avocado kenmores

[mom11]

Hi, I just found these Kenmores on craigslist. We are moving to a new (old) house and I would like to find a good matching set. Could you all enlighten me about this pair? I love the look of them but I have always wished for the center dial Maytags. I just can't find a matching set of those. Especially not in fun colors. I think these are really pretty. They're 3 hours away but I'm willing to go get them if you guys (and gals)think they would be good daily drivers for a big family.

What do y'all think?

http://columbus.craigslist.org/app/4388845625.html

 

[arris]

Kenmores

I spoke to the owner this afternoon and have a check in the mail for him Monday.. and am going to have them picked up within the next week or so.....

 

[whirlykenmore78]

They are good machines.

However when they do need fixing parts are becoming hard to find as these are 40+ year old machines.  Many of the Sears specific parts are long since NLA.  

If you have a large family and wash a lot of clothes your best bet BY FAR would be a Speed Queen Frontloader.   These are true COMMERCIAL GRADE machines and are mechanically identical to their laundromat brothers.   I don't see how you could wear them out in less than 20+ years. 

WK78

 

[arris]

Kenmore's

I knew parts were getting scarce..I stock piled many of the parts for this washer and my WP LDA9800 ... pumps, suspension balls, agitator shafts spin tubes etc

 

[retropia]

My impression, from reading what some of the repair people on this board have to say, is that the belt-drive Kenmores (which I believe this one is), while fun to have in a collection, are becoming more complicated to use as daily drivers.

As Nick says, parts are becoming more difficult to find. Also it is becoming more difficult finding technicians willing to work on the older washers.

If you have your heart set on a top-load washer that is older, and want to use it as a daily driver, a more practical choice would be a direct-drive Kenmore or Whirlpool. The direct-drive style was made after the belt-drive washers were retired. Parts and service are more readily available on the direct-drive washers.

 

[arris]

Kenmore's

Thanks.. I have a direct drive, the only problem with the direct drive top loaders is that there is not a lint filter in the new ones, which is the reason I like the belt drives.... as you said the direct drives are great runners, my sister's is going on 22 years with kids etc and still running great... but as you pointed out belt drives are fun to work with..my LDA 9800's will be just about brand new once I am done, they should last for my lifetime.. with some TLC.. I hope !!!

 

[bendixmark]

parts

The only parts you might have trouble finding would be the timer and outer tub,all the other parts are around new or used.That is a 14 pound machine so I wouldnt use it for a daily driver but is a beautiful machine to have on weekends it puts on quite a show, I have one similar to it and it is a source of great joy to me.Love to watch it run and dream of the days before the world and my life turned to sh**.

 

[mrb627]

Sweet!

Glad someone was able to save these beauties...

Malcolm

 

[whirlykenmore78]

Arris

Glad you got them. Enjoy in good health.
WK78

 

[arris]

Parts

For my LDA's I was able to find a couple timers,and knobs.. have not been able to locate a speed switch yet and am looking for an outer tub , have not been able to find one of those yet.... have pretty much everything else.... have not been able to find a spare timer for the matching dryer.. but will keep looking.... If anyone has/knows where I may be able to find an outer tub for the LDA9800 I would appreciate letting me know.. I'd scoop it right up.........thanks

 

[mom11]

Shoot...

so I missed out on some good machines...
Well, next time at least I know what to look for. Those things were beautiful.
Someone mentioned modern front loaders. Not for me. One of the biggest reasons I have turned to vintage machines is that we spend, I think, almost $2000 about about 5 years ago on top of the line front loaders from Sears. They were kenmores. I have never had so much trouble with an appliance before. We had so many repairs on it within 3 years that Sears ended up giving us a refrigerator for free.

Not only did it not function properly EVER but the clothes didn't get very clean. How could they in the measly "Energy Star" amount of water they allow in a load. I don't care what anybody says, you can't clean an entire load of laundry with 2 gallons of water. Also, there was no agitator so all the clothes do is twist and turn abound each other in not enough smelly water. Then they spin so fiercely that my clothes and towels were getting, literally, ripped to shreds. At first I couldn't think what was wrong with all my clothes getting twisted, torn, holes in them. Table cloths twisted in knots, snags in fabric, lost buttons, broken zippers. It was miserable.

Also, it never even got hot when it was set to "Hot". We have a guy in Detroit here they call "The Applicance Doctor". Name's Joe Gannon. He has a radio show on Sat. mornings. He talks about repairing machines, pros and cons or various machines, etc. But his biggest rant is about how modern machines are just junk now. He is always saying that it's better to get an older machine as all new appliances are only expected to last 5 to 7 years at most, MANY times, less than that. It's called planned obsolescence. He says that one of the "energy efficient" features of the modern washing machine is that the hottest temperature they bring the water to is 104 degrees. O.K. that's me with a fever. That's not hot enough to clean clothes. He said it should be somewhere around 150 to get things clean and sanitary.

The only new washing machines he recommends are the Speed Queen top loaders. They provide a whole tub full of water and make it hot. It has an agitator which makes cleaner clothes. Yes, he's an old school dude but he's been doing appliances since 1923. I can't afford the new Speed Queens and ,bonus, I love the look and feel of everything vintage. So my quest goes on. My kids tease me and say my motto is: "Out with the new, in with the old."

End of rant. But I do think Consumer Reports should test their appliances at my house. I could write a book about the various design flaws in the major and minor appliances for the last 30 years.

 

[whirlykenmore78]

Bad luck with KM FL

I did not try to steer you toward money wasting garbage that does not work. I would not do you that disservice.
I recommended Speed Queen machines. The similarity to the junk Sears ripped you off on ends at the fact that they are both listed as washing machines.

There is NO comparison between those flimsy jokes and a Speed Queen Commercial Washer. Remember ALL SQ machines on the residential market are commercial washers and made to look nice for home use. The machines I told you to buy are Nothing like the KM set you had.

If you want a reliable efficient washer that will deal with your large amount of laundry in a timely and cost effective manner and GET THINGS CLEAN that won't be in the dumpster in 3 years go for the SQ.
If you want a toploader the best is a low mileage Whirlpool/KM direct drive. Followed by a new SQ TL. I tell you this with all personal bias aside. I just want to show you what will best suit your needs and in the most economical fashion.
WK78

 

[hydralique]

mom11 . . .

I would also recommend a good Whirlpool direct drive machine. While the older belt drive models might be a bit more fun it's been not far from thirty years since the DD replaced the BD, so parts and expertise are a lot easier to come by with the DD models. I use a late '80s Whirlpool Design 2000 that has never had a repair since new. Granted, it's only washed for two people most of that time and the drive coupler needs replacement (an easy and cheap fix BTW) but that's still 25 years of regular use. Since the DD was available  from Whirly, Kenmore and KitchenAid there are many out there and a wide variety of features and control panels. There are a few people who think the DD action is rough on clothes but I've never had a complaint.

 

Another option would be a GE FilterFlo or the companion Hotpoint RimFlo. Like the DD, these machines were made for decades and are mechanically simple and reliable plus they wash well, some feel the FilterFlo has better lint removal than any other classic machine. These machines are a much older design than the DD so if you really want some classic colors like avocado or coppertone you'll find them here.

 

[bajaespuma]

Oh, Mom 111...

Right now there's a beautiful California Gold Maytag A606, D406 matching set in the Shopper's Square forum from Reading, PA. If your first desire was to get a set of 'Tags, I'd go for these. Shipping for this set to Ann Arbor probably wouldn't cost more than $600.00 dollars(and if you're a little enterprising, you might get it for less) and I wager that would be money well spent.

 

[combo52]

Avocado Kenmore's

These are from around 1971 and Jim while there are a lot of parts that will interchange with your WPs the ones you will likely need are in bad shape anyway. This KM washer is a standard capacity 18 gallon tub machine, these were originally rated by WP-KM as 9 pound washers and even though they later claimed that they were 12 pound machines, I just don't accept that claim, and I have never seen a claim [ in writhing ] that says these are 14 pound capacity washers.

 

[SQueenJJ]

My Mothers washer in 1971

My mother had this same exact model Kenmore she bought in 1971. Great featured machine with light and detergent dispenser, but it did not last long-- she bought a new Kenmore in 1978-79. Not sure why it quit, but sometimes you just get a lemon in any brand, no matter how well they are made.

 

[hippiedoll]

hey lisa/mom11

there's also;

the gold DE806, that d-jones is offering for free.

and the gold A108 that goatfarmer is offering for free too!!!

yes, the A108 washer is close to bottom of the line & has the "sunglow" control panel and the DE806 is close to top of the line & has the aqua control panel but, they both are matching "in fun colors", the gold colored cabinets. and you can't beat the price, FREE!!!

but you would have to arrange how to get them. and, that is if they are still available???

fingers crossed for you mom11!!!

;o)

 

[kenmoreguy64]

RE: the Avocado Kenmores and mom11

I agree with many of the viewpoints here. While these Kenmores were workhorses in their day, and the washer looks not heavily abused, I would be hesitant to put a set like this in daily-driver service for a large family without at least having them checked by a worthy service person first.

Even if they were looked at and pronounced fit, there are better choices I think for a large family. While our Moms and Grandmothers used this capacity machine by the millions in the 1950s, 1960s, and early 1970s, when Sears started offering five matched set large capacity Kenmore pairs in 1974, the switch to the larger models was almost instant. This left the standard capacity machine to a vastly smaller niche market by later in the 1970s. Thus consumers 40 years ago were saying they wanted larger capacity machines.

If you want a vintage belt-drive Kenmore or Whirlpool, probably the best fit would be a 1980s model, where you would face fewer obsolete parts issues in the years to come, etc. as timers are still plentiful, some not yet even NLA for certain Kenmore models.

I agree with other views that a Direct Drive Whirlpool product is a fine choice for this need. This machine outnumbers everything else out there, and most any decent service person should know how to work on them. For me it would either be that, OR a late model real Maytag. With those you get old-school type usability with more current parts and service potential.

Gordon [this post was last edited: 4/1/2014-20:19]

 

[ovrphil]

such as this pair, Gordon?

http://palmsprings.craigslist.org/ppd/4394558837.html