Aberdeen Farm - picture #23

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kenmoreguy64

kenmoreguy64

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To all the Kenmore knowledgeables out there...please check out pic #23 at the farm. Has anyone ever seen a machine like this one? I have seen a great many Kenmores and I thought I was familiar with all of them from 1961 or 1962 forward, but this one is a new one for me.

Has anyone had any experience with a model like this? Better yet, did anyone restore that machine? It looks like it may have been a nice canditate for it.

Have a good weekend everyone!

Gordon
 
I think Wigwagster had this one is his collection, but I am not sure. This is a model that has the temperatures automatically programmed. It must be one that was a lateral sibling to the 700 model in the 1963 lineup featured in the Owners Manuals section. Speaking of which, the Model 70 featured is one I have not seen on this board. However I thought I saw one in the warehouse pictures you posted months ago.

Have a good one,
James
 
James -

I have a '64 model 70 in Coppertone in my trailer - if you saw that you are really sharp. It's been a very long time since I had my hands on that machine and it's in the back left corner of the trailer. I know it was built in 1964 but it very well could be a '63 model because it looks very much like the 63 70 in the owner's manual section.

Since joining AW.org, I have put a good bit of energy into researching older Kenmores, and with the internet and Sears' online site, it's easier to do than it used to be. I have learned a lot, one of those things being that there were far more models than I ever realized. While looking up my Mom's 1961 70, I found that there were four distinct '61 70s. Three of those looked the same, the other is similar but I had never seen one.

I noticed this happened in 1972 also while researching two 72 60-series I have (there were at least 5 60-series models that year including my white plastic top machine that survived a dumping at a Charlotte landfill, and 4 similar models with the control panel I've posted on here that I'd like to restore).

I always knew that there were a bunch of models in the 70s and 80s - there were four 70 series in 1983-86 also - but I thought there were fewer in the 60s. Keeping that in mind, the machine in pic 23 is surely just part of the upper 70s or 800s family, possibly a model that didn't see a lot of distribution?

I'd enjoy getting my hands on that washer (pic 23) now but I certainly have enough to mess with without it!!!
 
Gordon:

Check the link below. Is this the 1961 Model 70 you haven't seen? It looks similar to the one your Mom had, but the console is taller, and has the words "Automatic Washer" above the controls.

Goatfarmer:
Thanks for posting that picture. It's one of my favorites. It is interesting that in the 1963 Owners Manual, it does not show this model. The console design is more like the LK of that year.

Have a good one,
James

http://www.automaticwasher.org/TD/ARCHIVE/VINTAGE/2005/2133x18.htm
 
THANKS for the link James !!!

Those are 1962 models James. They could have been assembled in the later half of 1961, but they're '62 models. The model number of the washer most likely is 110.6204700, 62 being the year, 04 meaning 'automatic washer' (14 also means that) and the 700 being the series. 701, 702, etc. may be used at times to indicate engineering design alterations. There was also a 710 and a 720 - usually these differ as one will offer say a bleach dispenser, then the next step up has a self cleaning filter, etc.

As best I can tell, my mom's machine was a 110.6114720, but you're right on, the machine in the link picture is very similar to hers other than the height of the panel. The machine I hadn't seen is 110.6104700, which has A,B,C,D, etc. buttons, four on each side of the timer like a 62 & 63 Lady K., but it has the 61's squat control panel that is discussed in the thread you linked.

I had a chance (which I screwed up) to have a 62 machine just like the one in the link. It was at an appliance store that I frequented back in the later 90s (I'd say '96 or so) and it was PRISTINE. They'd robbed the trasmission, but it was otherwise fully complete and had very very little use. The pregnant Roto-Swirl was still shiny black. I don't know how long it takes to dull them, but there was hardly any signs of use and little or no detergent residue underneath the agitator.

I wanted that machine so badly I ached, but the day I saw it I didn't have my washer dolly with me. Even with the trans missing it was too heavy for me to load, or at least I wasn't determined enough. Today I'd have just done it somehow. I went back for it a day later and it was gone. I still am sorry about that, 12 years later, but I did manage to save the agitator. That experience taught me - if you want something, get it while you can. What a neat looking machine though (IMHO).

Thanks for the great link James, and for all the cool responses you've given me to my posts!
 
Thank you too Gordon for all of the cool and informative responses you have given me. I have been a member of AWORG since March, 2007, and have had quite a few awesome discussions with other members. However, the best discussions have been with you, and with Charles/chaskelljr2. I love the Kenmores from the 1960s time period, sharing what I know about them, and finding out more.

I must admit, I was not entirely sure whether the Kenmores pictured in the link were 1961 models. Although Mark/Lightedcontrols did say they were at the bottom of the link, and the LK from that year has a console of similar design, he did not provide the model number. I have seen that model dryer in Sharples's collection, and he said it was a 1962. You back that up quite well, especially with the story of the washer that got away, so now I am convinced of its true model year. On the washer you spoke of, you said the Rotoswirl was still shiny. From what I understand, it does not take too long before that shine wears down. You are right, that washer must have been used very few times over that 34 year period before you found it.

With regard to the washer you asked about originally. I wonder if Goatfarmer had a chance to go examine the dryer he spoke of. I would be curious if it was a match, and had a full width door. That would indicate how far up the line the that washer is, since dryers with that size door were TOL only, or thereabouts during that time period.

I look forward to many more discussions with you and other club members about all of these classic washers.

Have a good one,
James
 
My Parents First Laundry Pair

My parents married in 1960 and built a house in 1961 which had a coppertone wall oven and electric cooktop and a Frigidaire bottom mount refrigerator and a KitchenAid Custom dishwasher. They used a unimatic commercial washer from a great uncles laundrymat and hung the laundry in the basement. I was born in 1963 and this pair was a Christmas present to my mom and I rmember it being delivered. I thought it was Christmas of 64, but it could have been 63 - but I would have only been 6 months old. My parents built a new house in 1967 with all Custom Imperial Frigidaire in Turguois.
 
James / Kenny....

I did some research yesterday on Sears' site. I think I found the model number for pic 23 - it looks to be a 1963 800, or companion in the lineup to the ever popular '63 Lady K. Check out model 110.6314801. The best view is under 'top and console assembly'. A neat surprise is the flourescent light in the panel.

My bet James, since this is a near top of the line machine, is that the dryer has a full-width door, unless that was reserved strictly for the Lady K back then (like you said). Thanks to Kenny, perhaps we'll find out soon. This machine is certainly either tied (in Sears' view) as top of the line or one notch from it. The Lady K's model number was only one digit different - 110.6304801, etc.

What's odd to me is how common the Lady K was that year, as I think most Kenmore people here are familiar with that model, and I myself have seen more than a dozen probably and used several of them, yet I've never once even seen this machine, other than for that one pic on the farm. Also odd is how the owner's manual literature shows only some of the models that were offered in 1963.

A lot of the popularity of a machine has to do with how often Sears put it on sale and when. In a more recent example, there were 4 70 series machines and 4 80 series models in the final BD lineup from 1983 (which survived in production into the late summer and fall of 1986). I bought one of the first 70 model, and I've seen or worked on an even half-dozen others, followed by an equal number of the second and third 70 series, yet I've never seen the fourth 70 series. I've also seen or worked on a bunch of the first 80 series, but I've never seen any of the rest. Each time I see an '83 80 I hope it's one of the others, but they always seem to turn out to be the 801 model.

Each week I'd snag the Sears ad from the Sunday paper, and I'd see the 701, the 721, and the 801 advertised on sale frequently but seldom the others. In circulation even 22 years later seems to be the same machines.

It would be fascinating to know if that's how the Sears marketing people intended for it to be, or if that's just how things worked out.
 
Neat info. Allen

My parents were married in 1960 also, and mom's first pair was the 1961 70 series that I've been trying to duplicate. I've had my lifetime of washing machine fun due nearly in total to that machine. Our success with it led to other family members purchasing Kenmores, and to my mom getting two more as well. Naturally I got one of my own when in college.

I don't remember the first place where mom used her machines, but they were in Cincinnati, in a four-unit apartment building which had a common area basement for storage and laundry. Apparently it had a common stairway accessible from the garage area. In that basement each unit had a washer/dryer connection. Back then, it was one big room, no need to block off one tenant's space from everyone else. So, mom would do her laundry and talk with the other ladies using their machines. One she remembers as a Lady K of the same age or a year or two newer, another we think was a Frigidaire and maybe a GE. Would that not have been cool? I'd have been in washer nirvana. I asked her "what stopped someone from using your washer?" She said "nothing but common decency from the time".
 
Dryer Pic:

Thanks Goatfarmer for the pic, and your description.

At the very least I think Pic 23 is an MOL. Back in the early 60s it was only the Lady, and perhaps the 800 models in the lineup that had matching dryers with the 29" door. From what you mention of the dryer in the ad you posted being pictured below the 70 series model, I would guess that it, and it's matching washer are 70 series equivalents. I doubt it is BOL because of two characteristics; the white tub, and pregnant Rotoswirl agitator. From my experience, if it were BOL the washer would have the str8 vane, and a speckled, or even a bluish black tub without the speckles.

Gordon: I am in complete agreement with you. It must have been washer nirvana having the neighbors' washers in the basement with your Mom's. I would have been in paradise if I had my neighbors', and also my relatives' washers in one basement with ours while growing up. Throw in a couple of coin-op solid tub SQs and there is a high I could never come down from.

Have a good one,
James
 
Forgot to note:

A third characteristic of the Pic 23 Kenmore that tells me it is at least MOL is that the console has a fluorescent light. I believe it is the area where the alphabet descriptions are.

There is a thread in the 2005 or 2006 archives which has a photo of it lit up, but it would take me hours to look up.
 
More on pic 23

James & Kenny -

I'll go for MOL, but I'm not convinced. Check out the panel closely it says "Self cleaning filter". Back then, many 70-series models didn't have this, and I think the 70s were a bit above middle line, no? Our '61 didn't have a self clean filter (though there was one model that did), the 62s didn't, and the 64 70 I have doesn't even have a scrubber cap let alone a self clean filter. This machine even has a filtering light. Add to that a bleach dispenser and infinite slide level switch (hidden behind the lid) and I think we have a pretty jazzy machine. Granted, not Lady K caliber, but it has everything the lady did that year except the pushbutton stops for the timer. The parts diagram shows a flourescent lamp in the console also.

I'm thinking that perhaps the full-width dryer door was a Lady K thing only in 1963. Those full-width doors are a nice feature, however there are times when they can get in the way!
 
Gordon:
Yes that is right. I forgot that 70 series models had the waterfall filter at that time. The 63 was probably the first Model 70 to have the self cleaning, which is one reason why they may have been so popular.

Also, I was going to mention the other features of the Pic 23 model, such as the built in dispensers, but you got to it before me. While I cannot explain the reason for it being pictured below the 70 series model in the ad, I am in agreement that it must be somewhere in the 700, or 800 category. I think it is more feature filled than the Model 70 of that particular time.

Kenny:
Would love to know more about that dryer too. If it is different it could lead to a discussion of it's companion washer.

Have a good one,
James
 
James -

I am pretty sure I have the machine pegged at Sears' website and it's an 80 series, by model number anyway. Strangely the panel doesn't say what series, not that I can see anyway, and so many did back then. The model I found has everything where it needs to be in the control panel to match pic 23.

The way I look at Sears is to pull up a model number, then look at the control panel to see if the exploded drawing approximates what I'm looking for. If it does, then I go further and compare the agitators, filters, dispensers, etc. If not, I continue searching a model listing.

It's funny how the Sears lineup evolved over the years. The 70 series in the 60s was full-featured pretty much, but didn't have the fancy touches that distinguised the Lady Ks. By the early 70s, even the 60-series machines were packed with stuff that often the 1960s 70-series didn't have. The match to our 1972 dryer had Pre-wash and Soak, a roto-swirl, and bleach & softener dispensers. Our 1974 machine, identical to BestCleaningWasher's gold machine, is a 60 series and had more stuff on it than most any 1960s 70 series. By the 80s, things had gone back to their roots so to speak, and my 70 model has no dispensers, no soak, and only 3 water levels.
 
"Any chance of bailing it out of there Kenny?"

Yeah, wouldn't take too much, it's next to the road. Let me see if I can get a picture of it. Also gotta go there when someone is around, and make the deal.

RickR has been there, he know's how some of this stuff is packed in!

kennyGF
 
Gordon:

It is so true about the evolution of Kenmore models over the years. More prewash, soak and temperature choices were available to 60 series models, and such. The 1972 console you found had quite a few cycle and temperature options; probably equivalent to a 700 model from 5 years before. Your 1979 500 model is the feature equivalent to a 1960s model 60. Actually it may be slightly more advanced, since your 500 appears to offer automatic cold rinses on PP cycle for hot and warm washes, whereas those earlier Model 60s only offered an automatic warm rinse for those regardless of the cycle used. I believe the 500 models by 1979 were the first models in the lineup to have the manual filter. Every model above that had the self cleaning. I could be wrong about that though. I must admit, I find the 1970s models a little harder to figure out. Before, everything was more clear cut.

Have a good one,
James
 
What's weirdest to me James about the 1970s machines is how far away Kenmore seemed to stray for a while as to what had typically constitued a 60 or 600 series, a 70, etc. Our 1974 60 series had far far more options and cycles available, as well as supplemental stuff like a self clean filter, two dispensers, etc. as compared to our 60s 70-series that never offered these. By the later 70s Sears seemed to re-connect with their roots and had re-designed the line to be more appropriate with what used to be. That seemed to stick, and my 1986 70 is more or less equivalent with the 60s 70 models.
 
COOL!

Kenny -

That machine is more than likely a 1961 sixty or seventy series. It's nearly identical to the one we had when I was a kid. I've not seen another like it since. The logo in the top left corner of the panel is a good indicator of the machine's age, as I haven't seen it on any Kenmores post 1961.

That machine has the potential to be a fun restoration project !!
 
That dryer looks easier to rescue than this Kenmore washer..

Hey Kenny, Remember this one?? Right behind the old house?

At least the dryer is accessable to get out of there. This Kenmore was treebound....

This morning I ordered a new motor cap for the Monkey Norge you pulled out of this junkyard a couple years ago. Will get the other parts for it this week, and hope to have it done in within two weeks. <:

8-5-2008-13-12-2--rickr.jpg
 
Rick, I think that washer is still there, they haven't made it that far in the cleanup. Remember, pictures of the Wards!

Gordon, Rick is a veteran of this yard, he can attest to some of the treasures there. Anything a person could think of to collect, ol' Roy had at least one. And more like 2 or 3!

They're in the process of cleaning it up, but the way they're going, it'll be years before it's cleared!
 

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