BOL Wards!

[toggleswitch]

Thanks Ben!

My mother's house came with a Norge badged version of this when she bought the house in 1973. I nearly got an @$$ whoopin' when the tub brake kicked in and released with the first time she ran it! (I was watcing it, of course!) They did wash really well. In hers, the fill-flume shown (in the rear of the tub) was a recirculation-flume for the rectangular filter mounted below it.

Like many others of that engineering, hers sprung an oil leak INSIDE the tub!

Will you be customizing by moving the water-level switch to be operable? Will you be adding a switch to shut of the hot water solenoid to get cold water?

Thanks for posting this.

 

[bobbyderegis]

Hi Ben!
Fun, fun, fun. You have inspired me to get the Norge that Greg M. gave me into use. It has the burpalator agitator. It looks very similar to yours, minus the rear opening lid and black agitator. I'll share some pics of that one.
Bobby in Boston

 

[gansky1]

That is very cool, Ben. I always liked the BOL machines from Wards, Sears, Penneys - so utilitarian looking, "no nonsense and not as much to go wrong" as my grandmother & grandfather would say.

I remember the later commercial machines with the load-level cap on the agitator - I can't imagine the scuz that probably lived under those caps!

 

[goatfarmer]

Nice save, Ben, Menards does come up with a keeper now and then.

To remove the front panel, find the two clips underneath the top, between the top, and front. Push in on the clips, and the top will release, and lift up. Then you should see two screws, that you remove,and then pull up on the front panel, and it's free.

kennyGF

 

[bobbyderegis]

Was that really the BOL with two speeds?
Bobby in Boston

 

[peteski50]

Wards

Real cool machine. Was their a water level switch? I didn't see a water level control and it filled only 1/2. I also like the back open lid. I would like to see what the TOL looked like from this series.
Best Of Luck with this gem
Peter

 

[toggleswitch]

Becuse it's not visible or reachable from the front.

The adjustable water-level switch is shown in panel #273398,

However the horizontal adjustment shaft is shown (i.e. it exists), but was not accessible to the typical user by way of the control-panel (back-splash panel).

Hopes this helps clarify it.

 

[hoover1060]

very cool

Looks like it agitates quite aggressively too!! Does the tub index as well?

Thanks for sharing the video Ben!

 

[mickeyd]

Actually, Pete, Ben explained it in the initial post.

"A big surprise came when I took the rear panel off. Investigating to see how the water level was metered - it was a pleasant surprise to see that an infinite water level pressure switch had been hiding behind the BOL panel for decades! So to save some water a little flick of the dial can turn the level down as needed. "

It was installed on the assembly line but only available to use on higher end models. No match for savvy Ben's skills who tweaked that baby in seconds to get a low water level. And now I have two stories for my fellow Aworgers about that machine.

Home for good after college in the late seventies, a friend lived in one of those huge dwellings where sets of four units share a common basement, meaning there were four washers per basement. All main entries were open then, so I could romp from basement to basement ogling all the awesome now-vintage machines. And the first time I saw that Norge/Wards, etc. OH MY GOD. Nervously, I opened the lid, terrified that the owner might catch me with my head inside of her machine--like Robert's gym video. The white version of the identical agitator in Ben's machine was in full operation, at the lowest water level I had ever seen. It was a small load of socks. And they were flying. Of course this was an adrenalized experience, but I had never seen a machine agitate with such force and speed, and was blown away by a washer with a genuine extra-low water level, very rare then. In that moment, I knew I had to have a Norge. A few months later; I had never been more automatic washer happy: lowest water levels available, insane agiatation, long spray rinse flying off the blades and column--my God, what a washer! It was the first automatic I bought. Up until then I had my blessed Easy--25 bucks in an antique store in 1978, and still spirilating away today. How many loads had that Easy washed?

Second story later,

 

[swestoyz]

Hey Jeff -

This machine does not have an indexing tub during agitation - but does something very crafty when agitation starts proceeding a spin. I noticed that after the first spin/rinse combo, when the tub goes into agitation it will spin and lock into place with a nice clunk. I'll hopefully take some shots of the mechanism tomorrow to help explain.

Enjoying learning more about these crafty machines!

Thanks Toggles and Mike for the update on the MIA pressure switch. I would drill a hole and install a knob, that would take the fun out of it!

Ben

 

[mickeyd]

Ben, how did they ever engineer that brake?

Another one of a kind. The clang was probably too loud for you camcorder, but no one who knows it ever forgets it. How many rpms--7 or 8 hundred and BANG in one second, the tub stops. Almost like the Iron-man reached out and grabbed it. Can't wait for your always humorous take on the infamous Norge Brake.

 

[norgeman]

Re: Norge washer

Thank you Swestoyz for a most enjoyable video. The Norge/Wards washers were and have been my favorite for years. I think that they are the best washers by far. I had a
Wards washer and it was the best one me and my wife have ever owned. We used to yards sales and people always asked us how we got the kids'clothes so clean with no stains on any of the peices. I used to tell them it was because of the washer being so heavy duty with a 3/4hp. motor and a commerically proven transmission. It would move the clothes through the hot sudsy water very vigorously. Thanks again for the video. Norgeman, Danf.

 

[toggleswitch]

BANG- you're dead!

Another thing about the wiring of the water-level /pressure switch.

The thee wires most likely tells us tha power comes in and is shot back out under both "full" and "empty" condtions.

When "empty" the power allows for fill or spin, depending on the timer's postion. When "full" it allows for agitation!

It was always fun to move the water level up to to the "reset" position and to hear the tub-brake clunk in "early" to get a premature spin-drain as opposed to a more neutral drain and spin!

 

[toggleswitch]

oooh I had forgotten about that brief indexing until locked!

~This machine does not have an indexing tub during agitation - but does something very crafty when agitation starts (after)a spin. I noticed ............ it will spin and lock into place with a nice clunk.

The brake is so effective that the tub actually bounces back (in the reverse direcion) from where it is instantly stopped by the brake.

 

[swestoyz]

Thanks to Kenny I was able to find the clips that held the top panel down. For those who are interested - here are some shots of the clutch.

 

[swestoyz]

In this shot you can see my finger is holding the solenoid in the spin position. It has released the swing arm which allows the power assembly to spin freely.

 

[swestoyz]

In the next shot the solenoid is released to a non-energized state - preparing for a brake. The little tab is about to hit the portion of what I will call the ring that will force the assembly to stop.

 

[swestoyz]

Here you can see the swing arm has been pulled in far enough that the tang has it the brake ring. This is where the famous shot gun sound comes from. Can you imagine this spinning at 600+ RPM and BAM!

 

[swestoyz]

To start agitation the power assembly would spin counter clockwise. This will cause the swing arm to ride along the outside of the brake ring until it hits the opposite side of the tang. This is where the visible spin of the drum comes from once the machine engages into agitation.

Cool stuff!

I know this may be old hat for some, but hopefully some new insight for others. Enjoy!

Ben

 

[tuthill]

So the whole force of the spinning tub just slams into the metal swing arm and stops instantly? seems like that would break something pretty quickly. Or is there some sort of mechanism that allows it to slow the tub down over a period of time... I'm kinda confused.

I've always wondered why Frigidaire thumpers have their tubs spin when agitation starts... I assume it is for similar reasons/mechanisms as shown above?