It's 1962!

[MikeS]

If I had something to say in 1962, my mom wouldn't have replaced her Westinghouse Laundromat with a trouble-prone Sears Kenmore 800 series. No, it would have been either:
1. A Maytag--any Maytag. If it was good enough for The Beverly Hillbillies and Don and Betty Draper, it was good enough for me. Or
2. A GE Filter-Flo V-12 with the exterior automatic bleach dispenser in turquoise, like our next door neighbor had.
If mom had insisted on a Kenmore, I would have told her to stick with the "frog-eye" models--they would have been far more reliable than the POS 800 series that kept breaking down.

 

[mixfinder]

Of the Three

Hands down Frigidaire. It was well known, sold and serviced by Killingstad Brothers and Frigidaire was rock solid with ranges and refrigerator. Had never heard of Philco and Kelvinator was sold in Yakima by Bemis Bros. Dad's cousin had one and hated it, so by default Frigidaire wins. Living in farming country dirt was a way of life and solid tubs didn't handle dirt and sand well. (We did and I would have voted for a Maytag if the broader choice was available.)

 

[polkanut]

Martin,

Sounds like your mom had what has been referred to here as a "diaper washer". BOL machine to wash all those diapers and baby clothes. Baby-boomers indeed! lol

 

[chaskelljr2]

It's 1962 and I need a new washer, and what would I buy?

Having been a lifelong Kenmore fan and all, and I were to buy a machine back in 1962, and I wanted something different from Whirlpool/Kenmore, what would I buy???

I think I would get a Frigidaire.

That's what I would buy...... a Frigidaire.....

--Charles--

 

[bajaespuma]

Lawrence,

Our 1962 V-12's got given away to the people who bought our house in NYC. I say given away because the year was 1978, NYC real estate market was at an historic rock bottom, and two years later, after Ray-gun was in office, the property was worth eight time what is was sold for. Oy.

It is also my dream to find, either a TOL pair of 1962 Filter-flo's or ANY pair of 1961 models. Look what else was downstairs in that same house(although they left the building long before the sale):

 

[ingliscanada]

In Canada

Every other home in those days had either Inglis or Kenmore.

 

[joelippard]

Jed

Tell me why it is you need a new spin shaft? Why don't you consider putting up a picture thread of the machine and the issues you face with it. I'm sure you can get plenty of help here and maybe the parts you need.

 

[easyspindry]

It's got to be a Frigidaire . . .

. . . the faster spin does it for me. They are beautiful machines and mechanically top notch.

The faster spin means less drying time, and many items can go from washer to ironer and then be put away crisp and fresh.

Jerry Gay

 

[lebron]

Hi Joe, after asking the opinions of many people, they told me that if the agitator rotates independently of the tub that it needs a new spin shaft...

 

[joelippard]

Jed, sounds like it needs the spin shaft key which is what I needed on my Rapidry -- it was doing the same thing. They're pretty easy to replace -- you've got to take the tub out to do it though.

 

[sensi-temp]

My parents would not buy from a dealer they personally did not know so it would have been a Hotpoint. My mother, along with many woment a the time, would NEVER have bought an automatic, "they use tons & tons of water & your clothes come out grey". We never had an automatic until 1985 when my father became very ill. None of my mother's family ever had an automatic nor a dryer, they were for lazy town women.

 

[qsd-dan]

It's got to be a Frigidaire. . . the faster spin does it for me. They are beautiful machines and mechanically top notch.

The faster spin means less drying time, and many items can go from washer to ironer and then be put away crisp and fresh.

I think some you guys forget that '62 was the Multimatic design which had the slowest spin speeds of any GM Frigidaire washer, especially for the '63/'64 models that got the cheaper clutches. They were also the most complicated design, hence being the most unreliable, not to mention a royal PITA to work on.

 

[gansky1]

Sho' nuff got to be:

Maytag.

 

[gansky1]

.2

 

[mrcleanjeans]

Well then, since '62 was a slower spin Frigidaire, I'll take the Philco.

 

[300c]

Let's do the Splashy Kelvy

The Kelvinator is known to have a simple mechanism, and the machine not only washes and rinses well, but also is gentle on the clothes.

I'd get the model closest to Unimatic1140's Fargo Kelvinator. It has a clean, simple look and seems easy to operate and to have all the necessary features.

Finally, AMC was big enough and doing well enough to stand by their products.

 

[laundromat]

In 1962

I remember we had an Easy automatic (the Rivera)a 2 speed solid tub washer that was either a lemon or just couldn't handle the many loads of wash we did for a family of twelve.We eventualy trashed it and got a Lady kenmore gas combo.It lasted us from 1963 to 1981 with just 2 repairs.If I'd had my way,it would havwe been

1.FRIGIDAIRE Custom Imperials in turquoise
2.A Bendix gas combo
3.A Kelvinator top of the line pair. Both with windows.