oh, it’s not servis, it’s a Simpson wringer washer

And I’m wanting to put on a spiral type agitator

Post# 1186261 , Reply# 18   7/30/2023 at 11:47 (278 days old) by ozzie908 (Lincoln UK)        

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



Post# 1186263 , Reply# 19   7/30/2023 at 11:50 (278 days old) by ozzie908 (Lincoln UK)        
Adam

ozzie908's profile picture
Hope fully there are some pictures I took this afternoon for you to see how the Hotpoint agitator fits on the machine.

  Photos...       <              >      Photo 1 of 4         View Full Size
Post# 1186331 , Reply# 20   7/30/2023 at 20:20 (278 days old) by Adam-aussie-vac (Canberra ACT)        
Oh that’s unique looking, I

So does anybody know what my best options would be? On how to get a ramped agitator that fits, is it as simple as making an adapter collar that fits that machine or do I need to 3-D print the entire agitator instead?

Post# 1186398 , Reply# 21   7/31/2023 at 11:54 (277 days old) by LowEfficiency (Iowa)        

lowefficiency's profile picture

If you are OK with the wider base where it sits at the bottom of the tub, then using an original agitator with the hexagonal adapter would be far far far cheaper and easier.


Post# 1186451 , Reply# 22   7/31/2023 at 20:47 (277 days old) by Adam-aussie-vac (Canberra ACT)        
Yeah that’s true, I’ve just gotta make sure that there’s

Enough clearance from The enamel as I don’t want to mark it and create a ring where the agitator rubs, either that or here’s an idea, I could potentially try to get the agitator shaved down on the bottom so that way it’s short enough that it can easily rest on the original Shaft



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