Largest Capacity washer ever made

[angus]

I think those Jenn-Airs were basically rebadged Magic Chefs. They were probably introduced around 1996 but I don't recall that they ever really cornered a large market. At the time, Jenn-Air was considered on the higher end of cooking appliances and made their name with those downdraft exhaust systems on their ranges. So they expanded their name to refrigerators, dishwashers and laundry. Feel free to correct me if I am off base here.

I also recall that in the 90's hearing two appliance store salesmen discussing the "new Titan 25" plastic inner tubs on Kelvinators. The tubs were warrantied for 25 years- comment from the salesman was that this was a great warranty, but since the machine itself wouldn't last more than 5 years, it seemed pointless....

Interesting point.

 

[henene4]

Isn't it the same with direct drive and at least for the EU in an extend just normal inverter motors?

They are all labeled with a 10 year warranty on the motor, some even 20.
But it's just the motor, not the board to drive it or any sensors.
And a bunch of wound copper wire won't just break.

Or as laundress said, DW tubs often have a 20 year rust warranty - just that I have never seen a DW tub rust through.

Newest scheme here is 10 year parts only warranty.
Very little worth in that of work cost is 200€ on a 300€ washer.

But on the topic of largest washer:
I think for the US it's the Whirlpool/Maytag 6.2cuft washer? Or were they 5.8?

 

[launderess]

IIRC Magic Chef never made a washing machine in their lives.

Fedders bought Magic Chef then gobbled up Norge from Borg Warner. Thus any Magic Chef washer likely is Norge to some extent under the bonnet.

https://www.automaticwasher.org/cgi-bin/TD/TD-VIEWTHREAD.cgi?89593_20~1



Am not 100% sure but after Maytag/Maycor got their mitts on Norge, at some point their Performa washers were bit of Norge under bonnet as well, at least machines claiming 22lb capacity.

What often happened going back ages is both appliance dealers and customers wanted same brand across line. That is washing machine, dryer, dishwasher, range, oven, etc...

This was fine for some larger appliance makers like General Electric who had fingers in dozens of different pies. Others simply went out and bought or merged with a company that had what they wanted.

Jenn-Air got their start making industrial/commercial fans. That lead them to first down draft self ventilated range. Other small kitchen appliances, dishwashers, microwave ovens and fridges followed, but no laundry appliances.

 

[angus]

To clarify, I know that Magic Chef didn't build their own washers or dryers. However by the 1990s appliance dealers in my area basically didn't carry any anything with the Norge nameplate so any laundry equipment was labeled Magic Chef and that was my reference point. And yes, it is correct that the Maytag Performa line was pretty much Norge "under the hood". Of course, my memory may be faulty but I seem to think that some very early Performas were similar to the Dependable Care line, save for a few features, but that didn't last very long. As I said though, that memory may be a little "off".

The idea of the Performa line was to give people the Maytag name at a lower price point. I can't imagine the disappointment of people who thought they were buying something that would last for generations. Kind of like that basic Tide in the yellow bottle or Bounty Basics paper towels. You buy into the concept of the overall brand but the actual performance is usually way different from the "flagship" brand.

 

[DADoES]

 
Norge (and Amana? they bought it in 2002) merge into Maytag was also (or primarily?) to get larger capacity without having to retool the existing washer design.

 

[repairguy]

Magic Chef bought Norge in 1979 and Maytag bought Magic Chef in 1986. Amana was purchased by Maytag in 2001.

 

[repairguy]

Maytag bought Jenn-Air in 1982.

 

[launderess]

Leave us not forget KitchenAid....

When owned by Hobart KA brand was largely known for stand mixers, dishwashers, waste disposers and few other bits.

Kitchenaid bought Chambers to expand their product line to include ranges, ovens, and other cooking appliances. Whirlpool subsequently gobbled up Kitchenaid which got them not only KA but Chambers....

Whirlpool added refrigerators, and laundry appliances. For latter WP seemed to have positioned Kitchen Aid as slightly more upscale.

https://www.company-histories.com/KitchenAid-Company-History.html

It's wicked when you think about it; handful of global conglomerates basically own majority of appliance brands.

 

[rpms]

I remember seeing an ad for the Beatty brothers hotel size wringer washer.
Wondering if the agitator and rollers were bigger too? The tub looked larger than normal.

 

[launderess]

Ohh yes!

Thor, Beatty Bros. and others marketed washing machines for small to medium sized hotels. They also would serve for convents, monasteries, schools, care homes, large private homes or estates.... Places that had more laundry than say private home, but not enough to warrant investment in larger commercial equipment of the time. Today of course this market is served by on premises laundry (OPL) equipment.

This washers had bit larger capacity, but nearly all relied still upon wringers early on. At least in USA small extractors that didn't require bolting down were not available, nor did many have separate motors. Many were driven by belts and or other means commonly found in commercial settings, but lacking elsewhere.

https://www.johnsonrarebooks.com/pa...er-the-washing-method-experts-have-found-best

https://www.google.com/books/editio...inger+washer&pg=RA20-PA27&printsec=frontcover

 

[Chetlaham]

What about the super capacity post FF GE washers? I remember it being mentioned in their advertising.

 

[gelaundry4ever]

GE

I could've sworn GE built the largest capacity machine in 1995 with the post filter-flo washer.

 

[ultrawash]

I think the largest modern TL was the WP/KM/MT 6.2 cu ft washer from 2016.

 

[henene4]

So it was 6.2cuft

Thought I red that number somewhere.

Currently available, the largest is LGs 5.8cuft FL TOL offering.

Certainly for dryers, the largest is 9cuft currently offered by LG and previously by WP/MT aswell IIRC.

 

[logixx]

Again per energystar.gov, Whirlpool made the largest (recent) dryer at 9.2 cu.ft.

https://www.ajmadison.com/cgi-bin/ajmadison/WED9500EW.html

 

[qsd-dan]

I think the largest modern TL was the WP/KM/MT 6.2 cu ft

Anybody know the max water fill in gallons?

 

[neptunebob]

When Maytag took over Norge to create the Atlantis washer - did they make it any less aggressive?  Or does the Atlantis hard on clothes too?

 

[combo52]

Largest conventional top loading washer ever

By far the largest usable capacity several mention where the whirlpool machines from about 1967 through 81 especially the ones with the duel action agitator these would wash a bigger load than any other American topload washer.

Reply number one is kind of ridiculous laundress there are no regulations on how many pounds a washing machine can wash In housing codes building codes etc.

There are many machines including current Speed Queen front loaders that are rated at 22 pound capacity.

There are many large front load washers today that you could probably pack more than 30 pounds of clothing into as well as the really big top load machines with impellers you could pack a lot of laundry in.

These new tops load machines in particular will not wash clothing uniformly and effectively with loads over 10-15 pounds.

Norge washing machines were never known to be hard on clothing.

In 50 years of working on washing machines I have never had a customer complain about a Norge damaging clothing. With the exception of some of the machines around 1970 where the plastic poly propylene agitators would have fins break off in the middle leaving rough edges those would start to damage clothing until you replace the agitator.

In fact the only traditional washer that was ever judged to actually damage clothing were Maytags with a standard power fin agitator when Consumer Reports tested one speed machines even the Norge did not damage delicate curtain panels like the Maytag did.

John L

 

[neptunebob]

The direct drive Whirlpool looks to be larger

But I guess the largest one was a belt drive?  Did Maytag modify Norge when they turned it into Atlantis?

 

[Chetlaham]

Wait, I'm confused. How did the 1967-1981 BDs hold the most clothes? Why did the DDs hold less?