2 new Blackstone Hoover 600s for me

[hoover525]

Hi everyone, I just scored 2 mid 70s Hoover 600 top loaders today. From Melbourne, of course. They always are there for some reason.

One is a 625 with heater to boost up the water temp.

So stoked to have so many spare parts

They arrive tomorrow afternoon

 

[foraloysius]

Congratulations! Two in one day, when it rains, it poors!

 

[brucelucenta]

So those were made by Blackstone? Just curious, since in my part of the US I didn't really run across much in the way of Blackstone machines. So I never had any experience using or working on Blackstone or Hoover washers or dryers. The only Blackstone machines I ever saw were in a laundromat that replaced all of their old machines with new Blackstone ones in the early seventies. They appeared to me as similar to Westinghouse of the day back then because of the similar agitator. I am also curious what were the popular washing machines in Australia. I may be wrong, but I think I remember seeing a video of a Kelvinator washer with a perforated tub that still had the old style mechanism.
[this post was last edited: 2/6/2017-04:52]

 

[hoover525]

Hoover, Malleys and Simpson were the main players in our market if I am correct. One lot used the wig-wag gear boxes and the others were Blackstone based.

We are a country of top loaders, just like our brothers across the pond.

 

[hoover525]

But those were the local ones

We had frigidaire, maytag, kleenmaid and other well-built American machines too.

 

[gizmo]

Frigidaires here were locally made - by General Motors - Holdens at Dandenong in Victoria. (I used to work at Dandenong.) Production stopped some time in the 1970s.

 

[mayken4now]

Gizmo, where have you been? I have not seen you post here in years! Glad to know your well and about.

 

[vacerator]

Holden's

kept you on to help build Commodore then, or the Camira.
One of our cars is a G8 right from Elizabeth. Sad to see them cease production.

 

[brucelucenta]

That is so interesting, that Australia predominately has top loaders, has that changed like it has here in the US? It seems like everyone here wants front loaders now. With the way the new HE machines work, there isn't much choice but to go with front loaders if you want clean and well rinsed clothes.

 

[gizmo]

Hi Mayken4now, I've been here pretty regularly but post less often now. I don't have much to do with vintage machines any more so I don't have so much to say...

Australia is still probably mostly top load and cold wash, but front loaders are now a big proportion of the market. In the 1980s most retailers would only stock two front load models, locally made Hoover and Pacific. (Pacific was a local rebadge on a Gorenje machine from what was then called Yugoslavia.) Miele, Bendix and AEG were around too, but only from high end specialist stores. Now a retailer would probably have twice as many front loaders on the floor as top loaders, but the biggest seller would probably still be Fisher and Paykel top loader.

and back on topic....I really admire these Hoover 500/600/700 series machines. They have proven to be really sturdy machines, easy to service, and wash way better than their main opposition at the time, the Simpson top loaders and belt drive Malleys Whirlpools. My partner had one when I moved in with him 30 years ago this year...we gave it to my sister when she was washing babies nappies (diapers) in her Panasonic top loader and its circuit board fried from the steam given off by the hot water washing. The Hoover washed nappies and clothes for several years, then it got pensioned off when they upgraded to a Bendix front loader, and the Hoover 720 went out to the stables to wash racehorse blankets, which it did reliably for several more years.

 

[gizmo]

drifting way off topic, sorry...

Hi Vacerator.

I didn't work at the Holdens plant, I'm not sure if it was still operating when I worked in the city of Dandenong. I was a cook at a restaurant on the same highway but a few km down the road.

Shhh, don't mention the Camira. We are trying to forget they ever existed. Actually I quite liked them and almost bought one, but the quality of assembly was diabolical and few exist now.

I still have a 1950s round body, manually operated Frigidaire Pulsamatic washing machine, it was made at the Dandenong factory.

Such a shame Holdens are closing up manufacture. Ford have already stopped making cars here, by coincidence today I went to an "All Ford day" at Deakin University in Geelong, they had hundreds of classic Fords on display from model T to current, and they had the last cars made at the Ford factory on display - last Ford Territory, Last Falcon Ute and Falcon sedan made in Australia were built in October 2016. Holden and Toyota finish making cars here in October 2017, then there will be no more Aussie car industry.

We don't make washing machines any more, either... Shame.