1956? MAYTAG GAS DRYER - MINNEAPOLIS

Automatic Washer - The world's coolest Washing Machines, Dryers and Dishwashers

Help Support :

Wow, the dryer looks to be pretty good shape. Will be curious to hear how the gas system has held up over the years.

Many moons ago I noticed a pink Maytag dryer at the local St. Vinnies warehouse. I inquired about it and was told to just take it. The dryer was a 740C, but it had sat outside for several years and was not worth getting up and running again. I saved parts from it but I'm not sure if I held on to much.

Greg - nice save there on the 606!

Ben

Loading…

www.automaticwasher.org
 
Greg:

Interesting you should say that about 06-series machines vs. 08-series machines. I'm getting that exact impression as I work with my "new" early 806 pair. The later machines I've had aren't quite up to the same standard in terms of finish. In particular, the porcelain of the dryer drum was replaced by paint in the switch from HOH to the big-door format. And the bleach dispenser setup on the washer is nothing but a funnel and hose on later machines, of course, but the difference between the early bleach dispenser fill funnel and the later one is pretty substantial. I'm not talking the design difference - I'm talking the heaviness and quality of the part.

And at that, Maytag didn't indulge in '70s cheapening to nearly the extent that some other manufacturers did.
 
Here is an air-flow diagram from the service manual.
Not many manufacturers used this kind of air-flow design for their gas dryers.
I know Speed Queen also had their burner at the top of the drum for a time. Were there any others?

kenmore71++2-4-2013-12-12-44.jpg
 
In doing some more research through my stash of service literature, here is the information on the thermostat. As John mentioned above, this would definitely qualify as a "lower airflow, high temperature dryer. In the image below you can see the thermostat temps. Compare that to a year later when the thermostat temps on a Halo-of-heat dryer would be 155 degrees and 135 degrees!

kenmore71++2-4-2013-13-06-5.jpg
 
Actually, to all who are wondering about the story of this dryer here it is:

This machine was purchased by the son of the guy I bought it from at an estate sale in Apple Valley, MN. It was in the home of a little old lady. The son then moved half way across the country and lost interest in trying to move the dryer with him. Dad decided it was too nice to scrap and thought he'd try to get out of it what had been paid for it.

As to the aforementioned little old lady, I'm guessing her husband bought her this dryer new in 1957 or 1958. She probably line dried 99% of her clothes so that this machine was only used for "fluffing" line-dried towels and perhaps drying a few loads in the deepest cold of winter. I bet this machine only actually dried a few dozen loads of laundry a year. And, as is often the case with "old lady" dryers, it likely saw no use at all during the last years of her life since laundry was likely done by family members at their homes.

I know this situation from personal experience. My grandmother (now 99) has a late 1960s Kenmore "Match-all" dryer that looks almost as if it came off the catalog store floor! As a child, I helped her wash in the Maytag E2L and then everything was hung outside or in the basement. If it was a particularly still summer day or in the winter, towels and jeans would get a 10 minute air tumble in the dryer before folding so that they were not "stiff as a board" as my grandmother would say! [this post was last edited: 2/4/2013-17:56]
 
I think i am lost again.   Congrats is in order to Ben,  Kenmore71 pulled off the save.  Well congrats to everyone! @greg the 806 is beautiful IIRC, thats the one the Home Ec. dept had in high school. I still remember the demo, by the instructor. arthur
 
Kenmore71,  after rereading the post I think you picked it up for Ben, Someone was kidding,about his basement being full. I became confused, its a very nice dryer is all i really wanted to say. arthur
 
Nice catches, Gentlemen!

I'm wondering where the gas input might be found. In the shots, I don't see anything I recognize as an input.

When we got our A208, I really wanted an A608......Ma thought about the A308, so we compromised on the 208. My Dependable Cares from 1997 don't seem much flimsier than the 208. However, modern Maypools seem like "tinsel and spit" in comparison.

Lawrence/Maytagbear
 
Early Gas Dryers

Many early gas and electric dryers had the heat source at the top like this. I think that MT and others borrowed this design from the inventor of the modern dryer Hamilton. In addition to Hamilton and MT Blackstone also used this system on their early gas dryers and several makes like GE and Frigidaire did this on their early electric dryers, GE and FD did not have gas dryers till the 1960s.

 

 

Greg good save on the MT A606, they really were not that much heavier you are just getting older and weaker, LOL.
 

Similar threads

E
1956 Westinghouse Dryer D-9 Basket Belt
Replies
2
Views
12
emanm18
E
cadman
Maytag Presents: Combination Convenience - 16mm Film
Replies
12
Views
19
wayupnorth
wayupnorth
E
1956 Westinghouse D-9 Dryer Heater Coil
Replies
0
Views
10
emanm18
E
countryford
Speed Queen Gas Dryer
Replies
1
Views
14
gansky1
gansky1
repairguy
1965 Maytag set
Replies
11
Views
87
qsd-dan
qsd-dan

Latest posts

Back
Top