Bendix bolt-down

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Did u fire her up yet! Would love to see how it performs in her older days!
I don't really get why bendix never really got that popular after WO II. If you read the manuals and service manuals online it seems to me that Bendix really thougth about everything and build a good product that could be adjusted to the 'housewives' style of doing laundry. It's nice to see that many of the machines are still going strong after many years!
 
BENDIX BOLTDOWNS

Why they didn't sell better after WW2.

 

By the early 1950s when millions of Americans were looking for thier first automatic washer, the BDB was well known to  most buyers. And because it had to be bolted down, had small capacity, had greater potential for leaks [ at least in many buyers minds ] and did a relativity poor job of cleaning and spinning out water. So most people went with the better performing TL AWs. It is really to bad that it worked out this way as many of the later 1950s Bendixes worked much better. But it certainly wasn't the first or last time that the better product didn't prevail in the market place.
 
Wow, so clean looking inside, even the belt looks good. There are machines out there that are much newer that are really scuzzy, amazing. I have washed clothes in these and they are okay -- mine had a prewash cycle, I think, which was worth using.
 
@combo52

When I first discovered this site (> 5 years ago), I read through some of the very early CR washer reviews (late 1930s), which included the earliest FLs, plus wringer and twin tub models. In the discussion, CR noted that all available FLs made at that time had to be bolted down, which was a minus for those renting a home or apartment, since landlord permission was needed to bolt down the machine (and in the case of concrete floors, not an easy task).

When I think of my own parents, married in 1952, they bought their first home in 1958. They were working on their grad degrees 1952-54 and thus in apartments. I was born in 1956 and they were living in an apartment. A few months later, they rented a house for two years to give us more room and me a back yard for safe play. They bought their first house in 1958 shortly after my sister was born. By that era, of course, they could have chosen a non-bolted Westy or Bendix FL, but a couple 10-15 years older than them, setting up housekeeping in the immediate postwar era, would not have had the option of a bolted FL until they became homeowners.

Had FLs been the only option and had they still required bolting down at the time my parents bought their first house, it would have been a big undertaking, because the laundry area was in the garage (California) and the floor was a concrete slab.
 
How to test?

Yet another question:
I would like to fire it up just to check and see if the motor and transmission are working. I would just hate to mount the thing and find out the motor is toast.
Is this possible without mounting it to the floor?
Of course I would NOT put anything in it except for some water to avoid pump damage (as advised earlier).
However if I were to run it unbolted without a load, will it do cartwheels in the garage?
Or will it run out the door into traffic with me chasing after it - apron flailing in the wind?
OR... Is the liklihood of motor and transmission troubles so remote that I shouldn't even think of it?
 
The belt

The belt actually isn't good. It has a flaw that didn't show up. As I manually rotate the drum it goes thump-thump-thump.
Unit will need a belt. Maybe the Studebaker dealer in Indiana can find something to fit!
 
no need for bolt down to run without a load.Belt is likely just "flat spotted"from
sitting in one position for years,but if it does not recover with some usage
should be easy to get a replacement.
good luck with the initial run!!
 
In my humble opinion . . .

. . . I do not think it is necessary to bolt down the Bendix for the maiden run. HOWEVER, you do need to be ready to sit or lean on it when it starts to spin as it may want to jump to the right or left, depending on the direction of the drum rotation.

I have a 1945 Bendix bolt-down, and ran it with just water the first time -- out in the driveway. When it started to spin, it did a little umph to one side at start-up, and then spun just fine. When a Bendix goes into the spin cycle, it just goes full speed ahead -- 300 rpm. There's no speed build-up. You hear the thump of the solinoid, and it takes off immediately. It's not concerned about whether or not the load is balanced -- hence, one of the reasons for the bolt-down.

I have been advised by many members here who know a bunch more about this stuff than I do, that you should pour HOT (almost boiling) water into the tub and let it sit for a while. This is a good way to tell whether or not any of the seals are going to leak, and gives them a chance to expand against the hot water.

If for some reason you need to empty out the water without using the pump, it is simple to do by opening the filter behind the little door just under the main door. That filter is to keep foreign objects out of the pump -- bobbi pins, money, gravel. Just be sure to have a bucket handy to catch the water when you open the trap.

You've got yourself an extremely rare machine and looks to be in pristine condition. I wish for you the best of luck in getting it to perform. Mine works beautifully, considering it is as old as I am.

Good luck. And please keep us informed.

Jerry Gay
 
Thanks much for the info!

Thanks Jerry for clarifying the recommended method for first test. I really appreciate the detail.
One thing I forgot to do is to check all the solenoids to make sure they are not stuck. I did check the rearmost solenoid and it was sluggish to return but not seized. However i will make sure they are in good repair before testing.
Hot water it is! And I will let it sit a bit.
Thank you all for the great info. I just cannot wait to power it up - but I will tread carefully as it always pays to do it right the first time. It took about 70 years to get to my hands - a long journey - and I don't intend to screw it up now!!
 
The rear solenoid . . .

. . . you mentioned is the spin switch. There is another solenoid on the front side of the motor that operates the plunger allowing the water in the tub to flow into the pump for discharge.

You will hear a THUMP when the solenoid engages -- a sound nearly exclusively Bendix.

Good luck. I hope it works beautifully for you.

Jerry Gay
 

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