1974 Maytag A806

[trapperjohn]

Ralph,

I don't have the serial #'s handy, but I know they are 1974 or possibly 1975 because my parents built the house in 1974 and bought new units that year.

What is HOH?

 

[beekeyknee]

HOH

What is HOH?

 

[spankomatic]

HOH = Halo Of Heat. The heating element was in the front of the dryer and circled the door opening. The lint filter was in the back of the dryer.

Jim

 

[polkanut]

To add to what Jim posted above, the Halo of Heat was Maytag's first dryer design which lasted from about 1952 to the early 1970's. They have a smaller drum, the lint filter is circular, and it is centered at the back of the drum. They heat very evenly, and dry very fast, if not overloaded. I love my 1971 DE606 w/ electronic moisture sensors.

 

[qsd-dan]

Goatfarmer has an HOH 806 from Dec of '75, so they were around for at least that long.

I wonder if Maytag was consecutively selling both HOH's and SOH's for a short period of time?

 

[rp2813]

Hey sorry for the HOH abbreviation above.

Dan, what you've stated is the reason why I'm wondering if maybe the larger capacity dryers were never HOH. I don't know much about the larger models.

I have owned two standard capacity HOH dryers, one electric and one gas. Both early 70's vintage. I didn't care for the electric but the gas model with Electronic Control was the best dryer I have ever owned. Quiet and efficient with lighted panel.

Ralph

 

[brettsomers]

Was there such a thing as a "large capacity" Maytag dryer??

 

[qsd-dan]

A picture is worth a thousand words....

HOH = Halo of Heat. SOH = Stream of Heat (or big load dryer).

Here's a few pics. SOH on the left, HOH on the right.

 

[qsd-dan]

Drum pics

 

[qsd-dan]

Consoles lit and in action!

 

[spankomatic]

Great photos!

What year are your dryers,Dan?

 

[rp2813]

Nice examples Dan. Thanks for reminding me about the SOH system. My sister had a SOH dryer for many years. I found the HOH machines to be much quieter. Has that been your experience? Did Consumer Reports like SOH better than HOH? As I recall, Maytag dryers in the HOH days never scored the top spot once even though their washers consistently did.

 

[qsd-dan]

What year are your dryers,Dan?

The 806 is '74, the 808 is '77.

I found the HOH machines to be much quieter. Has that been your experience?

Yeah, the Halos are quieter. RCD and I fully rebuilt the 808, so it's actually pretty darn quiet. MUCH quieter than the '81 Kenmore dryer.

Did Consumer Reports like SOH better than HOH?

Good question! I imagine they probably did. Bigger capacity, easier access for lint filter cleanings, and dual thermostat settings for higher end models. I really like both designs, but favor the HOH a little more. The 808 runs circles around my '81 series 70 Kenmore dryer.

 

[spankomatic]

Thanks for the info,Dan. We use to have a 1975 806. They were rated good by consumer reports but were considered to dry to HOT,as I recall. I have always liked your 808 model but have never used one.

Jim