bolt down?
- Thread starter Compwhiz
- Start date
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because--
back then an automatic washer was a really valuable asset, like a car, and bolting down prevented theivery.
(Just joking!)
Laughingly,
Lawrence/Maytagbear
back then an automatic washer was a really valuable asset, like a car, and bolting down prevented theivery.
(Just joking!)
Laughingly,
Lawrence/Maytagbear
bolt down bendix
The early front load Bendix washers were belt driven with a bearing between the revolving tub and the drive pully. There was no suspension at all so when the tub went into the spin, if there was an unbalanced load, the washer would move up and down and all around, so they had to be bolted to a concrete floor. I believe the round front early Kenmore top loader also was a bolt down design, it to may not have had a suspension.
Later washer designs provided a suspension where the tub is held in place by some sort of spring/damper assembly which allows the tub to move within the cabinet. Also most washers have some sort of switch that turns the spin off if unbalanced.
Some of the classic top load designs had superb balance systems which were expensive to construct. Hopefully more knowledgeable members will comment on them.
Many modern front loaders will slow down the spin and re-balance the load then return to the high speed spin.
The early front load Bendix washers were belt driven with a bearing between the revolving tub and the drive pully. There was no suspension at all so when the tub went into the spin, if there was an unbalanced load, the washer would move up and down and all around, so they had to be bolted to a concrete floor. I believe the round front early Kenmore top loader also was a bolt down design, it to may not have had a suspension.
Later washer designs provided a suspension where the tub is held in place by some sort of spring/damper assembly which allows the tub to move within the cabinet. Also most washers have some sort of switch that turns the spin off if unbalanced.
Some of the classic top load designs had superb balance systems which were expensive to construct. Hopefully more knowledgeable members will comment on them.
Many modern front loaders will slow down the spin and re-balance the load then return to the high speed spin.
For what it's worth, most commercial "hard mount" washers still have to be bolted down. The upside is such units can handle heavy and even unbalanced loads without a wimper. Have seen a 45lb SQ coin washer filled with two heavy feather beds spin like they were sacks of eiderdown. Mind you, one could feel the vibrations coming through the floor, but the washer was rock solid.
Launderess
Launderess
golittlesport
Well-known member
Westinghouse introduced the Laundromat, the first washing machine with suspension, in 1945. It was the first automatic washer that did not have to be bolted to the floor. They also had a lower priced model that did need to be bolted down.
levittownbob
New member
- Joined
- Dec 11, 2004
- Messages
- 4
The Bendix models tended to walk by themselves if they weren't bolted down. I had the pleasure this past summer to take a 1947 Bendix from being bolted down under a stairwell in an original Levitt home.
www.levittownhistoricalsociety.org
www.levittownhistoricalsociety.org
