Easy Spindrier needs a new belt

[marks]

The belt is on it's last legs... I have NO idea how to replace it! There is no bolt or cotter pin on the end of the pulley and 2 bolts holding attaching the pump to the frame. I'm not sure if these 2 bolts have to come out to give it the room to drop the pulley. The motor shaft runs into the centre gear drive. It is kind of hard to see in this picture, but I'll attach it anyway. Hopefully these weren't built too differently over the years and this one is pretty much the same as all of them. The wing nut is for the belt guard, which I removed. Someone please give me some hints on how to do it!

 

[mickeyd]

I have done this, Mark, many years ago.

In your pic, do you see the rubber joiner attached to the pulley with a screw and 2 braces /clamps ? Take the clamps off, and slide the rubber joiner back. You have to push hard and you'll see a gap in the drive shaft. Slide the old belt through the gap. You have to work it through. Then slide the new belt through the same gap, re-clamp, and you're back in business.

A standard Hoover classic upright vacuum belt worked for me. Your belt looks a bit different, flat rather than tubular. Would you take a pic of the front of the machine so I have a better idea of the model you have?

 

You can do this. The only issue is: will the Hoover belt work on your model? I'm betting it will.

 

[marks]

Good! My next question was where to locate a belt! I will look closely at it for the rubber joiner, and go for it. The vacuum belt did cross my mind, last night, so I will get one hopefully tonight. Here is a picture of the machine. I was told it was ca 1942, but if you know it, and have any more info, that would be cool!

 

[mickeyd]

Any vacuum store or mega-mart should have the belt.

Take the old one with you for size matching.

 

Yeah, your babe is a 40's born. Your machine is very beautiful, and she's at or near 70!!!

 

In your pic, the rubber joiner, braced at both ends, is just below the wide hose going from the spinner to the pump.

 

Easy always claimed "Precision Engineering." And their drive shaft amazes me. Imagine: it has a narrow quarter-to-half inch opening, precisely engineered to remove the pump belt. I am too much a novice to know how unusual this is. Maybe one of our engineers will comment.

 

A BIG PS: You see where the bottom brace is almost flush against the pulley.... that is where the gap is. Once both sets of braces are unscrewed, you push back to reveal the opening.

 

[marks]

OK, so I have to remove the screw holding the rubber brace to the pulley bracket? Does the other end of it remain bolted in?
The way the mechanics are built on her show she's a "precision" machine! Also the fact she has been running for 70 +/- years shows the quality there too!

 

[mickeyd]

Look at 9 o'clock exactly. That's the screw holding the brace. Unscrew the brace and work the rubble coupler. That's all you need to do to start. If you can't wiggle the belt through, then remove the brace at the other end of the rubber coupler, slide the coupler back, and the gap will appear, giving you enough room to pull the belt through. Nothing else should be dismantled.

 

[marks]

Belt done! I had to drop the motor (which is a 1/3hp GE) because the rubber buffer wouldn't push back enough to get to the opening between the motor shaft and the pump. It was ok, because I also hit the lubrication points on the motor with it down, and now it's real quiet. I had to try a few different belts until I found one that was both tight enough and narrow enough to fit. The 1st one looked good, but was just slightly too wide and rode up onto the pulley guide.
The most difficult part was the screw under the pump pully which has to come out slightly sideways to clear the edge of the pulley. I found a date of manufacture plate on the underside, and it's later than I though- 11/10/48.
At least it's back in action. She's the "daily driver" for now!

 

[mickeyd]

Guess I'm the one who's lucky. I've done a belt job three or four times or so over 35 years of Easy Precision and never had to drop the motor.

 

So she's humming like a new born. That's great news. I was anxous that you were in too deep and I wasn't clear enough. Sweet Relief!

 

Hey-'48. So she's 64 like the guy in the Beatles' Song ....."Will ya still need me? Will ya still please me?.....When I'm sixty-four bummm- bum. " And the answer is, "Yes!"

 

What kind of belt and where from?

 

[marks]

It was a Hoover belt I picked up at Sears Hardware. Looking at other Easy's from the 40's, they're all a bit different (chrome racing stripes, timer, on/off switch) I wonder if this was some ecconomy model? The shifters and pump set up look like those of much earlier models.

 

[mickeyd]

Amazing that a Hoover vac belt fits an Easy Spin, ya know?!

Yeah, It's a Model I, the economy model. There are 4 models. You have the valve on the hose to hold water in the spinner, no faucets, no spray cone in the spinner, and an attached lid which is pretty cool since it was only available on the economy model. Why they didn't engineer a nice hole in the square lid for the faucet models instead of the round detached lid is beyond me. Maybe the attached lid would have made too tight a fit with the faucet. They had to sacrifice a neat "automatic-like" feature. Too bad. It must be fun having that perma-lid.

 

How are you rinsing?

[this post was last edited: 6/15/2012-13:11]

 

[marks]

It is really a cool machine and it washes very well! I'm on a well with limited capacity, so I usually do at least 3 loads at once. Fill it with detergent, whites, clothes, towles then drain, refill with clean water and repeat. A few times I've extra rinced using the sink sprayer in the spinner. I used to have a Whirlpool Duet (brand new as of 3 years ago, which broke 6x until I had enough) and the easy spins out drier than that did! Nice for a 64 year old machine!

 

[arbilab]

I thought they all had the hose valve. Grandma's did. Turns out they didn't all have HOSES, either in OR out. Hers had a single faucet and the red/black power buttons, no timer. Is that a 2?

 

[luckyfind]

Nice machine Marks

Pretty sweet machine. Having belt issues of my own. Your conversation with mickeyd gave me a few ideas. He's given me some good advice about my 60's norge restor. in the past.... Good luck

 

[mickeyd]

Thanks, it feels good to help

Easies with two drain handles or two pump levers do not have a valve. Yes, Grandma's is a 2. The valve is on models 1&2, but not 3&4, ususally. As with Kenmore, there are many variations. When you see a control panel like this, you know right away, it doesn't need a valve.

 

[marks]

WOW no gear shifters on that machine! Thank you for the help, I have a pile of laundry backed up and need to get to it ASAP! I'm also glad that common, modern vacuum belts work on these things!

 

[akronman]

Hey MickeyD

I see your Easy pic 2 responses up----What is the very bottom switch? Mine is same as yours except no bottom switch.

Thanks

Mark

 

 

 

[mickeyd]

The Marks ~ Hey Guys

1 ~ Nothin' quicker for tackling piled up laundry than an Easy. Never had or seen the lidded one in person, like yours. Looking forward to the day.

2~ I remember when I took these pix in Winter. You were right: the filter, according to the Daily Doctrine manual, is not used the way I use it. Who knew?

THE SWITCH says TWO SPEED Normal or Gentle. It's great to have, especially for a long, slow wash: kitchen stuff, white sox, stained T's, accidental skivvies (howls).

 

[arbilab]

That's a VERY clean model Mickey. Does the speed switch make it a 4? But what, they ditched the chrome stripes? Boooo.

I thought the 'gearshift' controls preferable in the long run, because the cables tended to get stiff then the plastic actuators broke off from fatigue. And the brushed chrome knobs!

 

[mickeyd]

Thanks, Arbi

The stripes went out in the mid-50's. The 2 speed makes it a 4+, I guess.

 

This machine was almost NIB New in Box. There was no box, but the machine had not been used. In immaculate and pristine condition, I got it from Gregm of Worcester, Mass. It is the reigning King of the Laundry.

Here's another pic I took this past Winter for Mark. High shot both faucets peeking.