Is it still possible to find an 80's BD kenmore W/D?

[speed_queen75]

Hi guys i was just wondering if it was still possible to find an 80's BD kenmore W/D set, I am returining to the states YAY!!!! and need a washer and dryer, but i dont want the shredmores that are on the market today, i know that Speed Queen still makes the slow stroke agitation, but i really love Kenmores, dual action BD's. We are moving back to the Cleveland TN area, and was hoping some one could give me some input where to find one of these jewls.
Well hope to hear from yall thanks Lee

 

[gyrafoam]

They show up in used appliances stores and shlak (Bargain) stores all the time.
I don't think it will take you long to find some.

 

[tolivac]

In my area-they have dried up!Just disappeared-so I will have to hang onto the 3 that I have.The swap shops here haven't seen ANY.All the places have are the Shredmore blender washers.

 

[speed_queen75]

Yeah i have heard that in the south

It is almost impossible to find the BD KN WP, seems like all the places i have called in the area, only have the shredmore washers. Thanks Tolivac, BTW would you be willing to sell one?
Thanks Guys Lee

 

[tolivac]

I'll have to give it thought on selling one of mine-right now would like to hang onto it.Have asked the places to call me if they run into any older washers-including a neighbor who works on applinaces at his home-told him about the Applianceville website-he might be interested in it.He too has the Shredmore washers.He mentioned he hasn't seen a BD KN or WP in a long time.One second hand place says he hasn't seen any-the other says he doesn't want to deal with them.Sad in the second case-they are BETTER machines.Glad I swaped out my DD machine when I did-it was starting to eat up my clothes.The design would be great if they could slow the speed down and redesign the transmission to give the longer stroke.I wouldn't think that would be hard to do.The BD machines slowed the transmission speed down by virtue of the small pully on the motor and larger one on the transmission-hence lower speed.A gearbox on the DD transmission could do the same thing.

 

[speed_queen75]

Why is it that southern states

It's impossible to find any BD machines where as up north and west there all over the place, i never understood that, i really hate the fact that all that might be found are the shredmores, which are like blenders.

 

[DADoES]

There's a ~1986 BD Whirlpool next door to me being used regularly. I saw a gold Whirly LHA5700 (1979?) at a resale shop recently, it was gone when I drove by there a couple days ago. A black electronic control KM pair at another resale shop a few weeks ago, but I didn't stop to check if it was BD or DD (by the width as seen from the road, possibly is BD).

 

[speed_queen75]

well i have called

Some used appliance stores in the cleveland area, and all have told me they have none, i have not yet checked the pawn shops or the salvation army yet. Just wondering why they are so hard to come by, and when people do get rid of them where do they take them, or who for that matter takes them and to where? Well hope to find out more Ok Ciao Lee

 

[rickr]

Not to worry.....

Just wait until you get here. If you cannot find one, we will find one for you. They were the most popular machine, so many are still out there in use. I know of a few of them for sale at a used appliance store in my city right now. They always have two of three on the sales floor whenever I stop in.

 

[maytagmark]

These are the machines I grew up with,I remember the first Whirlpool we got around 1970, I have an 80's model BD in storage,I never thought of it being that old until I called to get a wig wag for it and the guy said I havn't seen one of those in a long time,The price seemed a little high for the part so its still not fixed. A friend of mine got a BD Whirlpool from a friend af hers,It was leaking and all it needed was a new drain hose,we did the first load and it brought back memories of all the sounds they make that I hadn't heard in a while,I'll bring mine home and fix it and use it as a second washer downstairs,I already have the Maytag Dependable Care that I just got upstairs,It replaced a DD Roper that was shaking all over the place in the spin cycle.

 

[gyrafoam]

I see them all the time around Atlanta.

 

[goatfarmer]

I still see them regularly. In fact, I have a Lady Kenmore 90 series, and at least 1 BD Whirlpool in my storage barn, that I would part with.

kennyGF

 

[tolivac]

In the South there are no basements-and the laundry rooms in homes are small-often only big enough for a washer and a dryer and nothing elese.fortunately my home has a fairly large laundry room.The KN oldies I would like to see and have are those with the big old fat "pregnant" Roto Swirl agitators.My grandmother had one and so did my stepmom.Could it be some Southerners are hanging onto their BD machines as I am?I don't blame them with the lame quality machines out there now and the WAY OVERPRICED FL washers.Other Washers I would love to have in my "small" collection would be a Norge and an older Speed Queen.You don't see Speed Queens out here AT ALL.The swap shops say they never run into them.For a new SQ washer the nearest dealer is in Charlotte.Same thing with Norge or its variants-you just don't find them here.Eastern NC seems to be a disappointing place for washer hunters.

 

[speed_queen75]

It seems strange for the southeastern states.

Where i am from Savannah GA, i ran into a lot of oldie washers, and dryers, it seems that the southeastern states, keep thier washers till they totoaly fall apart, and repairman dont want to fix them, so they buy the cheapiest thing on the market which is sad, the repair shops i have called in the Cleveland TN area told me that they will not even bother fixing a BD machine, one even told me they wont even come out to look at it, and said that they are poor in quality and performance,(Boy is he full of it!!). Anyhoo, i hope that i can find a good BD kenmore set in the Cleveland TN area, cause i REFUSE!!! to have a Blender washer shredmore. When i do get back i'll start looking if i need yalls help findin one i know i can ask the experts (Wink)
Well gotta run ciao yall Lee

 

[goprog]

Sorry to ask this question, but want to make sure I'm
interpreting this code correctly.

BD = belt drive?
DD = direct drive?

I've read numerous references to shredmores on this and
other threads, I had been thinking it referred to a
particular brand I didn't know about (and thought it would
eventually be made clear), but now I'm thinking it is
referring to direct drive washers? I don't think I've
ever used one, but I think a friend has one. Are they all
"just as bad", do they really tear up clothes, why?

 

[liamwa]

goprog

Yes BD means belt drive Whirlpool and DD means direct drive Whirlpool. Whirlpool made its belt drive washer chassis from 1948 to around 1985/86. This transmission had a nice long 195 degrees ark of agitation at around 68 strokes per minute. Whirlpool also manufactured this design under other names, Kenmore for sears, Inglis in Canada, Roper, and some others. In the early eighties Whirlpool designed their new direct drive transmission, which has a short 90 degrees ark of agitation at around 180 strokes per minute at normal speed. The DD chassis eventually replace the BD in all the whirlpool owned brands by the end of the mid eighties. Shredmore refers to the dual action cork screw agitator which debuted on Kenmore BD machines in 1977. This agitator is now on all Whirlpool DD washers including the new Maytags or "whirltags" as we call them here. I guess they call it the shredmore because the fast short stroke of the DD tranny combine with this agitator has a reputation for being harsh on your clothes.

I hope this answers your questions.
Liam

 

[goprog]

Thanks. So without going out and tearing machines apart
at my local store, do some/any machines still come with
belt drive or has everyone gone to direct drive? Is it
only the "whirltags" that have the associated, offending
agitator and speed/cycle? I'm sure the washer in the house
Mom bought last year is a Whirpool DD then, given the years
you mention, so I'll have to inform her of this so she can
watch for any problems.

 

[maytagmark]

An easy way to tell besides the size of the machine is the back panel,if it has an access panel in the back at the bottom its a BD, if the back is one solid piece it is a DD,on a DD once you loosen the control panel screws and two at the bottom rear and pop off the two clips at the top the whole machine comes apart,the whole body can be lifted off of the frame. Mark

 

[maytagmark]

oops

I just reread your post I was thinking used appliance store and I think you were refering to new,all new Whirlpool and Maytags will be DD. Not sure of the other brands. Mark