My 1970's Kelvinator 184 has arrived.

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That looks like the perfect amalgam to the washers my mother had. Exterior is like her '64 Hotpoint, also her '99 Kenmore because of the side opening lid. Interior looks like her '72 Maytag, as well as the '93 Tag she has in her new house.

Have a good one,
James
 
This is what's under her skirt....

As requested by Toggles: a pic of what's under the Kelvy's skirt.

Note the similarities to Maytag's of the 60's: the suspension system, the pivoting motor and helical drive. The gearbox is an Oz design. In trade circles, its affectionally called the "flying saucer" or "sputnik" gearbox.

She does have some surface rust which will be taken care of.

Cheers
Leon

11-13-2007-01-26-49--mayfan69.jpg
 
OPM and degree of arc

Hey Brett,

According to my repair manuals for Simpson's with same gearbox,they state 56 OPM (normal speed) 38 (slow speed)but don't specify the degree of arc...i'm guessing it would be somewhere between 203 - 210 degrees

Cheers
Leon
 
Forgive me for riving an old thread but I don't know where else to ask.

 

 

Why does this washer bear an uncanny resemblance to Maytag in many regards? Tub, agitator, suspension, pump, belt system, ect, ect. Did Maytag build this washer for them? Did Kelvinator lease Maytag's patents? Was there any liability? This is new to me. 
 
Dave, I fully agree. I also love the control panel design both in style and offerings. Independent temperatures and spin speeds offering ever combination needed for total fabric care.

 

The Maytag dependable care mechanism (with over sized saucer but built as an equally reliable transmission) should have many more names attached to it like Kelvinator, White-Westinghouse, Frigidaire, Norge, Moffat, McCalary, JCPenney, Montgomery Wards, Universal, RCA, Tappan, Magic Chef, Amana, Gibson, Crosely, Admiral, Borge Wagner, Jenn-Air, Neptune, Performa, Hoover, Sylvania, Modern-Maid, Kleen-Maid, Sunray, Litton, Gaffers & Satler, Dynasty, Hardwick, Holiday, Glenwood, Caloric, Admiral, Jade, Kenmore, Galaxy, Capri, Moffat, Viking, Thermador, ect. 

 

 

Along with new multi syllable semi corny names names like:  Tray-Speigel, Bapko, House Craft, Plum Forest, Lewen, Relion, Lambion, Slosh & Foster, Nepperrie, Setcko, Clean House, Easy Living, Chamstraw, Breeze Clean, Clean Day, Clean Home, Bliss Ease, Sparkle & Dream, Aqua Jet, Waldwhick, Silver Clear, Leaf & Frasier, Slaw-Water, R&R, Maid Home, Kamberlin, Trust Guardian, Dependable, Heritage Shield, Clear & Silver, Dynasty House, Esquire Home, Laundry Day, Top-Line, Quality Klean, Predellair, Bright Symphony, Dullampo, Drum-Mark, Lake Stream, Domestic Electric, Sun-Home, Chadwhich, True-Line, Peak Value, Honor Star, ect. Each name highlighting and emphasizing the unique gifts a Maytag DC brings to the home.     

 

What a dream it would have been to have so many brand names all with the Maytag DC mechanism. 
 
Kelvinator connection with Maytag

Hi Chet and Dave,

I'll try and give you a timeline of the connection between Kelvinator and Maytag here in Australia from the information that I know.

Kelvinator existed as their own brand here in Australia and produced the 'Orbital' washer from about 1958 until the end of 1970. I have two in my collection. Please see here:

https://www.automaticwasher.org/cgi-bin/TD/TD-VIEWTHREAD.cgi?15349

During these years, there were two other brands that Kelvinator would eventually be connected with. The first was 'Pope Norge', a brand that manufactured their own washing machines from the early 1960's: these had the 'Maytag' looking mechanicals you see in this thread: so I can only guess and surmise that Pope Norge must have had the rights to use the Maytag mechanicals in their machines (except for the 'flying saucer' gearbox).

The other brand was of course 'Simpson', which mainly manufactured the Beam design 'Fluid Drive' from 1958 until about 1975. Simpson took an ownership stake in 'Pope Norge' in the 1960's and so had two different washing machine lines in production: the Beam design 'Fluid Drive' and the 'Maytag' design you see in this 184.

Once Kelvinator ceased producing the 'Orbital' design, they had Simpson produce the 'Pope Norge' design under the Kelvinator brand from 1971 until about 1976 when they were basically Simpson cloned machines with changes to the gearbox and suspension design from 1976 onwards to the mid 1980's.

Simpson phased out the the 'Fluid Drive' design in 1975 and went to the 'Pope Norge' design for their washer line.

Eventually, Kelvinator ceased being a brand of washing machines here in Australia sometime in the 1980's.

For reference, the 184 eventually died and so I kept the control panel to go onto another donor machine at some stage in the future.

Hope this helps.

Cheers
Leon
 
Reply # 32

"This washer appears to be spin-drain, as all top load washers should be".

Water still has to go through the clothes regardless of whether it spin drains or neutral drains.

I would think a spin drain would force dirt and grit into the fabric more so than a free-flowing neutral drain.
 
Neutral drain versus spin drain

Post number 34, you’re absolutely correct Patrick.

Any engineer can figure this out whirlpool figure this out when they designed their first automatic, the first Blackstone, which is the first top load automatic also neutral drained.

We all know the history of this issue and one thing to keep in mind is that any TL washer design ever made that could do a neutral drain Did a neutral drain because simple engineering common sense will tell you that it works better.

There are many on the site that love the drama of spin drain, and I will admit it’s fun to watch, and of course, the companies that were saddled with this inferior way of getting the water out of the tub because of the design of their machines and the people who wrote their ad copy, made up all kinds of excuses why they claimed it was better, but in the end they all went to neutral drain.

There is only one spin drain top loading washer still produced the Speed Queen TC5 series, and when it’s sold in Canada and Australia, they have to put a drain pump and do a neutral drain because consumers can see the difference with the amount of dirt and lint that’s left in the clothing since they don’t use clothes dryers as often in those countries, which is a pretty stunning admission that it doesn’t work as well and everybody knows it.

John L

John L
 
Spin drain prevents scum rings from forming around the agitator, tub rim and outer tub. I know this because every neutral drain washer I owned formed thick scum rings where the water level normally rests.

 

I also found hair, lint and scum floating at the top of the water would end up resting on top of the clothing pile during neutral drain instead of being pull up to the sides and away. 

 

 

Spin draining fans the clothes out as they stick to the wash basket during spin greatly reducing wrinkling and helping water extraction.Towels peal right off at the end of the cycle instead of undoing a giant toroidal clump.  

 
 
John, scum rings aren't any better or an accomplishment. Washers ought to be self cleaning and not become the initial clothes being placed inside of them in the first place.

 

 

Neutral drain reduces wear on parts, you don't need intensive slipping of a clutch or belt lasting for near 120 seconds or have to deal with the added torque and mechanical load exhibited. Anything that reduced such requirements cheapened the build cost of the washer. A primary target of all manufacturers hence why so many went that route. 

 

 

However, that doesn't mean it is any better for the consumer or the cleaning process. I am very, very happy to have a self cleaning washer thanks the ingenious and common sense engineering taking place. It is something I will never take for granted in the time I have it. 
 
Chet as usual, you are dreaming you have no connection to reality. You should go get a job and work in the real world stop being a burden to your parents.

You might actually learn something about appliances if you had to work on them and deal with customers and their real experiences rather than making up things.

I have no scum rings in any of my belt drive neutral drain whirlpools if you’re getting scum rings it’s because you’re using two little detergent.

I talked to a customer yesterday with a TC5 Speed Queen and they’re all concerned about the scum rings at the top of the tub. It has nothing to do with neutral drain or not.

John L
 

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