Good washer and dryer

[reg]

Hey guys. New to the forum but have looked for a bit. I'm looking for a good older washer and dryer. I would like something that will last and is repairable. I am redoing a place for me and I have a Tappan delux stove that is nice. I want to make this place like it ws 50 or 60 years older......I live in Tennessee if anyone know of some that are reasonable.
Like the form by the wy, good stuff

 

[brucelucenta]

In my humble opinion, you should look for a Maytag set that was made in Newton, Iowa. They seem to pop up everywhere now and again and many are in excellent shape. They were some of the very best machines ever made. The ones made from the 60's-90's are good units and will serve you well. My second choice would be a Whirlpool made direct drive washer with matching dryer. Those were also good units and fairly easy to repair also, when you find one in good shape. Those were made mostly in the late 80's thru the new century for a while. There are others too, like GE, but GE had a tendency to rust and not hold up as well. Maytag would really be the ones to have, if you can find the appropriate set. Just look on craig's list, you'll be surprised at what you will find.

 

[pumpkina]

Thanks. What makes the Maytags of that vintage superior to the Whirlpools? Thanks!

 

[brucelucenta]

Well, Maytags are much easier to service, should you need to and the tops are porcelain enamel, which is not always the case with some of the Whirlpool later models. They are heavier built too. A belt drive Whirlpool or Kenmore might not be bad, but they are much harder to service and more problematic IMO. Maytag machines made by Maytag really were the most dependable machines ever made. The only really major thing that Maytag has go wrong is if it slings oil underneath. That is the transmission seal and is a real pain to replace, so forgo one if you see that. The only advantage of a Whirlpool made machine of the 90's on is that they do have a much larger tub and the dryer has a larger drum too. Those machines are fairly easy to service too.

 

[lorainfurniture]

I agree with the above. Personally I wouldn’t go much older than the 80’s. Especially if used regularly. Maytag is definitely most reliable, I don’t care to much for the performance. A direct drive washer would be your best bet in terms of reliability/ repairable/ ease to repair.

 

[brucelucenta]

True, the problem with vintage washers and dryers is that something 50 years old many times can have brittle seals and rubber parts and parts for those machines would be difficult to find.

 

[reg]

Thanks guys......I was hopeing to get good info and I'm sure there are some around somewhere

 

[gyrafoam]

The most trouble-free "daily drivers" in my collection are the 1953 WO-65-2, the 1963 WCI, (Frigidaires) and the 1964 Maytag A300 Highlander. I found that Maytag as an appliance store demonstrator in its original box about twelve years ago, in Cumming, Georgia.

 

[pumpkina]

Thanks.

What brand is 1953 WO-65-2?

 

[maytag85]

Maytag washers and dryers are the most dependable around. Whenever I go on to Craigslist to find a vintage Maytag washer and dryer, I mostly see Maytags from the 80's 90's (sometimes I see Maytags from the 70's) that are still around. Vintage Maytags seem to be everywhere, and are easy to find.

 

[goatfarmer]

Where at in Tennessee? This one or similar, should last a long time.

http://https//nashville.craigslist.org/app/d/maytag-top-loading-washing/6318234578.html

 

[goatfarmer]

another set.

http://https//knoxville.craigslist.org/app/d/maytag-washer-and-dryer/6300312944.html

 

[reg]

I'm in the tri-cities about 4 hrs from Nashville east.

 

[goatfarmer]

another set. Nice price.

http://https//knoxville.craigslist.org/app/d/maytag-washer-and-dryer/6286169548.html

 

[reg]

that one in Knox would be very close.....Just talked to the guy in Knox and he said its about 10 or 12 yrs old. I have no Idea about washers and dryers....But I do have a nice gas stove.

 

[yogitunes]

grabbing the washer, and then searching for a matching dryer is not always easy.....most times easier to go with a matched set from the start and you will have that one knocked out...

reply 11 is from the early 80's....my preference for these, yet I like them both...

reply 13 is from the early 90's

note too, both dryers are electric...

 

[gyrafoam]

You are right. That is a nice stove!
I did not care for the "Orbital" Maytags when introduced in the early 90's. Especially the extra capacity models, because of the 90 sec. Deep Rinse.
With the Extra capacity machines a tub full rarely even rolled over once before the Rinse cycle ended.
If you used a lot of detergent or some bleach, that short rinse was just not enough IMO.

 

[reg]

I talked to the guy with the machines in #11 in Knoxville. He said he only used it a few yrs and sold his house drained the water pump and has been in the garage. I'll be going to pick them up this week. I just want something sturdy and not these plastic machines of today. I recall my grandmothers wringer washer and the long oval tub that I use to get a bath in when I was younger

 

[norgeway]

A Maytag is ok

IF its on cement, but if you have a wood floor, forget it, everyone I ever had..4 of them, walked terribly, give me a GE, Frigidaire, Kenmore or Whirlpool!Im using a early 80s Hotpoint rimflow now and LOVE it, its as steady as a rock where the tag I used a few months tore a big hole in the vinyl before I could stop it!

 

[norgeway]

You are near

My FAVORITE BBQ joint, the Ridgewood in Bluff City!

 

[norgeway]

A TAPPAN

Super 60!

 

[askolover]

Welcome, nice to see a fellow Tennessean here.  Kenmore/Whirlpools are good machines, but I'm partial to Maytags myself.  Mother's is 23 years old but hasn't walked yet and it's on a wood floor.  Mother-in-law's is about the same age and she's only had one repair...the lid switch.  And hers is on a wood floor too. 

 

[mrb627]

Maytags

Somebody posted a center dial avocado set a week or so ago.

Malcolm

 

[brucelucenta]

reg

If you get a Maytag set you will find you have a terrific set of machines that will last you a long time. I have NEVER had a Maytag that walked either. They have an automatic cut off for unbalanced loads that shuts off the machine. Maytag washers are among the most level, even spinning machines ever made. The tubs were balanced with precision and are as close to perfection as possible. [this post was last edited: 9/26/2017-13:08]

 

[maytag85]

Maytags don't walk, unless the leveling feet aren't level. The only thing that happened to the 1997 Maytag Dependable Care washer that was at my old house, is the washer moved itself away from the wall, and it flooded the garage (no water damage done, and it was not a hose burst), and it turns out the leveling feet weren't level .

 

[brucelucenta]

reg

I might add that screwing in the leveling legs ALL the way in before starting to level the machine will help greatly too. The closer a washing machine is to the ground, the more stable it is. The further the legs are screwed out, the more spindly and unstable it is.

 

[pumpkina]

Would a Maytag A7300 be reliable? See photo of actual washer someone is offering me.

What were the production dates for this model?

What sort of preventive maintenance, eg replaces rubber hoses, spring clamps, and belts, should I do even if it seems to work perfectly?

Thanks

 

[rp2813]

An A7300 should be a reliable machine.  Still made by Maytag in Newton IA, I'm pretty sure, probably sometime in the '90s, but with an orbital transmission (short agitation stroke) instead of helical (long stroke).

 

[yogitunes]

now you know Ralph.....'orbital' answers so many questions.....

 

[pumpkina]

I don't understand the orbital transmission issue.