Cruel-Action Agitator

Automatic Washer - The world's coolest Washing Machines, Dryers and Dishwashers

Help Support :

gyrafoam

Well-known member
Platinum Member
Joined
Sep 6, 2016
Messages
1,747
Location
Wytheville, VA
About what year did Kenmore first introduce the Cruel-Action (Dual-Action) agitator? About when were the Roto-Swirls discontinued? Were the Roto-Swirls interchangeable with all the BD machines?
 
I'm pretty sure the Dual Action agitator came out around mid '70's( 1976 or '77). I think there were 2 sizes of Roto-swirl agitators. One for the standard tub and one for the larger tub. Since it was such a "revolutionary" design that you didn't know you needed, Kenmore offered it in mid-line & up models. It seems like they dropped the straight vane & roto-swirl in favor of the penta-vane & penta-swirl in the larger tub machines. Funny how Whirlpool branded belt drive washers always stuck to the Surgilator. Only in the dd washers did they start putting a dual-action agitator. Roto-swirls were interchangable when they went to the lower centerpost(I think). Earlier they had the long centerpost with the bigger tub, hence needed a longer agitator.
 
The Dual Action agi. was first offered in 1976 i believe.I believe the super roto swirl was around in the late 70's maybe early 80's at most,not sure.I'm sure some KM aficionado could tell us.
 
Reply to Coldspot66 and Agi-flow action

Thanks for the info. I sure hated to see the end of the Roto-swirl. I remember the straight-vanes well into the '70s for both Kenmore's and Whirly's. BOLs.-Steve
 
commerical

I seem to remember a commerical from the seventies when the DA came out. It was for Frigidaire, it showed a Jet-Action pumping away and a DA moving slow making a funny cranking sound, they threw a sock in each one to demonstrate the superior turnover of the Frigidaire.

Does anyone remember this?
 
DA cranking sound

Only the early DA agitators made that noise, they later made the teeth smaller in the "ratchet" mechanism to eliminate the sound. My '78 LK had a sticker on top of the agitator when new that warned people that the sound was normal. The later replacement agitators I installed made no noise at all.
 
Ratchet DA agitator.

I have a KenMod#80 that has one of the early DA agitators. Like it better than the "silent" DA agitator.I have a silent DA agitator whose "teeth" are worn out on the auger part.The cams are still OK.The early one I have still works just great-sounds like someone using a ratchet wrench as the machine agitates.-and have grown used to the sound and kind of like it-tells you its working!
 

Latest posts

Back
Top