1960's Aussie Made Kelvinator

[mayfan69]

Hi guys,

I found this Kelvinator while kerbside crawling. It's a 1960's Kelvinator 181,basically a re-badged Simpson of the era. I date this about 1966. Apart from the round "flying saucer" gearbox, do the mechanicals seem familiar??? The damper assembly and springs look very much 1960's Maytag to me.

The bowl (which had already been taken out) is a black porcelain.

NOW: the agitator: I have seen the same Simpson with the black Maytag gyratator with the metal lint filter,obviously, it has been replaced by the turquiose Power Fin at some stage.

Can any of you guys tell me is it still possible to get a black Maytag agitator?? or does anyone have a spare they might be willing to sell??? Yes....i would pay good money to get one out to Oz. I think the black agitator would look so much better in this machine.

Cheers
Leon

 

[mayfan69]

More pics...

More pics

 

[mayfan69]

More pics.

Another fascia pic

 

[mayfan69]

More pics

Here is the bowl and Power Fin agitator....but i think a black Maytag gyratator would look sooooooo much better in this machine!

 

[mayfan69]

Mechanical pics...

This gearbox is Aussie made...

Yes...it's been leaking oil.

 

[mayfan69]

Mechanical pics...

Close up of spring and damper assembly....very 1960's Maytag

 

[mayfan69]

More pics

Another of spring and damper

 

[mayfan69]

More pics

Best close up i could get of the dial

Yes...the whole dial moves like the '06 and '08 Maytags

 

[frigilux]

So, the '60's Kelvinators didn't have the groovy uber-splashy concentric agitation like they US machines, eh? Interesting.... Thanks for the pics!

 

[gizmo]

A Choice magazine of the late 60's had a washing machine test which included an Aussie made Kelvinator which had the centric agitation, so I'd guess that this machine was the first badge-engineered Kelvinator with Simpson underneath. Arrrooohhh posted the Choice mag article here a couple of years ago.
Chris.

 

[arrrooohhh]

From what I gather from Choice magazine tests, that the orbital machine was still being made in 1972. It sure looks like the orbital machine from the outside, there are no inside shots. Choice says this model is about to be discontinued.

In Choices 1976 test the Kelvinator machine is very similar to this one here, the controls are arranged in the same order but with different graphics. Again Choice says this is about to be discontinued. On the next page is a rocker switch Simpson, which should share its dna with the Kelvinator, but has amazingly different test results and specifications. The most obvious is that the Kelvinator is rated good for spin drying, while the Simpson Rockerswitch is rated poor. The Kelvi also uses about 118 litres of water while the Simpson uses 164. Maybe the rockerswitch Simpson had some major changes mechanically, the washbowl and agitator look like a natural evolution from the earlier model.