Help me decide between a Maytag A885 or 2017 Speed Queen AWN as a daily driver.

[rp2813]

". . . nothing but scrap metal . . ."

Douglas, I couldn't have said it better myself.  No automatic washer could match a genuine Maytag for build quality and durability then, and for sure nothing built today is even in the same league.  Porcelain enamel beats powder coated paint any day.

 

Eugene's work on refurbishing older Maytag and Whirlpool-sourced automatic washers speaks to their build quality compared to the best option for a conventional top-loader on the market today, which I would agree is the Speed Queen, but the SQ is flimsy in comparison.

 

You're preaching to the choir about the belt issues with SQ machines.  They seem to have intentionally designed things to make the belt the Achilles heel that saves more expensive components from failure (much like the plastic gearing on WP-produced KitchenAid stand mixers), but belts still shouldn't get chewed up so quickly on a machine that's properly operated.    Why can't Alliance come up with a fix for this chronic problem that so many here and elsewhere on line have reported?

 

I gave up on Consumer Reports after they top-rated the '97 Amana we bought.  It was on its third belt when we ditched it after nine years.  That had to have skewed the "frequency of repair" numbers badly for the Amana they top-rated, and I see no reason to think it wouldn't still be doing the same for Speed Queens.

 

[good-shepherd]

no likely hood that MT DC will go to age 45 Years

Have to disagree with that statement.

We've seen a number of people come on this site looking for help with 40-45 year old (or older) Maytag DC machines.

Yeah, they usually need a lot work but they made it that long with little to no repairs.

The almond MT washer "wa9aLqTh" is getting rid of appeared to be around 1980 vintage, hard to believe but that was 40 years ago, yikes..

 

[combo52]

1980 MT against a 10 YO SQ Commercial TL Washer

Hi Ralph, The 1997 Amana you had has almost nothing to do with an Alliance Ripon Wi built washer. The Amanas and AmanaTag washers and dryers were full of problems.

 

Around a decade ago SQ did something to improve belt life, several techs have told me they can't believe that the belts just don't fail any longer. I only change 1 or 2 a year, our whole company maybe changes around 4-6 a year, We are responsible for backing the service on almost 10,000 SQ TL Washers in our service area.

 

Just last year SQ went back to an aluminum main drive pulley to further extend belt life, this keeps the belt cooler durning overload conditions.

 

The belt is easy to change, you only need a 5/16" nut driver to remove the front panel [ it is easier to remove than a Mts front panel ] Then you just remove three pump clips with your fingers and flip the belt in place, snap the pump back on and install the front panel, you are done in under 10 minutes, Yes it is easier to change the belts on a MT DC.

 

Hi Douglas, a 1980 MT DC will be very lucky to last another 5 years without repairs and likely major rebuilding, this makes a 10 YO SQ a much better bet, to say nothing about better performance and greater capacity, the SQ will likely last another 20 years with just minor repairs.

 

John L.

 

[frigilux]

Greetings Dave (wa9aLqTh), and welcome to what happens when you ask an “either/or” question here at Automatic Washer, lol. There’s never a shortage of opinions about and personal experiences with any washer you’d care to name.

Just for the record, I have no interest whatsoever in repairing my own washer. I’m the person who helps keep guys like John (combo52) and Eugene (Lorainfurniture) in business.

In light of that, my vote goes for the Speed Queen. It’s still a very young machine and parts will be readily available for many years when service is required.

I have a 2017 SQ top-loader and am very happy with its performance.[this post was last edited: 11/19/2020-08:19]