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Thread Number: 97896
/ Tag: Modern Automatic Washers
If Whirlpool were to bring back the Direct Drives |
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Post# 1228493 4/11/2025 at 07:41 by Chetlaham  (United States) |
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 Would Whirlpool face any legal consequences for bringing back the direct drive? Would the EPA go after Whirlpool for doing so? What is actually holding them back?
The way I feel is that if Whirlpool brought back the direct drives there would be a huge buyer's market. People would purchase direct drives over most other washers knowing what has managed to work for them flawlessly over the decades. It would eliminate many complaints and put Whirlpool back into serious competition.
Key would be building them exactly like they did in the 90s, and with precision tooling. Why isn't this being done? | ||
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Post# 1228502 , Reply# 2 4/11/2025 at 09:25 by appnut (TX) |
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Post# 1228507 , Reply# 3 4/11/2025 at 11:39 by Combo52 (50 Year Repair Tech Beltsville,Md) |
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If whirlpool were to bring back the direct drive washers
And other musings from Chet’s sandbox, I feel so sorry you are so far removed from Reality. It’s not funny your poor parents.
I hope Chrysler brings back the 1967 Dodge dart as well and it’s just as likely as whirlpool bringing back an old design, no company has ever done such a thing. Where do you get these ideas lol John L | ||
| Post# 1228508 , Reply# 4 4/11/2025 at 11:41 by agiflow (Toms River) | ||
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Having two classic belt drives now Bob I concur !!! | ||
| Post# 1228509 , Reply# 5 4/11/2025 at 12:04 by Maytag85 (Sean A806) | ||
Reply #2
You could increase the spin speed a little, but the belt drives use a unitized construction where everything is all one piece vs something like a Maytag where it’s a standing chassis (think body on frame if you will), which is able to achieve a spin speed over 700 rpm without moving on a concrete floor.
If you do increase your the spin speed on a belt drive, it’ll move and have more vibrations since that’s just an idiosyncrasy of the belt drive design. While the spin speed is on the lower end, it was fast compared to the Westinghouse and Bendix machines of the 1940’s and early 1950’s. The only belt drives that go away with a fast spin speed were the portables. Maybe design a direct drive-like machine but have a free standing chassis like the direct drive. | ||
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Post# 1228512 , Reply# 6 4/11/2025 at 13:03 by GELaundry4ever (Nacogdoches, TX, USA (considering moving to Temple, Texas)) |
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bring back the direct drives They would get a whole lot of business. These washers were ahead of their time than even the filter-flos when they first came out. | ||
| Post# 1228524 , Reply# 7 4/11/2025 at 15:36 by johnb300m (Chicago) | ||
You guys are off your rockers.
There’s another thread already talking about how WP can barely stand on their own right now. AND, they still make the DD transmission but the tooling is so worn out, they’re not very good quality anymore. It’s not really the government preventing the DD from being made. The DD has far more parts in it than the VMW washers. Therefore it would cost them too much to make it. If they did, it would be the price of a Speed Queen or more. That would ONLY happen if Speed Queen became a REAL threat to WP. Which they are not, yet. Keep dreaming kids, while the rest of us live in the real world. | ||
| Post# 1228526 , Reply# 8 4/11/2025 at 15:51 by agiflow (Toms River) | ||
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What is life without hopes and dreams ? What is the main premise of this site if it's not holding onto things that are no more part of the "real world"? | ||
| Post# 1228527 , Reply# 9 4/11/2025 at 15:52 by panasonicvac (Northern Utah) | ||
I have to concur with reply #1. King size comforters won't fit in my Kenmore 90 Series but it can in my LG front loader. This is one of the reasons why laundromats are turning away from top loaders in favor of front loaders, even I prefer using front loaders over top loaders myself. In fact my newest local laundromat that just opened recently doesn't have a single top loader, only five different size of front loaders. While I think it'd be awesome for the DD or belt drives to return, I really don't see myself buying one at least not brand new.
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Post# 1228552 , Reply# 10 4/11/2025 at 21:41 by Chetlaham (United States) |
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Considering that forum members are saying I'm living in a sand box and detached from reality about having the most proven and economical washer in the history of humanity back in laundry rooms tells me theses people are only here with the intent to troll.
I could understand that sentiment about other washers considering they have impractical design flaws among their great strenths (like the slow spin speed of wig-wag direct drives) but to compare a direct drive washer to a 1967 dart is just ridiculous.
The success and the consumer desire, need and approval of direct drive washer is not my idea. | ||
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Post# 1228554 , Reply# 11 4/11/2025 at 21:51 by Chetlaham (United States) |
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Pat, some things I could understand not being part of the real world. GE filter flos used more water per load size, handled off balance loads poorly and had a boot that could detach and dump dozens of gallons of water on the floor. Some competing designs were an improvement.
But to say someone wants direct drives back based solely on nostalgia or sentimental reasons I feel that to be unture. Direct drives approach the clean ability, performance, longevity and balancing of a TL Speed Queen while using fewer raw materials. That makes direct drives the most economical, cheapest, affordable and most environmentally friendly TL washer ever produced.
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| Post# 1228559 , Reply# 12 4/11/2025 at 22:22 by agiflow (Toms River) | ||
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The DD was probably the pinnacle of top load washer technology. They certainly got the weight down at least 50-60 lbs.from the belt drive and just 2 screws and 2 clips to pull off the cabinet to the whole works. | ||
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Post# 1228560 , Reply# 13 4/11/2025 at 22:30 by Chetlaham (United States) |
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Post# 1228561 , Reply# 14 4/11/2025 at 22:38 by Chetlaham (United States) |
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Right, because Whirlpool kept cheapening everything to the point that not even equations or quality control could save them.
Right, which is why I said make them like they did in the 90s. With today's precision technology a DD could have such tight tolerances it could rival a Maytag dependable care
DDs have less raw material than a Speed Queen. For one the whole putter tub is made of plastic. How or why would they cost more than a Speed Queen?
Yup, not yet... | ||
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Post# 1228564 , Reply# 15 4/11/2025 at 23:16 by GELaundry4ever (Nacogdoches, TX, USA (considering moving to Temple, Texas)) |
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Whirlpool direct drive The Whirlpool direct drive was the pinnacle in the advancement in laundry technology indeed. It's a shame GE copied them, then eventually followed the VMW design that Whirlpool made and is to this day still being made. | ||
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Post# 1228571 , Reply# 16 4/12/2025 at 06:37 by DaveAMKrayoGuy (Oak Park, MI) |
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 What kind of drive is exactly Whirlpool & any other makes using today?
Though I do like our Maytag dryer, which is a regular one, not the washer-matching PetPro...
-- Dave | ||
| Post# 1228574 , Reply# 17 4/12/2025 at 06:56 by neptunebob (Pittsburgh, PA) | ||
To place a mechanical timer on the VMW mechanism they have now on the washers, at least on the low priced ones? That would help make them more reliable. Whirlpool should also right now be trying to find a more reliable vendor for the circuit boards and have a program to replace the ones giving trouble.
CLICK HERE TO GO TO neptunebob's LINK | ||
| Post# 1228576 , Reply# 18 4/12/2025 at 07:59 by Pierreandreply4 (St-Bruno de montarville (province of quebec) canada) | ||
i am all for the return of mechanical timers
i am all for the return of mechanical timers aspecaly with dealing with a maytag washer that do not even dispense warm or hot water when set to warm or hot and the fact that i need to use the deep fill function when i could simply set water level to needed wash size auto sense water level is not even precise if load is large model of my curent washer is maytag mvw 6230hw other than normal quick wash heavy duty wrinkle controls delicate most of the cycles on the dial other then clean washer with afresh because of electronics and rinse spin i rarely use
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Post# 1228589 , Reply# 19 4/12/2025 at 10:57 by Chetlaham (United States) |
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Mathematical Elegance in EM Timers Pierre, same here.
This is how I imagine the ideal direct drive timer, timing, and cycle sequence.
Fills start two increments in from off or agitation, so the fill time is actually 6:15 seconds. Double that gives you 12:30, the wash time. The combined spin and rinse increments are 12:30 total, equal to the wash time. Total wash + rinse + spin = 25 min. Add fill at wash start equals a total cycle time of 31:15.
The total pre-wash agitation times are 7:30. Added to the main wash time of 12:30 + 7:30 = equals 20 minutes. The soak in between the pre-washes is 6:15, equal to the fill time at the start of prewash & soak. The total soak time between the first pre-wash agitation and the start of the wash agitation is 7 increments + 5 increments = 15 minutes of combined soaking.
See how all the numbers work out nicely in relational proportion?
Total spray time is 2 minutes 30 seconds, providing just about half a tubs worth of water on cold.
Total time from prewash & soak start to the end of spin is 53 minutes 45 seconds. No modern machine can do a prewash, soak, and generous normal cycle in under 1 hour. Or a thorough everyday wash cycle in 31 minutes and 15 seconds including fill times.
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