Early 60's KM Dryer
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Dan -
I believe the first one is a 1961, though this model or its ancestors may have been available earlier, and it very well could be a '60 model as well.
There was one version of this dryer in a 1961 Sears catalog that displays the lint collection bag up top, and the decription touts that system up pretty well. Evidentally this dryer was available in more than one configuration/version - which is a Kenmore specialty, to say the least.
I'm VERY surprised to see an 50 year old dryer at a used appliance establishment - must be true the discussions we've had before of tight supply in the used appliance field. Love the 3-day warranty...
Gordon
I believe the first one is a 1961, though this model or its ancestors may have been available earlier, and it very well could be a '60 model as well.
There was one version of this dryer in a 1961 Sears catalog that displays the lint collection bag up top, and the decription touts that system up pretty well. Evidentally this dryer was available in more than one configuration/version - which is a Kenmore specialty, to say the least.
I'm VERY surprised to see an 50 year old dryer at a used appliance establishment - must be true the discussions we've had before of tight supply in the used appliance field. Love the 3-day warranty...
Gordon
1960-1-2 ? KM dryer
It is interesting that it uses parts of the control panel of the 1959 LKMs. Scott just picked up the better version of this dryer from me on Saterday that has the lint collection system, and thanks to our fearless leader Robert Scotts dryer has a window door and it was $5 less than the one in the ad.
I am not sure how long this dryer was made but I think the earlier versions had the lint storage system. The dryer that Scott just got still had the dual belt drive system with the two big pulleys in the back. Once they changed to having the drive bely just go around the drum around 61-2 they didn't offer the lint storage system any longer.
It is interesting that it uses parts of the control panel of the 1959 LKMs. Scott just picked up the better version of this dryer from me on Saterday that has the lint collection system, and thanks to our fearless leader Robert Scotts dryer has a window door and it was $5 less than the one in the ad.
I am not sure how long this dryer was made but I think the earlier versions had the lint storage system. The dryer that Scott just got still had the dual belt drive system with the two big pulleys in the back. Once they changed to having the drive bely just go around the drum around 61-2 they didn't offer the lint storage system any longer.
cornutt
Well-known member
Hmm. I live in Huntsville. I'll have to drive over to Athens sometime in the next few weeks and take a look around that place.
I think Don and Ben have 59's like these but am almost sure they are both lint-storage models. This is my 1960 Lady K, also with lint storage. Coolest lint capture system of any dryer I've used and the engineering is probably a wonder of the appliance universe.
Lint Particle Seperation and Storage
These dryers have a particle separation chamber and combined with a very powerful blower they spin the lint out of the air-stream sending it through a vacuum cleaner sized tube into a bag also similar to a VCs bag where the lint is held till the bag is full. You could normally dry 20-50 loads before you either emptied or just replaced the bag. One of the main advantages of this system was that the blower was not trying to force air through a partly clogged lint screen which upsets the dryers performance and safety.
Whirlpool was big on using centrifugal particle separation in their major home appliances. They again used this type of lint separation their completely redesigned 29" combos that came out in 1961 and this time the machine not only collected the lint and held it and when the next cycle was started it was flushed harmlessly down the drain while the combo was automatically flushing the cold water out of hot water lines running to the combo, this flushing also helped warm the machine for a hotter wash.
WP also was using CPS in their Central Vacuums, so they had a bag less CV. I have had a WP built KM CV for over 30 years in my home and it works great, this is why I am not a vacuum collector this CV works so well that I have never felt the need for any other vacuum. Dyson eat your heart out, LOL.
WP again struck again with CPS when they introduced their legendary Power-Clean DWs and started building KM DWs [ Ultra-Wash ] in 1984. I believe this to be the best wash system EVER used in a home DW, as it not only produces very clean dishes but it gets rid of virtually ALL food residue. Other DWs like KA, MT RR, and the GE Pots-Scrubber also did a beautiful job washing dishes but all three left some food mess behind. When you dissemble a MT RR DW for example you usually find yucky food residue stuck around the filter, but when you take apart a WP PC pump you will not find a thimble full of food residue.
WP once again brought back the lint separator dryer in the mid1990s, this time it was dubbed the Easy-Clean 100 implying that you may not have to clean the easily removable filter for up to 100 dryer loads. While this dryer worked great it got paned by CRs because it was the noisiest dryer in the test because of the fact the blower ran at twice normal speed. It was a great dryer if you had a long vent system and frankly consumers were too stupid to realize any advantage and hulled the filter out and cleaned it every load anyway, LOL. This is a really cool dryer if anyone wants to collect a modern classic, I recently found a gas one that will end up in my home laundry center.
These dryers have a particle separation chamber and combined with a very powerful blower they spin the lint out of the air-stream sending it through a vacuum cleaner sized tube into a bag also similar to a VCs bag where the lint is held till the bag is full. You could normally dry 20-50 loads before you either emptied or just replaced the bag. One of the main advantages of this system was that the blower was not trying to force air through a partly clogged lint screen which upsets the dryers performance and safety.
Whirlpool was big on using centrifugal particle separation in their major home appliances. They again used this type of lint separation their completely redesigned 29" combos that came out in 1961 and this time the machine not only collected the lint and held it and when the next cycle was started it was flushed harmlessly down the drain while the combo was automatically flushing the cold water out of hot water lines running to the combo, this flushing also helped warm the machine for a hotter wash.
WP also was using CPS in their Central Vacuums, so they had a bag less CV. I have had a WP built KM CV for over 30 years in my home and it works great, this is why I am not a vacuum collector this CV works so well that I have never felt the need for any other vacuum. Dyson eat your heart out, LOL.
WP again struck again with CPS when they introduced their legendary Power-Clean DWs and started building KM DWs [ Ultra-Wash ] in 1984. I believe this to be the best wash system EVER used in a home DW, as it not only produces very clean dishes but it gets rid of virtually ALL food residue. Other DWs like KA, MT RR, and the GE Pots-Scrubber also did a beautiful job washing dishes but all three left some food mess behind. When you dissemble a MT RR DW for example you usually find yucky food residue stuck around the filter, but when you take apart a WP PC pump you will not find a thimble full of food residue.
WP once again brought back the lint separator dryer in the mid1990s, this time it was dubbed the Easy-Clean 100 implying that you may not have to clean the easily removable filter for up to 100 dryer loads. While this dryer worked great it got paned by CRs because it was the noisiest dryer in the test because of the fact the blower ran at twice normal speed. It was a great dryer if you had a long vent system and frankly consumers were too stupid to realize any advantage and hulled the filter out and cleaned it every load anyway, LOL. This is a really cool dryer if anyone wants to collect a modern classic, I recently found a gas one that will end up in my home laundry center.
Here is the lint storage compartment on the '60 LK. I'm using a Hoover vacuum cleaner "C" type bag. I got the machine never used and it had the original Kenmore bags but all that was left of the glue was a brown stain and the Hoover bags are plentiful and work as well or better than the original filter-paper bags from Sears.
CR was probably correct in their assessment of the noise, this is one of the loudest dryers I have. Though the newer lint-separator dryers in the 90's probably weren't as loud, the end-of-cycle signal on the older models needed only be the sigh of relief the owner made when the machine shut off!
CR was probably correct in their assessment of the noise, this is one of the loudest dryers I have. Though the newer lint-separator dryers in the 90's probably weren't as loud, the end-of-cycle signal on the older models needed only be the sigh of relief the owner made when the machine shut off!
Lid closed
I know someone in town here who has a Whirlpool EasyClean dryer. The magnetic latch on the lid is broken and the parts are NLA (except the entire filter assembly was available last time I checked, at a steep price). As per the mention above, they don't understand the intended functionality of the system and clean it after every load.
ingliscanada
Well-known member
- Joined
- Oct 20, 2009
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I always wanted to hear one in action. Does it sound like a vacuum cleaner?
Gary
Gary
Combo52 and Gansky
Thank you for your explanations and pictures... wow. That's very cool. Gansky, thank you for the pictures.... as a font geek, I'm loving the Lint bag directions... Probably the exact same font used for directions for most pesticides in the 40's-60's...
I love that machine's stark industrial design, only broken by the pastel tones of it's controls... really a classic. Thanks for sharing! How about a vid of it running so we can hear what it sounds like... (Contrast it to your speaking voice).
Thank you for your explanations and pictures... wow. That's very cool. Gansky, thank you for the pictures.... as a font geek, I'm loving the Lint bag directions... Probably the exact same font used for directions for most pesticides in the 40's-60's...
I love that machine's stark industrial design, only broken by the pastel tones of it's controls... really a classic. Thanks for sharing! How about a vid of it running so we can hear what it sounds like... (Contrast it to your speaking voice).
