Easy Spindrier Model SDK-1

[davidestep]

I have this beautiful washer that my grandmother has been storing for years. I plugged it in and it started right up. I am new to this site, but I was looking for some information on this unit. I was wondering how old it is and what it is really worth. If anyone has any advice let me know.

 

[mickeyd]

Hello, David and Welcome.

Classic Top of the Line Easy from around 1955. If you show us the interiors of both tubs, we could give you a better idea on a price, but the appearance of the front and the missing Spin lever might keep many of here us from rating it beautiful. NO offense, just trying to give you a sense of the marketplace.

Have you made sure that both the agitator and the spinner work, even though the motor fired right up?

 

[abcomatic]

Welcome David, Those plastic control levers always break off. If the agitator, spinner and pump don't work as well as the control for the drain, tip the washer on its back and lube up all of the places that the cables pull. If the pump doesn't work after you have tried all of that, put a small amount of very hot water in the drain on the washer side and let it sit for awhile then try it, it may be plugged up from years of detergent and hard water deposits. When you hook up the water, make sure that the plate on the back where the hose attaches to is free of deposits too. Clean that out and you can make a filter that the spring pushes in against out of an old hanky or something like that. Happy washing. Gary

 

[arbilab]

Early 50s, next to top, top was 2 speed. Yes the cables get stiff and (probably as a result) the knobs break off. Hardly ever see these with all 4 knobs.

The painted parts rust up a storm, yours is much better than average, some are solid brown. Value? Working, these are so much fun to operate and it WAS your grandmas, I wouldn't even think about selling it. But of course everyone's priorities are different.

 

[mickeyd]

Hello, Gentlemen

The two-speed didn't come out till the 60's. The differences in the control panels from the classic standard pictured aboove are subtle but definite. Study the panels' sizes, the graphics, everything's a little different.

Not sure about the exact date when the style change occurred, but here it is.

 

[mickeyd]

Classic Vintage`

The changed the colors from year to year or less often.

 

[mickeyd]

AND THEN CAME ARMAGEDDON

Easy and the Murray Corp sold out to the Hupp company. The "Precision Engineering Since 1877" label was dropped, the transmission was dramatically altered, the pump was changed to a less expensive, less powerful model, and moved to operate underneath the agitator, and the cables were replaced by far less study substitutes that were problem-prone, whereas the the former ones almost never broke. The final insult was a dramatic reduction in spin speed from 900 to circa 600, which made the legendary needle spray jet cone rinse way less effective.

Two of my beloved members here are gifted mechanics who have the Hupp version, and keep them working at their best, although one rinses in the tub because of lackluster rinsing in the spinner. If I told you how often I wish that they could have a Murray made Easy, or that I could lend them mine for a year, you'd be surprised. The difference in performance and engineering between the machines is astounding,

In fact, I'm going to work on getting Gary and Mark the real deal, and put it on my bucket list, just so they can fully appreciate the transformation and have the joy of a classic Easy. Here's the Hupp. You can always tell by the square OFF / ON Buttons, which look really nice, by the way, while giving no clue as to what's hiding beneath.[this post was last edited: 11/6/2013-13:06]

 

[davidestep]

Easy

I really do like the washer. I might just keep it. What's anyone's opinions on painting it? The agitator seems to work fine. If anyone has more info. on it let me know.

 

[akronman]

Easy SpinDrier

Does the spinner also work? I've heard the clutch on the spinner side was sometimes a problem. I have one where everything works, one with a bad spinner clutch.

 

Your model, the very top pic, is a very customer-friendly, Easy washer to use and get good results. I see the hole in the spinner lid for easy filling and spin/rinsing/drying, they do a darn good job. Don't worry too much about the plastic knobs missing, just use your fingers on the metal tabs. Have you tested it for leaks yet? Take a picture of the inside of the spinner with the lid off. Some baskets have a cone with 1560 holes in it for spin-a-rinse, very effective. Medium-priced or low end models are just a large bucket with holes, you fill and spin out, refilll and spin out, etc, a few times until rinsed. Either way they are pretty efficient with re-using the soapy hot water, washing the next load while rinsing the first, etc.  You'll quickly learn to balance the load in that spinner, 900RPM off balance makes the whole thing shake like hell!

 

 

the EPHEMERA library associated with this website has a variety of Easy info, at reasonable prices. Here's a link below. The machine didn't change in usage info for the owner much through the years, I bet you could use the 1949 Owner's Manual and easily learn about your newer model.  The 2 spouts and the related holes in both lids show it to be higher-end, most or all of the options included.

 

As for what it's worth? New parts haven't been made in decades, darn few folks would want it except some of us here and some folks for a fun antique, and except for the motor turning on it really hasn't been inspected, maybe around $100?? And you sort of need a local buyer, the cost of shipping it much of a distance could exceed the purchase price.

 

Painting? Home Depot and Lowe's have spray can Appliance Epoxy in white, do a lot of sanding and priming first. But actually, check for leaks and run lots of loads through it and be sure you want it before all the fun of painting.

 

If you do a water test, leave it unplugged and pour maybe a gallon of hot water in each side, let it sit a while and sometimes it helps old rubber warm up and seal up. Sometimes it runs all over the floor real quick, that's why you leave it unplugged.

 

They are fun and a "hands on" way to do laundry, they are also darn good at agitating good sized loads, rinsing well, and re-using water efficiently.  And 900 RM spinning gets more water out than almost any top-loader washer you grew up with, so drying time is less.

 

Come back to this site with your findings on the spinner and leak tests, take some more pics for us, and we can give some repair and usage advice if you decide to keep it. If you've got the space for a "second" washer, this is a fun conversation piece for friends, no one else has ever seen such stuff.

Portable Washer Library at Automatic Ephemera