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Gordon, in response to your comment I can say I certainly wouldn't be yawning. Having grown up around mostly Kenmore and Whirlpool washers of friends and family, I have a special passion for them. I love their features and styling, the unique way they fill and neutral drain, and the cool sounds they make. It would be a quite an honor to see some vintage Kenmores in action.
 
Really speechless over the video, zoned right out, but what

I LOVE it. Just finished the third viewing. You're so funny in the way you underloaded a machine with an agitator that's just begging for more. Sometimes the clothes look as if they're being sucked into a Black Hole or a Vortex in space. And around the fifth minute, the waves really become pronounced. The only time I've seen waves like that were in a torqued up 4 paddle Norge. At another point the towels fly around like a ghost, then the Headless Horseman, before being quickly sucked down to the netherworld.

For YEARS, I have wanted to examine the Rotoflex, for me the most interesting and most desired agitator alive, and your film is a true study of it. Thank you so very very much.

I sure do "covet thy neighbor's washer." That was pretty funny, Andy.
 
Rob and Jon -

THANKS for the kind words. We should all do that sometime then. This year I hope to add a bunch of cabinets to the walls in my garage, which will free-up floor space and de-clutter things a bit. At the same time, I want to install a laundry sink both so I don't have to wash my greasy hands in the kitchen when I've been working on a washer, but also so I can use a couple suds model Kenmores I now have, including a 1963 Lady and that gorgeous Avocado green machine that Robert gave me.

Darren -

I do think that the Roto-Flex is kinda strange. My reaction to it was sealed by dissappointment years ago though, so let me explain. In the fall of 1990 when I began working on washers, my mentor, who I met when buying a used Kenmore dryer for my sister (which I still have), was willing to send surplus machines my way for repair/rebuilding. Most of what we were selling those days were the black panel machines of 1976 to 1986. They sold themselves and nobody kept them around long. I always was telling him "I want one of those early 60's machines with the pastel colored cycles". One day he calls me and says he's on his way with a Lady Kenmore he'd been servicing for years and it might just be what I wanted. Visions of a 62 800 or 63 Lady were dancing in my head for sure. What arrived was a '65 Lady, which I had never seen before. It was nice, but Al had this funny look on his face as he waited to see my reaction to the Roto-Flex inside. Never having seen one, I was shocked. The machine was NOT what I had in mind, but nevertheless it was cool. I just wanted it to have a black Roto-Swirl. That machine turned out to need bearings so badly that it would hardly spin. I'd play with it a bit, but never really did anything with it. I was going to fix it for a club member here only to have it stolen this past fall, probably for scrap.

I still like the Roto-Swirl, but the entry level Straight-Vane agitator does one heck of a job!

Gordon
 
Another Kenmore Demo Added to My Collection

I can see where the spin was starting to rattle a bit there. Probably due to a stabilizer issue. Otherwise, the machine sounded as close to my mother's old Kenmore unit as I can remember. Hers did not have the filter or if it did, was probably removed. Also, Mom's machine would, on the regular cycle, run three washes with two spray rinses in between. Each spin had four sprays. The final spin was a dry one. Thanks for sharing this demo.--Laundry Shark
 
What a fantastic find!
To think they were to be turned into a non stoppable Toyota or something else.
I love those dryers. I have used a few. Gas models. I think they are fantastic!
Brent
 
Andy, I couldn't get the pic up before

of the torqued 4 paddle Norge. Here it is. I'll have to settle for these waves until I find a rotoflex. The torquing donor is a fast stroke SQ Conventional. Notice how the wave moves from East to West just like your Rotoflex. Thanks again for your illuminating and very satisfying vid. And Happy Valentine's Day to you and the Missus.

mickeyd++2-14-2010-20-56-37.jpg
 
In 1968, the Rotoflex was seen in the 800 model.

My parents bought a Kenmore washer in 1968, it was the 800 model alphabet series in alvacado. It had the Rotoflex agitator with the scrubber, and detergent cap that went over it. Also, it had a third speed as well. However, the third speed was not automatic, because next to the timer dial, it had a smaller dial to the right that had three positions on it, and it had two bands around it. The outer band showed your agitation speed, while the inner band showed your spin speed. The middle position was AUTO. The letters assigned either normal or slow. To the right, was SLO-AGITATION, and SLO-SPEED no matter what letter you selected. Now,to the left side, had XSLO-AGITATION, but SLO-SPIN. Only the agitator had three speeds. Also, no matter what position the switch was in, during the cooldown part on Permanent Press, the agitator would always operate on slow.
The Rotoflex was ok, but it had one drawback to it. Some times it was known to pop a button off a shirt. When this would happen, it would scuff a little bit of the bottom of the basket. To solve this, I just use the highest setting on the water level, then later I replaced it with a Rotoswirl which is my favorite agitator.
These machines are gorgeous, I hope they will last a long time, which of course they will. Have a nice day, and thank you for the video. It brought back some memories.
 
Three Speed Kenmores

 
One of my aunts had what I suppose would be a Kenmore 800, although I don't recall if it was labeled as such, with alphabet timer, faux-pushbutton labeling on the console (A thru H) and separate 3-speed switch as you describe. Agitator was a gold Roto-Swirl. Fluorescent console, timed bleach/softener, no detergent dispenser. They lived in another town a couple hrs away, we visited maybe two to three times per year. This was in the late 1960s to early 70s. They moved back to our hometown in the mid 1970s. She ran the Kenmore until the early 1990s, replaced it with a DD Whirly.

One of my grandmother's neighbors had a similar machine, with Vari-Flex. I honestly can't remember if it was 3-speed or 2-speed, but I'm leaning toward 2-speed.
 
WOW! What an awesome set of LKs you've got there Andy, and you are great to have thought of Gordon for this set. I loved the video by the way. Along with Gordon, I also thought these would have the QuietPak belt, which would minimize the level of noise, and eliminate the woo woo sound. I'm glad it did not, as those are always my favorite to hear. Although you washed a minimal load for the high load size, I was pleasantly surprised by the action of the Roto Flex. Turnover was good and there was a little splash at times. Thank you for posting it.

Gordon: Congratulations on these aquisitions to be. You've had some nice ones come your way, and I believe there will be many more.

Have a good one,
James
 
@ 70series....

James:

Actually, these are Model 900's that Andy has. But with all the features these machines have, you'd think that these are in fact Lady Kenmores. But in this case, they aren't.

But now, you'd take this 1968 Model 900 set, and compare it to a 1966-67 Lady Kenmore set, and both of these sets will be EXACTLY alike.

And being that this is a 3-Speed Washer, all Andy has to do is change the drive belt on the Washer and replace that "Roto-Flex" Agitator with a "Vari-Flex". And being that this a #2 Kenmore Set?? Andy would have something EXTREMELY special (and rare) then.

I have never seen a #2 "Keyboard Kenmore" with a 3-Speed Motor on it before (and THIS is the FIRST TIME I've seen such a beast). Steve 1-18 and Jons1077 have similar Washers in their collections, but both of those machines have Two-Speed Motors on them (unless I was mistaken, like I was with Andy's machine).

--Charles--
 
Charles:

Yes Andy would have something really special there if he changed the belt and agitator. Rare is fun to find and good to have, and this pair does fit that bill already in several ways. I guess that Roto Flex agitator keeps me thinking of these as LKs when they are indeed the 900 set.

I am surprised by the 3 speed motor on this too; as I thought the 1966/1967 Lady's were the only ones of this styling that had them. Wonders will never cease when it comes to Kenmores.

Have a good one,
James
 
FYI Charles and James

To retro-fit the quiet belt on this machine is a fairly significant job. Each of the four pulleys needs to be changed. The pulley on the motor, the pump, and the transmission are simple bolt-ons, but one has to source the pulleys to do that. I needed a narrow-belt pulley for my 1975 Kenmore 70's transmission, and it cost $39 from Sears for the one pulley. Unless one has a used parts depot (I do but no skinny pulleys) or access to one, these parts are expensive.

The fourth pulley is another matter. It's the basket drive pulley, and requires replacement of the entire basket drive OR teardown of the original and a swap of the pulley on the spin tube. Either of those can be done, but a total tear-down is required to do it.

Gordon
 
Absolutely SWEET!!!

Well Andy, you know what I think about them! If Gordon hadn't claimed them so quickly, I would be ringing your phone over and over again until gave in and yelled "OK… OK… THEY ARE YOURS, LEAVE ME ALONE!!" LOL

But dam those are really purdy, awesome, beautiful, etc! I cannot wait to see them all lit up! (Gordon, you have better get on that FAST!) LOL
 

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