I was cleaning some things yesterday and ran across the book that came with my parents Bendix washer. It had the installation date as 1948. I remember the story that my father bought it just before I was born. What's the story with the Bendix's? I remember my mom and grandmother both had the Bendix. They neither liked them very much. When my parents built their new ranch house in 1956 I remember my father would not take the Bendix because we no longer had a basement. This turned out to be a big deal because mom had to wait almost a year for them to save enought to get her new Kelvinator washer and dryer. I remember taking the wash to my grandparents. What was wrong with the early Bendix's? Ours was still working fine when we left it and my grandmother was glad to get rid of hers when she got her Frigidaire washer and dryer in 1957. You would thought people would have been VERY happy to give up the Maytag wringer washers for an automatic! Mom said it was a BIG deal if you had a Bendix and people came over to the house just to see it work. Must have been much like when my grandparents got the first Zenith TV/radio/record player combo in 1946-47. Indianapolis didn't have any tv stations and they had a huge antenna and got programs from Cinn.
Bendix
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easyspindry
Well-known member
First automatic
The Bendix was the first automatic. Put the clothes in, turn the dial, and when it finished the clothes were washed, rinsed, and damp dried -- ready to hang out on the line.
But the first Bendix machines had to be specially installed. Since there was no suspension system, the machines would "walk" unless it was bolted to the floor.
They were grand machines, but I don't think anybody enjoyed doing laundry. I have 2 of them, but they both need some work done on them before they will work properly. Sure wish I had someone here to help me.
When used properly, I thought the Bendix machines cleaned well and did what they were supposed to do. Probably at that time, women could not get out of the habit of doing a week's worth of laundry in one day, thereby tying up the machine to do the washing and rinsing and spin drying, thus taking longer to complete the wash day. It would have been better to do laundry several times a week than to do it all in one day.
This was also the biggest problem with combination washer/dryers -- it took almost 2 hours to wash and dry one load of clothes. There again, Bendix was the only manufacturer that made a successful combination machine -- the Duomatic.
The Bendix was the first automatic. Put the clothes in, turn the dial, and when it finished the clothes were washed, rinsed, and damp dried -- ready to hang out on the line.
But the first Bendix machines had to be specially installed. Since there was no suspension system, the machines would "walk" unless it was bolted to the floor.
They were grand machines, but I don't think anybody enjoyed doing laundry. I have 2 of them, but they both need some work done on them before they will work properly. Sure wish I had someone here to help me.
When used properly, I thought the Bendix machines cleaned well and did what they were supposed to do. Probably at that time, women could not get out of the habit of doing a week's worth of laundry in one day, thereby tying up the machine to do the washing and rinsing and spin drying, thus taking longer to complete the wash day. It would have been better to do laundry several times a week than to do it all in one day.
This was also the biggest problem with combination washer/dryers -- it took almost 2 hours to wash and dry one load of clothes. There again, Bendix was the only manufacturer that made a successful combination machine -- the Duomatic.
Bendix
Thanks for the information. I was very young but I still remember how it sounded and riding by bike through the water when it drained on the basement floor. It seems like it set on a square of cement that was raised from the floor but I could be wrong. Grandmother's was square and mom's had a rounded top.
Thanks for the information. I was very young but I still remember how it sounded and riding by bike through the water when it drained on the basement floor. It seems like it set on a square of cement that was raised from the floor but I could be wrong. Grandmother's was square and mom's had a rounded top.
I grew up with one of the square Bendix front loaders (not a combo) in the mid-50's. At the time it seemed huge and it sat on a big concrete block in the basement. I was forbidden to go near it - let alone touch it - because my older brother had, at one time, opened the door while it was running and caused a big flood. So I admired it from afar.
Eventually it broke down and my parents were too broke to fix it or get a new one, and they wound up taking the laundry to a laundromat. Sigh.
I do remember it cleaned well. I remember once I had put a banana in a pocket of my play jeans. Then I had folded them up and put them away into the dresser drawer. A week or two later I was horrified to find the now rotten banana sticking to the pocket. I apologetically showed it to my Mom. She was calm and said, "It's no problem!". Sure enough, the Bendix got those jeans squeaky clean, no hint of rotten banana. I was amazed.
Eventually it broke down and my parents were too broke to fix it or get a new one, and they wound up taking the laundry to a laundromat. Sigh.
I do remember it cleaned well. I remember once I had put a banana in a pocket of my play jeans. Then I had folded them up and put them away into the dresser drawer. A week or two later I was horrified to find the now rotten banana sticking to the pocket. I apologetically showed it to my Mom. She was calm and said, "It's no problem!". Sure enough, the Bendix got those jeans squeaky clean, no hint of rotten banana. I was amazed.
rayjay
Well-known member
ROb.....What was wrong with the Bendix's that your parents did not like. You never said what their dislikes were. My aunt had one in her kitchen and over suds it. The suds went throught the dining room and living room. lol
We had 3 Bendix washers at home growing up and my grandmother and mother really liked them .When the last one died in 1965, they would have bought another but Bendix by that time was history ..at least in our area. They washed very well ..if you knew how to use them. The first one we had didn't spin out the clother terribly dry ..and it was really only a problem after we got our first dryer.
easyspindry
Well-known member
Bendix sounds
Your mentioning the sound of the Bendix timer brought back many memories.
The Bendix had its own high pitched hum when it was washing. A real workhorse.
And, yes, you could hear the timer "click" every 30 seconds. I remember trying to guess which "click" would cause the loud "thunk" when the solenoid engaged causing the plunger to open and drain the water. And then the next "thunk" when the solenoid in the rear engaged causing the tub to go into spin.
Even in later years, the Duomatics still had that high pitched hum when they were washing.
Fond memories.
Jerry Gay
Your mentioning the sound of the Bendix timer brought back many memories.
The Bendix had its own high pitched hum when it was washing. A real workhorse.
And, yes, you could hear the timer "click" every 30 seconds. I remember trying to guess which "click" would cause the loud "thunk" when the solenoid engaged causing the plunger to open and drain the water. And then the next "thunk" when the solenoid in the rear engaged causing the tub to go into spin.
Even in later years, the Duomatics still had that high pitched hum when they were washing.
Fond memories.
Jerry Gay
Jerry
Do you mean these sounds????
Do you mean these sounds????
easyspindry
Well-known member
You got it, Jon
That's the sound. I just went back to about 1953. Thanks for the memories.
Jerry Gay
That's the sound. I just went back to about 1953. Thanks for the memories.
Jerry Gay
