If Whirlpool were to bring back the Direct Drives

[Chetlaham]

Would Whirlpool face any legal consequences for bringing back the direct drive? Would the EPA go after Whirlpool for doing so? What is actually holding them back?

 

 

The way I feel is that if Whirlpool brought back the direct drives there would be a huge buyer's market. People would purchase direct drives over most other washers knowing what has managed to work for them flawlessly over the decades. It would eliminate many complaints and put Whirlpool back into serious competition.

 

Key would be building them exactly like they did in the 90s, and with precision tooling. Why isn't this being done?

 

[agiflow]

If Whirlpool brought back the direct drive I believe they would probably outsell everyone else easily even Speed Queen. I don't think there were any top loaders as versatile as top of the line 3 speed models from Whirlpool KitchenAid or Kenmore.

Remember though, you would have to increase the capacity for people who don't want to go to the laundromat to wash their giant comforters.

 

[appnut]

I vote to bring back belt drives not direct drives. Design belt drives to achieve the faster spin speed of DDs.

 

[combo52]

If whirlpool were to bring back the direct drive washers

And other musings from Chet’s sandbox, I feel so sorry you are so far removed from Reality. It’s not funny your poor parents.

I hope Chrysler brings back the 1967 Dodge dart as well and it’s just as likely as whirlpool bringing back an old design, no company has ever done such a thing. Where do you get these ideas lol

John L

 

[agiflow]

Having two classic belt drives now Bob I concur !!!

 

[maytag85]

Reply #2

You could increase the spin speed a little, but the belt drives use a unitized construction where everything is all one piece vs something like a Maytag where it’s a standing chassis (think body on frame if you will), which is able to achieve a spin speed over 700 rpm without moving on a concrete floor.

If you do increase your the spin speed on a belt drive, it’ll move and have more vibrations since that’s just an idiosyncrasy of the belt drive design. While the spin speed is on the lower end, it was fast compared to the Westinghouse and Bendix machines of the 1940’s and early 1950’s.

The only belt drives that go away with a fast spin speed were the portables. Maybe design a direct drive-like machine but have a free standing chassis like the direct drive.

 

[gelaundry4ever]

bring back the direct drives

They would get a whole lot of business. These washers were ahead of their time than even the filter-flos when they first came out.

 

[johnb300m]

You guys are off your rockers.
There’s another thread already talking about how WP can barely stand on their own right now.
AND, they still make the DD transmission but the tooling is so worn out, they’re not very good quality anymore.

It’s not really the government preventing the DD from being made.
The DD has far more parts in it than the VMW washers. Therefore it would cost them too much to make it. If they did, it would be the price of a Speed Queen or more.

That would ONLY happen if Speed Queen became a REAL threat to WP. Which they are not, yet.

Keep dreaming kids, while the rest of us live in the real world.

 

[agiflow]

What is life without hopes and dreams ? What is the main premise of this site if it's not holding onto things that are no more part of the "real world"?

 

[panasonicvac]

I have to concur with reply #1. King size comforters won't fit in my Kenmore 90 Series but it can in my LG front loader. This is one of the reasons why laundromats are turning away from top loaders in favor of front loaders, even I prefer using front loaders over top loaders myself. In fact my newest local laundromat that just opened recently doesn't have a single top loader, only five different size of front loaders. While I think it'd be awesome for the DD or belt drives to return, I really don't see myself buying one at least not brand new.

 

[Chetlaham]

Considering that forum members are saying I'm living in a sand box and detached from reality about having the most proven and economical washer in the history of humanity back in laundry rooms tells me theses people are only here with the intent to troll.

 

 

I could understand that sentiment about other washers considering they have impractical design flaws among their great strenths (like the slow spin speed of wig-wag direct drives) but to compare a direct drive washer to a 1967 dart is just ridiculous. 

 

 

The success and the consumer desire, need and approval of direct drive washer is not my idea.  

 

[Chetlaham]

Pat, some things I could understand not being part of the real world. GE filter flos used more water per load size, handled off balance loads poorly and had a boot that could detach and dump dozens of gallons of water on the floor. Some competing designs were an improvement.  

 

 

But to say someone wants direct drives back based solely on nostalgia or sentimental reasons I feel that to be unture. Direct drives approach the clean ability, performance, longevity and balancing of a TL Speed Queen while using fewer raw materials. That makes direct drives the most economical, cheapest, affordable and most environmentally friendly TL washer ever produced. 

 

 

 

 

[agiflow]

The DD was probably the pinnacle of top load washer technology. They certainly got the weight down at least 50-60 lbs.from the belt drive and just 2 screws and 2 clips to pull off the cabinet to the whole works.

 

[Chetlaham]

Was? Probably? More like still is. And in theory the DD would be at least a few hundred cheaper to build than a Speed Queen. Giving Whirlpool the competitive edge. 

 

[Chetlaham]

<blockquote>
<span style="color: #ff9900;">You guys are off your rockers.
There’s another thread already talking about how WP can barely stand on their own right now.  </span>

 

 

</blockquote>
Right, because Whirlpool kept cheapening everything to the point that not even equations or quality control could save them.


<blockquote>

AND, they still make the DD transmission but the tooling is so worn out, they’re not very good quality anymore.  

 

 

 

 

 

 

</blockquote>
Right, which is why I said make them like they did in the 90s. With today's precision technology a DD could have such tight tolerances it could rival a Maytag dependable care


 

 

 

<blockquote>

It’s not really the government preventing the DD from being made.
The DD has far more parts in it than the VMW washers. Therefore it would cost them too much to make it. If they did, it would be the price of a Speed Queen or more.

</blockquote>
 

 

DDs have less raw material than a Speed Queen. For one the whole putter tub is made of plastic. How or why would they cost more than a Speed Queen?

<blockquote>
 

 



That would ONLY happen if Speed Queen became a REAL threat to WP. Which they are not, yet.



 

</blockquote>
Yup, not yet...

 

[gelaundry4ever]

Whirlpool direct drive

The Whirlpool direct drive was the pinnacle in the advancement in laundry technology indeed. It's a shame GE copied them, then eventually followed the VMW design that Whirlpool made and is to this day still being made.

 

[daveamkrayoguy]

What kind of drive is exactly Whirlpool & any other makes using today?

It's not back to belts is it?

I'm periodically wishing if not for my daughter needing a "pet handling" machine which is our Maytag, and the guinea pigs, which we no longer own, and had never did shed any hair, that we'd kept that Kenmore...

 

Though I do like our Maytag dryer, which is a regular one, not the washer-matching PetPro...

 

 

 

-- Dave

 

[neptunebob]

To place a mechanical timer on the VMW mechanism they have now on the washers, at least on the low priced ones? That would help make them more reliable. Whirlpool should also right now be trying to find a more reliable vendor for the circuit boards and have a program to replace the ones giving trouble.

Would it be possible...

 

[pierreandreply4]

i am all for the return of mechanical timers

i am all for the return of mechanical timers aspecaly with dealing with a maytag washer that do not even dispense warm or hot water when set to warm or hot and the fact that i need to use the deep fill function when i could simply set water level to needed wash size auto sense water level is not even precise if load is large model of my curent washer is maytag mvw 6230hw other than normal quick wash heavy duty wrinkle controls delicate most of the cycles on the dial other then clean washer with afresh because of electronics and rinse spin i rarely use