Maytags - Revisited

[whirlcool]

A couple we know asked us to watch their house while they are in Europe for six weeks. They asked us to go by and make sure the place looks lived in. So every few days when I'm home we'll go spend a night over there. Dogs and all.
These are the freinds who have 1981 or so Maytag's. It appears that the washer is near TOL while the dryer is near BOL.
Anyway, we had a set very similar to these (1985) that we got rid of. I thought they were boring and never really had good turnover. So since laundry had to be done, I thought why don't we take our laundry over there last night and do it in the Maytags? We hoped the people wouldn't mind.
I now have changed my mind about these Maytags! These machines really filled up to the top with water! The rollover action was very good. And amazingly, the way that machine rinsed clothes was excellent. Much better than our TOL Whirlpools do! A lot of the times we have to run an extra rinse or two just to get all the suds out, in these Maytags one rinse did the trick! We were able to speed thru about 10 days worth of laundry in 3 hours.
The dryer has that chime I guess that lets you know when the perm press cycle was completed. It sounds like those bells you used to see on bicycles in the 50's. And it's persistant! I think it goes off every two minutes over and over again until you come get the clothes!
Anyway, maybe something was wrong with the Maytag set we had. These are very nice machines and my opinion of this era Maytag machines has changed. I really like those now.
Next time we go over there I'll take some photos.

 

[gadgetgary]

'Next time we go over there I'll take some photos.&#

Please do....Would love to see some glamour shots.

I have become a Maytag convert too after my recent find.

 

[brettsomers]

Whirlcool, was the washer you had in the 80's the Dependable Care style with the short agitation stroke? those short-stroke models do NOT seem to turn bulky items or very full loads like the old wide-stroke models. not at all.

 

[danemodsandy]

Same Here!

Yep, my 'Tags are really great too. I was SO unhappy with the spin on my former Whirly DD's. On the 'Tag, clothes come out really clean and really spun dry. I'm running the matching 'Tag dryer about half as long as the Whirly had to run.

Who says vintage machines were energy hogs? I'm also of the opinion that I'm using less water overall, since the Whirlys required an extra rinse and spin on heavy loads, to get out all the detergent. The 'Tag does it in one go. I never have to intervene with a load and redistribute, or re-rinse, nothing. Truly automatic- just set the dial and listen to the lovely sound of the Maytags doing the wash while I do something ELSE.

 

[laundryshark]

Classic Maytag Sounds

And I miss the sounds of those classic Maytags. Would be neato to find a good audio or video of one.--Laundry Shark

 

[danemodsandy]

LaundryShark:

Don't get a recording- get a Maytag!

 

[gyrafoam]

I think the switch-over from Newton Drive to Orbital Drive occured around 1989 or 1990. Preformance really took a nose-dive with the advent of the Orbital (big-tub)----especially the rinse---not enough time (90 sec.) to roll-over the load (even once most times!) when set at the highest water level.

 

[laundryshark]

Then Get Me a Recording of a Good Maytag!

Danemodsandy:

Since I rent an efficiency apartment, and since we are restricted to doing laundry with the available coin operated machines on our residential floors, the next best thang would be for somebody to offer me a decent quality recording of a good Maytag. In this fashion, I can enjoy playing it back without the worry of taking up limited floor space, breaking the machine, or wearing out the washer itself. *wide grins*--Laundry Shark

 

[whirlcool]

Believe it or not, I took my camera over there to take a few photos, but I forgot the storage card!
Anyway the washer is a model LA710 and the dryer a LDE710. I thought that the washer and dryer were different "levels, BOL&TOL, but I guess they are a matched set. Are these MOL machines?
I'll try again for a photo in a day or so.

 

[irishwashguy]

They sound like TOL to me

My mother has a set from 1987 a 412 washer and a 712 Dryer with the original Trans The dryer, just like you decribed, does ring at the end of the program. The dryer has an electronic sensor that stops the dryer when they are dry. With the filter in the front, and the wide agitate, they do a great job, much like the older set my mom had before, her old, old set. These are gems. the spin drain, I was always mesnorised by the slosh, slosh slosh, shlosh.I know that sound very well.From the time that the washer starts to drain, it should take 45 seconds to drain all the way, and come up to spin, then a full spin, wiht the little glug, glug glug. Simplicity at ti's finest.OH!! before I forget, the year my mom bought the new set, they did not have the dryer my mom bought by the time they were ready for delivery, so the lady at Brockmans Maytag gave a free up grade to the TOL 712 dryer with the bell. The drum is also a little bigger than the rest of themit is not bigger persay, but deeper, even a drum light is included. Isn't Maytag Fabulous!!

 

[rp2813]

Allen, I'm in a similar situation with a similar set of Maytags and am waiting to accumulate enough laundry to use them. Can't wait to hear the sound of an old Maytag washer doing its thing. It's been almost 10 years since I replaced my daily driver center-dial model. These machines where my partner and I are house-sitting are the later design brown control panels with larger capacity but underneath they are still the old center-dials. I felt the porcelain tub on the washer and it's so smooth and it all looks so new, I'm sure these people will have this pair for many years to come now that their kids are grown and living elsewhere. They must be closing in on 20 years old and going strong. Hope to see pictures of the pair you've got access to. I haven't looked for model numbers on this pair but will try to find out.

Ralph