1965 Ward's Signature Automatic Washer - Full Cycle Video

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Enough to make me wonder why more Mont. Ward washers and dryers like that weren't sold...

Or perhaps capable of lasting all those decades, working as good as new, today...

I surely would have bought mine like that, maybe also in copper tone...
 
Thank you for this! :) I love the control panel and programmed cycles.

Question- does the motor drop back onto its start winding when the tub initially engages into spin? What appears to pulse the tub during the spray rinse so it does not come to a complete stop?

Excellent video, I feel this washer was ahead of its time.
 
Chetlaham said:
Question- does the motor drop back onto its start winding when the tub initially engages into spin? What appears to pulse the tub during the spray rinse so it does not come to a complete stop?
Click to expand...

Yes it sure does drop back into the start winding, just like a Unimatic does. There is no clutch in the first two years of production of the Plus-Capacity designs that is why there is such a careful Extract cycle sequence to prevent any chance of suds-locking.

Those aren't pulses, it's just caused by sympathetic momentum from the motor turning the drive pulley.
 
Unimatic1140 said:
Yes it sure does drop back into the start winding, just like a Unimatic does. There is no clutch in the first two years of production of the Plus-Capacity designs that is why there is such a careful Extract cycle sequence to prevent any chance of suds-locking.

Those aren't pulses, it's just caused by sympathetic momentum from the motor turning the drive pulley.
Click to expand...


Neat. Does the motor protector tripping out just turn off the motor or does it also in addition to the motor break the circuit to the timer motor and water valves?

My Speed Queen has a slipping belt and the motor has never tripped out on overload however if it did it would remove power from all the internal components until the Klixon reset. I sometimes wonder by a chance if this might have been a hold over from the old days.


I remember one of the first modern full size non inverter top load washers to not have a spin clutch were the General Electric model T washers from ~2003 onward. This was when they changed over to a permanent split capacitor drive motor and would manage suds lock (and of course a slow/no drain) by not letting the machine go into spin unless the pressure switch had reset to empty. This did not work out perfectly as there were still instances of a mild to moderate suds lock causing the tub to drag without the pressure switch engaging back to full causing the motor to trip out on overload. There is even a thread on AW.org where this happened.

It sounds like Wards developed an even better strategy by not letting the suds lock happen in the first place instead of trying to detect it as it was happening.

Fascinating washer and I can't thank you enough for making a video of it.
 
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Chetlaham said:
Neat. Does the motor protector tripping out just turn off the motor or does it also in addition to the motor break the circuit to the timer motor and water valves?
Click to expand...

I have no idea because it's never once suds-locked, even with suds completely covering the entire agitator. Glad you enjoyed the video!
 
combo52 said:
1965 Norge built, top-of-the-line Montgomery Ward automatic washer

Another great video Robert. This was such a fun machine and you’re so fortunate to have one that actually works.

This was a great performing machine. That’s for sure. I love the original models where they loaded right up and went into spin with no fooling around the later models had much more trouble getting up to spin speed.

The power for the entire machine went through the Motors overload protector, so if it does trip everything stops until it resets, which was not a bad way of doing it most Norge washers did that.

I imagine the reason Wards didn’t sell more machines as they had a terrible reputation for reliability, even though it was a great performer, however, the matching dryer was probably the most rugged dryer on the market, exceeding the reliability of any other dryer sold in the US at the time. I don’t think we ever saw a Norge belt washer in this time frame In a family of four or more that ever lasted even 10 years without major, mechanical failures, they did be up the quality by the later 60s they were a little better when they started advertising the VHQ very high-quality machines.

John L
Click to expand...
 
I think Robert should do a video on his Maytag A806 from the 1960’s sometime. I always wondered how the earlier Maytag 806’s operated compared to the ones from 1969 to 1980.

This I believe is Robert’s Maytag 806 set, a screenshot from ‘my crazy obsession’.
 

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maytag85 said:
I think Robert should do a video on his Maytag A806 from the 1960’s sometime. I always wondered how the earlier Maytag 806’s operated compared to the ones from 1969 to 1980.

This I believe is Robert’s Maytag 806 set, a screenshot from ‘my crazy obsession’.
Click to expand...

Hi Sean, if you watch the very beginning of the episode you can see all machines I now have in my collection. The only Maytag I have is the very first AMP as I gave away the 806 set about 8 years ago to another collector.
 
Ahh. I imagine it’s still going strong since it’s the venerable Maytag helical platform, a little less entertaining to watch but definitely can’t complain about the reliability of a Maytag helical. Just seem to run and run forever.
 
Even when new I do not remember the coasting down for that first spray rinse as being as long as Robert's machine ours stop spinning not too soon before the spring is finished also in the coast down for the defense it stopped before the tub brake locked. When a slow spin speed was selected the draining of water for both wash and rinse was also on the slow spin speed and it added almost another minute in the draining before the timer resumed and when it hit the slow spin speed it kind of made a funny little noise as it engaged into that slow spin speed. The filter pan did not work well as a powder detergent dispenser. The bleach dispenser dispensed the bleach at the last 4 minutes of the wash cycle and the rinse aid was dispensed the last minute of the deep rinse
 
I don't ever remember any kind of suds lock during normal operation. Only my contrived machine abuse. When the Kenmore 800 arrived, my first load of towels suds locked to be sure. And eveer towel load forward.
 

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