A Maytag Wringer ... with a Timer!

[geoffdelp]

Here is the "infamous" Maytag wringer washer with a timer on it!

There weren't a lot of these made; this one is in especially good condition. I would suspect this is from the very early 1950's.

The timer actually shut off the agitator but did not stop the motor (like in a Visi-matic).

This particular model (E ... Master) also had a "stop" for the wringer rolls. If you depressed the release bar, it would stop the rollers and return the wringer lever to "neutral".

From what I have read, this model wasn't too popular; I guess women did not want to turn the timer to start the agitator and the release bar was "fraught" with problems.

Still ... a pretty cool specimen!! It looks like it was lovingly cared for all of these years. Look at the cast aluminum tub and underneath the lid; it is still shiny! This is the same type of aluminum (cast) that was in the older "gray ghost" machines; it weighs a ton, I'm sure!!

http://cgi.ebay.com/Vintage-Maytag-...1QQihZ016QQcategoryZ20714QQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

 

[swestoyz]

Hey Geoff - good to see ya! I saw this one a few days ago and instantly thought of you. I would love to see one of these in person some day - I don't think too many Model E's left Newton like this.

Ben

 

[geoffdelp]

Hey Ben ... good to see you, too!

You know, I don't know how many of these were made; I'll see if I have any data on them. I know that they had "problems" and Maytag made some changes in the early 1950's to the Model E.

This feature (along with the roller stop feature) were only sold on the E's; the J and N didn't offer them.

This is the first one I've ever seen, too and would love to see one in person one day!!

 

[mixfinder]

Function over Form

Lordy, Maytag didn't spend much on the design esthetics. That's just ugly. On the older Maytag wringer washers, without the cast liner, there was a U shaped clip molded into the side of the machine, As a kid, I asked the guy at the appliance store what it was for and he said it was to hold an optional timer, but thinking about it now, was it to hang the lid from the center knob?
Kelly

 

[geoffdelp]

Kelly ... I guess beauty is in the eye of the beholder! Personally, I've always enjoyed the "clean" look of Maytag's wringers; the timer on this one just makes it that much more unique!!

Yes; the "U"-shaped clip on the side of the Models J and N were for hanging the lid. There is a large washer on the inside of the lid that slips right into the holder and the handles on those models were big enough for you to grab ... even with wet hands. That was a very handy feature.

 

[mixfinder]

Mia Culpa

I didn't mean to imply Maytag wringers lack in form. The timer, looks like some farmer drilled a hole in the side wall and inserted a Lux kitchen timer. I was referring to the timer, not the machine.
Kelly

 

[geoffdelp]

Kelly ... the timer does make it different, doesn't it? I guess it's because we're not used to seeing it there.

You say Lux kitchen timer; funny! That's what I use to time loads of clothes when I use my Maytag wringer!!

I'm guessing those are half minute increments. Maytag was really "funny" about how long you should wash clothes. They always said you could clean a tub full in just a few minutes. What was it ... 2 to 7 minutes? ... I can't remember. They said that any longer was a "waste" of the homemaker's time and of energy consumption. They always said 40 lbs. of clothing in an hour was a "snap" with a Maytag.

I think nothing of running a load for 10 minutes!

 

[oldwasherguy]

It looks like the agitator is alluminum, If it is then that means it is a pre war maytag. Don

 

[mixfinder]

How Long and How Hard?

Before finding this group I believed roll over was the greatest factor in getting clothes clean. A guy told me he used to sell Maytags door to door and the biggest mistake people make is combining bleach and detergent. For years, I set the Maytag 806 for a cold prewash with bleach and then it would automatically advance into a hot wash with detergent for white clothes. I can turn a load of dazzling whites if I do say so myself. I read an article about "soil redisposition" discussing how long detergents hold soil in suspenspension before re dirtying the clothes it just cleaned. I went to shorter wash periods after that.

When mom washed for our family in the Maytag wringer, we would fill the washing machine and the rinse tub, with buckets before leaving for school. Mom would be down to washing blue jeans by the time we got home. The water was thick, blue/grey and smelled musty. The rinse water wasn't much better. Clothes agitated for at least 10 minutes a load and more if mom got distracted. She was really automatic resistant because of the "wasted" water.

It's odd that now that she had dementia, she washes at least 10 loads a day. Small loads of two or three items. She says, "I may not be much of a house keeper, but I have always been good at getting clothes clean."
Kelly

 

[mickeyd]

Just opine-ing/have no facts

The Maytag wringer washer design is so simple so elegant so perfect that when they tried to compete with the Visi's, Norge's and other automatic shut-off timer machines, they just could not get out of the box, could not mess with perfection.

The auto timer allows you to leave the scene, confident that the washer will shut-off.
What good is it to have the agitation cease while the motot continues to fire. Egads! Sheesh!

As far as I know it's the ony dumb thing the early Maytag engineers ever did.

Geoff, I remember when you posted a pamphlet photo of the Timer Tag; seeing it in the flesh--well, almost-- is much more satisfying. Thank you

Imagine! These machines we have are 50 years old and the look as good and work as well as the day they were born. YAY Maytag.

How nice to see you Geoffrey Delph.

 

[gadgetgary]

Aluminum Agi

My mother's Maytag had the aluminum agitator and filter.

That machine was a workhorse.

 

[toggleswitch]

Methinks yo momma was a workhorse to keep a wringer till 1967 with four kids and a hubby.

God bless her memory. They don't buld 'em like that anymore. Ditto the machines.

 

[gadgetgary]

If my memory serves me correctly

There was no on/off switch. When you plugged the Maytag wringer in, it was simply 'on'.

Due to my mother's terminal illness, I was doing the family laundry at the laundromat with the automatic Speed Queens.

Even though the Maytag wringer served her very well up until 1967 when she got her new automatic Frigidaire Radidry 1000, she kept the wringer washer for doing things like rugs, greasy work clothes.

My grandmother had 1956 GE Automatic Filter Flow washer(POD that is show here frequently). Even though it was an automatic washer, she treated is as a wringer. After the first spin, she took the clothes out of the machine and rinsed them in her laundry tub-slop sink-.....
Then she would transfer the laundry back to the GE, fill it with a hose to almost full, then push the button and let the machine fill, rinse and spin.

 

[toggleswitch]

OMG

My mother was forced to re-rinse the clothes that came out of her Aunts 1963 24-inch wide Sears Kenmore in the bathtub. Wrung them by hand and hung them out to dry.

Imagine if someone had shown these ladies how to reset the timer to "rinse" *FAINTS* That would be entirely too automatic.

Remember if you fuss over something (even as mundane as this) and waste time needlessly over it, it means "love" LOL.

 

[scott55405]

That's the only time I think I've ever seen a timer Maytag. From the appearance of the timer, I thought it was just a builtin timer that doesn't control the machine, like an Easy Spindrier, but I was wrong!

Geoff, it is great to see you! Where have you been?

What is the roll stop feature? Didn't know Maytag had anything like that.

Only thing I found odd about Maytags was not including the pump on all machines, at least on the top of the line E model.

 

[gadgetgary]

Steve

Funny how your aunt did not want to put the clothes back in the machine to spin the water out. At least my grandmother put them back in to 'spin-dry' before hanging out on the line.

Ahhhh..those things flapping in the breeze....

 

[gadgetgary]

BTW

That timer looks Bojack to me........

 

[scott55405]

It kind of has that appearance, probably due to the style of timer and the way they incorporated it, but I do know for a fact that it was a sanctioned Maytag feature at least for a short time.

 

[geoffdelp]

Hi everyone ... it's good to see you all, too! I haven't been far away; just really busy. I still am, but do enjoy a good Maytag talk when I can!!

Gary ... Maytag still made aluminum agitators post WWII. As you probably already know, Maytag had their own aluminum foundry and cast all their own parts. I'll have to check when they started to make the red bakelite agitator for the conventional washer; I would guess in the early 1950's. Their AMP washer was introduced in 1949 and had a red bakelite agitator until 1954 or 1955; they then switched to the black bakelite and used that until the early 1960's when they switched to a black polypropylene agitator in both the automatic and conventional washers. Both automatics and wringers switched to the infamous turquoise agitator in January 1966 and remained that way until wringers ceased production in November 1983.

I'm not sure what "Bojack" means but if it means different, I would agree!

Mickeyd ... always fun visiting with you! Not sure how the timer really helped. I use my Lux Minute-Minder all the time; it helps me to keep track of wash times. I have a big clock in my laundry room, but I get so busy rinsing or something else that I "forget" how long the clothes have been in; the timer really helps. The concept of turning off the timer was to cease the washing action and allow you to continue to wring clothing or use the pump. From what I've read, there was a really loud bell that sounded when the time was up, alerting Mrs. Homemaker that her wash was done and she had better get back down to the basement!!

Scott ... Hi ... Minnesota still misses you!! Our spring is FINALLY here and my tulips, daffodils, rhubarb and strawberries are coming up! The Maytag had a "stop" feature on these early Model E's whereby when you pressed the release bar, it stopped the rollers and returned the wringer to the "neutral" or stop position. From what I've read, it was very problematic and they discontinued making that feature.

Well ... the pump was offered as a $10 extra (when you could still buy all the parts ... just about a year ago, the pump was $100 ... complete!). A lot of homes were not equipped with built-in tubs or stand pipes, which really was the ideal way to use a pump.

I inherited my Model J from my cousin's mother-in-law after she passed away. They had a very small farm in Dassel, Minnesota and her basement was more like a cellar. She had a concrete slab where she did her laundry and her tubs were ingenious; her husband had cut a stainless-steel 50 gallon drum in half, lengthwise, welded on some legs and viola ... a set of homemade rinse tubs. Her water came from the ceiling from the kitchen above; two hoses and she would "aim" her washer and rinse tubs under the hoses to fill them up! She would drain her washer and tubs by rolling them to the edge of the concrete slab and drop the hoses to a floor drain ... in the dirt. A pump would not have served her well.

What a way to wash, huh? She was very "proud" of her Maytag and when my cousin and her husband gave it to me, they were glad it was going to a good home! When they come to visit, they always want to see "Myrtle's" Maytag!

Maytag was always very proud of the appearance of their machines; they thought that Mrs. Homemaker would be proud, too, to show off her new Maytag (either automatic or conventional)!

 

[gansky1]

Now that is cool - never seen one of these before, they must have only offered it for a short time?

I recently heard that the very first AMP washer had an aluminum outer tub that the white porcelain liner was bolted to. This was changed early on in production, but it would be cool to find one with the aluminum tub.