Happy Harvest (Gold) GE set
- Thread starter filterflo
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We owned that very dryer in that very color. It was a good simple solid performer although I strongly disagree with you about the washer and it's STR8 -8 activator. We had a more TOL model with a mini-basket. At this point, they had slightly redesigned the activator to have 4 large fins instead of the pathetic meager 8 fins of the predecessor. It washed a little better, but nothing like the ramped spiral design that they would return to in a few years.
It was the first and only time my Mother agreed to buy a "colored" appliance because, and only because, this color was GE's new "Harvest Wheat" NOT "Harvest Gold". The difference you ask? The new colors, including "Harvest Wheat" weren't "edged" the way "Harvest Gold", "Avocado" and "Coppertone" from the late sixties and early seventies were. I actually agree with her objection in retrospect, but I'll take coppertone however it comes.
Here's a draft:
It was the first and only time my Mother agreed to buy a "colored" appliance because, and only because, this color was GE's new "Harvest Wheat" NOT "Harvest Gold". The difference you ask? The new colors, including "Harvest Wheat" weren't "edged" the way "Harvest Gold", "Avocado" and "Coppertone" from the late sixties and early seventies were. I actually agree with her objection in retrospect, but I'll take coppertone however it comes.
Here's a draft:
filterflo
New member
Ken, thanks for posting the difference in the HARVEST color. Actually when some of us on here say Harvest Gold, we are making a general statement of the color of the appliance. When GE introduced this color in 1968 it was simply called "Harvest" but had the wheat symbol after it. You are correct in that GE started out shading the borders of their colored appliance, but I was told by the GE service rep for NE Ohio that they stopped doing the shading after a series of complaints by the local merchants of how hard it was to match the touch up on scratched appliances in the shaded area. NOTHING ever seem to match the color! GE did seem to stop the shading after a while and I think some of the other manufacturers followed the same pattern.......
The SRT8 vane agitator is still a matter of preference. I prefer the ramped agitator hands down over the SRT8 vaned, no matter how many vanes are in it. I know some collectors who dont like the ramped agitator at all..... Sometimes trying to analyze the difference to the Nth degree is futile...... I like them all, and find each one and its variance fun to watch.........
The SRT8 vane agitator is still a matter of preference. I prefer the ramped agitator hands down over the SRT8 vaned, no matter how many vanes are in it. I know some collectors who dont like the ramped agitator at all..... Sometimes trying to analyze the difference to the Nth degree is futile...... I like them all, and find each one and its variance fun to watch.........
filterflo
New member
More of the GE ad.......
filterflo
New member
A New Color.........Harvest with the "Wheat" symbol, 1968
filterflo
New member
description of GE's new colors........
filterflo
New member
GE's Top Of the Line washer model for 1968 I have this model in white......notice it has the Srt8 vaned style MiniBasket. My washer has the Str8 vaned agitator, V16 lb capacity, in black.........
filterflo
New member
Ad from LOOK Magazine......... dated 4/30/68
westytoploader
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- Sep 4, 2004
- Messages
- 4,485
Hi Jimmy,
For some reason I had not seen this yet. Congratulations! DEFINITELY a low-mileage set for sure...they look brand new! I didn't realize GE made 18 lb. 1-speed machines; never saw one on here so I'm guessing it's a fairly rare model? And does the Activator have 8 vanes at the base, or is it the type with 4 vanes that don't quite extend all the way to the base?
--Austin
For some reason I had not seen this yet. Congratulations! DEFINITELY a low-mileage set for sure...they look brand new! I didn't realize GE made 18 lb. 1-speed machines; never saw one on here so I'm guessing it's a fairly rare model? And does the Activator have 8 vanes at the base, or is it the type with 4 vanes that don't quite extend all the way to the base?
--Austin
filterflo
New member
This Austin is the Srt8 4 vane agitator, most likely because its a MOL model. The vanes are fairly good size and it DOES wash very well! Again, I much prefer the ramped agitator but thats just me. When these machines were made, GE was not putting the ramped agitator in the larger capacity machines. It took a few more years for them to do that. The ramped agitator seems to move the clothes better, but this one still does work very well indeed, especially with the larger 18lb tub. I appreciate your congrats on this washer set, but you really need to direct those to Timonator! They are promised to him, and I know hes going to give them a good home and a good working out!
That is a beautiful set!!
I'll never forget, however, the similar set we had when I was very young. More top of the line, than this set. I believe it had the mini basket/mini wash option, dryer was TOL to match. And actually, the dryer is what made the set memorable to me. The machines couldn't have been more than 3 or 4 years old at the time, and I wasn't much older....getting ready for school one morning suddenly the house is filling with smoke from the direction of the laundry room. Mom and I are home alone at the time, and she starts screaming for me to call 911. I got off the phone and went looking for her, to find her in the laundry room, furiously throwing everything out of the room. Meanwhile the dryer, still running, is burning hot to the touch, jugs of detergent, and bleach sitting on top melting; fumes in the laundry room so bad you could pass out....After the firemen got there, took the machine out the back door, they open it up and flames are just everywhere.....and the smell after it was out....yikes. I'll never forget that day....or that dryer. Or all the little plastic toys that mom had taken out of my pockets over time, and sat on top of the dryer, still there, melted to the top of the machine. Lucky that machine was made well enough to contain the fire until help came!
I'll never forget, however, the similar set we had when I was very young. More top of the line, than this set. I believe it had the mini basket/mini wash option, dryer was TOL to match. And actually, the dryer is what made the set memorable to me. The machines couldn't have been more than 3 or 4 years old at the time, and I wasn't much older....getting ready for school one morning suddenly the house is filling with smoke from the direction of the laundry room. Mom and I are home alone at the time, and she starts screaming for me to call 911. I got off the phone and went looking for her, to find her in the laundry room, furiously throwing everything out of the room. Meanwhile the dryer, still running, is burning hot to the touch, jugs of detergent, and bleach sitting on top melting; fumes in the laundry room so bad you could pass out....After the firemen got there, took the machine out the back door, they open it up and flames are just everywhere.....and the smell after it was out....yikes. I'll never forget that day....or that dryer. Or all the little plastic toys that mom had taken out of my pockets over time, and sat on top of the dryer, still there, melted to the top of the machine. Lucky that machine was made well enough to contain the fire until help came!
Finally!
I was finally able to find the time to go visit Jimmy and pick up these fabulous machines they are as good as they look and im sure I will have lots of fun playing with them I just cant decide If I want to use them for my day to day use pair....Time will tell Thanks again Jimmy for hooking me up I will probably be dreaming about those 1-18's and maytags you showed me tonight in my dreams....Talk to you soon Tim
I was finally able to find the time to go visit Jimmy and pick up these fabulous machines they are as good as they look and im sure I will have lots of fun playing with them I just cant decide If I want to use them for my day to day use pair....Time will tell Thanks again Jimmy for hooking me up I will probably be dreaming about those 1-18's and maytags you showed me tonight in my dreams....Talk to you soon Tim
trainguy
Well-known member
TIM, YOU SHOULD HAVE......
taken those Maytags. Jimmy's twisting my arm to take them. I am so out of room, too. But those Maytags, just like that 1-18 set and your GE set, are just too perfect to pass up.
Rich
taken those Maytags. Jimmy's twisting my arm to take them. I am so out of room, too. But those Maytags, just like that 1-18 set and your GE set, are just too perfect to pass up.
Rich
filterflo
New member
Well guys, opportunity only knocks a few times, then time marches on! Yesterday, my brother and I just bought a new house for my Mom to move into, and Im giving her a choice of the Maytag set (with Suds Saver), the Frigidaire 1-18 set (she has never owned a Frigidaire washer yet, OR the current TOL Whirlpool DD digital read out set that she now owns, that Myra gave me a couple of years ago. Actually the house my Mom is moving into is not new, but the same house she and my Dad built back in 1950 and sold 36yrs ago! Hummm..... Maybe I should just give her back the 1956 GE WA755N that I still have of hers, her first automatic that she bought back in 1956!!!!
thirtyater
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- Feb 19, 2005
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What a neat thing to do Jimmy, giving your mom a chance to relive the past. My parents first house is for sale at the moment and I would love to have it but they are dreaming at their price. Has been for sale for over a year. Oh, and I think you should just give me that 1956 GE if she doesn't want it. ;-) Mom's first washer was a 1959 GE Filter Flo. Her first dryer was a clothes line, later a beautiful 1967 Speed Queen
