A pair of Maytag 906's

[d-jones]

Today I briefly became the proud owner of a pair of 906's in shaded coppertone. They turned up here in L.A. for a pretty good price and I immediately thought someone I know would be interested in them, but I couldn't get him on the phone. So I picked them up myself to keep them from falling into the wrong hands, meaning anyone that might want them because they looked "cool" without having any appreciation for how rare they were. It turns out that they'd belonged to a prop house that had them for use in film, and since they were done with them they decided to let them go.

 

Here's the washer. The finish on the cabinet looks pretty rough, and there are some rust issues along the lower edges, but the porcelain top panel is free of any major defects. With the lid removed (which was easy since both hinge balls were missing) I could see that the porcelain surface of the inner tub was virtually pristine, and the machine has the hard to find early lint filter assembly with the stainless upper.

 

[d-jones]

The dryer is in a bit better shape cosmetically than the washer is and should clean up nicely. But I think both machines are candidates for new paint. Still, it's complete, there aren't any dents, and there's only minor pitting to the chrome surfaces on either control panel. And to top it all off, all of the buttons on both machines move smoothly. I would have loved a chance to plug them in and play with them a bit, but as I was preparing to unload them at my parents place, the guy I had in mind called me back and was definitely interested. So I closed up the tailgate, put the dolly away, and brought them to Burbank. Now a few hours later, they've been taken away to their new home. But I'll let the new owner tell you the rest.

 

[danemodsandy]

AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!

That is all.

 

[d-jones]

You know Sandy, I had an idea you'd be chiming in on this one. Believe me, if you were closer you'd have been the guy that got the call about this set. Sorry about that.

 

[danemodsandy]

David:

I absolutely understand. The shipping from Burbank to Waterloo would kill Bill Gates.

Even the fallback position - just getting the consoles to graft onto the 806 pair I already own - might not have been feasible. My dryer is a DE806, and while the 906 washer console is plug 'n play on an A806, I'm not sure the DG806 console would work on an electric dryer.

Must ask Mark Kiefer.

I do, however, thank you for knowing that I would have wanted them had they been somewhere within striking distance. Remembering what other people are looking for is the mark of a gentleman collector.

I hope whoever you got them for is a member here and will share photos eventually.

 

[revvinkevin]

 

 

<span style="font-size: medium;">YAY DAVID!    CONGRATS on saving these... VERY COOL!</span>

 

<span style="font-size: medium;">Who got them from you?</span>

 

<span style="font-size: medium;">And what.... you didn't call ME???  

</span>

 

<span style="font-size: medium;">Kevin</span>

 

[rp2813]

I hope whoever you got them for is a member

I'll hazard an educated guess that he is.  It seems like simple arithmetic.

 

And speaking of which, I'll wager that these machines are poised to further trash somebody's one-in, one-out rule. 

 

 

 

[goatfarmer]

Beautiful set. That's one pair I would have paid to have shipped east.

 

[kenmore71]

Sandy, gas or electric doesn't matter for the controls.  For electric I would do like John Lefever does and put a relay in the circuit to take the electrical load off the controls, but that is not essential for operation.  In fact behind the facade the 906 used the EXACT same electrical controls that the 806 and 606 did.  The 906 was actually a bit more simple in that all they had to do was actually attach buttons to the 4 shafts of the selector switch instead of using that punched metal plate to accomplish the same task using a 4 position dial.

 

[redcarpetdrew]

Kevin!

Oh, no you didn't! I saw that profile picture. Aaarrrgghhh! Looks like my CDE906 will remain a 'spinster' awhile longer. I'd even been looking for a CA806 and a suitable 906 control panel to mate together but they seem as impossible to find as a actual CA906. Wow!

RCD

 

[danemodsandy]

Mark:

Thanks for the info.

Someday, somewhere, sometime, somehow....

 

[d-jones]

Ahhhh Kevin. You funny guy, you!

 Now that you've tipped your hand, how about some better photos? FYI to everyone else, when I got these back to my place I realized the batteries in both of my digital cameras were dead. So I couldn't take any of my own pictures. The fuzzy photos above are from the Craigslist ad.

 

[danemodsandy]

A Public Service Announcement:

Just so everyone will know - if a pair of control consoles for a 906 set turned up, I'd be inna-rested. They can be used on an 806 pair as an "upgrade."

So, whether for me or for someone else, if 906s surface that have otherwise terminal problems, the consoles are still very desirable to those in the know.

 

[revvinkevin]

OK...

 

... here's a better photo.  

 

The front panel of the washer is definitely scratched up and needs a re-paint.

 

So far the dryer appears to work (and light up).   The washer needs motor, it's very tight, it barely turns by hand.

 

Kevin

 

[rberryiii3]

tags

so you did get these......very nice

 

[redcarpetdrew]

Trying to encourage me to make a service call to SoCal, are we? It'll NEVER work... Well...

RCD

 

[revvinkevin]

And now an Update........

 

 

I moved the washer to the tailgate of my truck (still haven't unloaded it yet) and removed the front panel.

 

This is what I found!

 

The tub ring clamp (or what ever you call it) loose and hanging, plus the bleach dispenser bottle has disintegrated.  

 

I wonder what other surprises are in store as I explore further.

 

At least the electrical schematic is complete and intact!

 

Kevin

[this post was last edited: 8/3/2013-13:33]

 

[danemodsandy]

Not Insurmountable....

....Since an A806 has the same innards, you should be able to scrub up, put on your surgeon's whites, and perform the necessary operation.

I hereby officially put you on the transplant waiting list!

 

[yogitunes]

still love that little blue flame that they used on the GAS dryers....

we had on member put a little blue light behind it on an 806 set that made it appear to glow....another great idea!