1970's Harvest Gold Westinghouse Spacemaker Washer

[neptunebob]

Eddy, I'll look forward to them. If anybody knows, why the "potato pulley"? Seems like it would make the spin cycle very rough, maybe that was the problem with Aunt Mac's washer. I find that DD Whirlpool is also prone to rust badly in damp basements.

 

[eddy1210]

potato pulley

Hi Bob, there's a solenoid that shifts control to a "normal" shaped round pulley for the spin. The machine has arrived in Seattle but can't pick it up until Monday now. The seller told me the machine was only used for about 2 weeks before being put into storage (it's a bit of a long story, if it's true). We'll take off the back panel and see how things look when it gets here.

 

[panthera]

washing was great but

My grandmother had a pair in avocado. She was meticulous and got furious when they started to rust after not even one year of use. She went back to Maytag.
So that made two FLs which were mass produced and sold in the US which sucked big time. And then we wonder why Americans are so slow to adopt this much better technology? I was shocked, shocked I tell you when I first came to Europe and learned that FLs here were expected to last at least 15 years before the first major breakdown.
Oh - apart from the rust, jumping, snubber noises and rust - washed great.

 

[tumbler]

Westy f/l's

I owned two of these machines; one I got used in '74 and it needed a level control-easy fix. The other I got from my sis in '86, right after I got married. It was part of a stack setup, made in about '76. She said it leaked; after I dropped it off the tailgate of my truck, it didn't leak. I made a top for it, and used it for about 3 years and two moves. These machines were o-k, but noisy. Plus they tangled clothes a lot. Spin was about 580 rpm. By the way, the potato pulley only operated in the tumble mode; there is another ROUND pulley for spin, which uses a separate belt. The solenoid mechanism for shifting belts made a very loud clap, as did the one which engaged the drain pump. Later, I owned a White/Westinghouse, the first to use a variable speed d.c. motor. What a piece of junk! The tub began rusting after about 3 years. The reversing tumble action, however, solved the tangling problem. After I gave up on that rustbucket, I got a "Frigimore," which burnt out its tub bearings after about 7 years. I now have a Duet HT, which I'm very happy with so far. Best machine by a long shot that I've ever owned!

 

[eddy1210]

here it is

I promised pictures of this tall beauty. It's in really good shape, practically new inside. Runs perfectly.

 

[eddy1210]

spray flush

I just love the way it spray flushes the wash before the 1st spin, kinda like a Westinghouse version of the overflow rinse.

 

[zipdang]

Congratulations Eddy! What a fun machine to have.

I see the red baffle in the photo; is the other baffle gray? I seem to recall the baffles in mine were each a different color.

 

[eddy1210]

it's gray

Apparently some had a blue and gray baffle too like the POD Austin posted above. It has "lint ejector" written on the red baffle. Wonder how that works?

 

[veg-o-matic]

OoooOOOOOooooohhh! Daddy like!

veg

 

[westytoploader]

Congratulations again, Eddy!!! What a beauty! Like I said, if you get sick of it, send it down here! ;-)

Are both of the vanes lint ejectors, or just the red one? I'm 99.9% positive that the earlier machines only have one, and the later machines (like mine) have two grey lint ejector vanes. The holes in the vane are supposed to force lint and other debris in the washwater into the outer tub and not back onto the load. None of the loads I've put into mine are that linty, so I guess they work. If anything, they do help "shower" the load a bit.

 

[golittlesport]

beautiful!

Wow, Eddy! Congratulations! That is a beautiful machine...and it has a weigh-to-save door! Those do rinse great with the flush rinse and then two deep rinses. And it has a light in the tub! Can you rig that to come on with the door closed? Enjoy!
Rich

 

[pushtorelease]

nice going Eddy, it's one cool machine!

 

[swestoyz]

Eddy - that machine is in such nice shape - so uncharacteristic for a Westinghouse! Watching these washers run is so much fun. What a grab!

Ben

 

[jetcone]

Gawd Eddy

thats terrific, what a great find and the shape is showroom!!!

Now you'll have clean clothes again!

I just love the font they used on these Westinghouse's. Condensed Helvetica sooooooooooooooo modern so not 50's soooooooo very 60's!!

When you find out how the lint away works give us a shout.

Can't wait to see that baby in action.

jon

 

[pdub]

That is a very beautiful machine. I don't see any rust either, YAY for you! The control panel with the red logo in the middle is very appealing. Have fun with it.

Patrick