My 1st Wringer - Maytag N2L

[macboy91si]

I thought I should make a post on this machine in some sort of entirety. I recently acquired this rustic beuty from Floyds Knobs, IN. A friend and myself went up in the Caravan and nabbed this little jewel for about $50 + gas. Got her home and checked her out and she's in decent shape for her age (to which I'm not entirely sure of yet). It needs a belt and a hose, and maybe even I can locate a pump kit and make it an N2LP. For now, I need a belt before I can continue using it, but it doesn't leak a drop and it very smooth.

This machine is a tad sentimental to me, my great-grandmother had this same model machine and I have very fond memories of Sunday wash day with bleach wafting though the house and this old trooper going for hours. Her machine was a P model and had a little slider along the rim of the right side of the machine.

The serial number is 82747NJ if anyone has any date info.

Thanks!

-Tim

 

[macboy91si]

Wringer Rollers

The wringer rollers to me were in amazing condition with no cracks or flat spots. The woman I bought if from mentioned that the machine was always stored with the rollers released. Worked out well!

 

[macboy91si]

Agitator

A quick tug and the agitator came right off (a strong tug). This worried me the most as she said that she had never taken it off herself. I put some Vaseline on the splines for lack of a better lubricant handy and it goes on and off easily now. It's in very good shape as well.

-Tim

 

[macboy91si]

Checking Everything Out

Here's a quick video I made from my phone just running through the working of the machine.

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[macboy91si]

Water Testing the Machine and Rinse Tub

The machine held water without issue and was very smooth aside from a deteriorating belt. The rinse tub was in decent shape, but the galvanized surface looked a little rough with a couple of paint stains. It was however clean.

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-Tim

 

[washernoob]

Wow!

Congratulations! What a nice machine!

Im still on the hunt for the "perfect" wringer. I now want one that has the turquoise roller top.

With the new house we are most likely moving into, it has a water line in the unfinished basement, therefor I can hook up a washer down there to do shop towels and such.

 

[qsd-dan]

Congrats! Thanks for the pics and vids. Did the washtub come with the machine? It's a really nice addition to the wringer. It's always an added plus when owners follow directions and keep the rollers released. You sure got lucky with the removal of the agitator. They usually put up one hell of a fight and come out in pieces if they haven't been removed in decades.

I'm sure Geoff will soon post some tips on adjustments an such to help quiet the machine down to the near dead silent operation that these units usually operate at.

I'm not exactly sure how to decode wringers, but it looks like your wringer was made in May, 1960 or July, 1958.

 

[macboy91si]

Thanks Dan for the Date!

I could tell by the spline that the agi had been in place for a while, but it did surprise me that it came off like it did. 2 or 3 quick, strong tugs straight upwards and it was off. I too thought the tub was a nice addition, there were 2 but the other one sold already. The 2nd one was a white porcelain one that matched the washer nicely, also square and on wheels. The rollers were the main worry for me, but when I saw the machine and the rollers were popped up, it made me feel much more relieved. The machine has some scuffs, but compared to some of the $100-$300 junk that the idiot antique dealers try and sell around here, it was a steal.

Check out the link. I don't even know how you make a washer rust like that. There is a lot of crap like this around here. That and the Habitat ReStores which are murder on pricing. I'll keep my $150 for your 1977 KM dryer with the broken door latch and contact paper top thank you!

-Tim

http://louisville.craigslist.org/atq/1944691898.html

 

[bugsyjones]

I've got the J2L model. It's the same, but with a square tub.

It was my Grandmothers. It's been well-used and it still works great.

It was pretty scuffed and there was some rust, so I re-painted the apron, wringer, and lid. She also kept the owner's manual. The biggest challenge was the casters. They were rusted stiff. I was going to replace them, but they are original maytag casters. So with much coaxing and gallons of PB Blaster, I got them all free including the brake caster.

~Tim

 

[chestermikeuk]

Maytag

Congratulations Tim on finding a childhood memory!! good solid machines, and as you say very quiet!! One even found its way over here that was brought by an Airforce family to a US airbase, the gransdon had kept it until a couple of years ago!!

Did Maytag produce round and square tubs at the same time?? is one a larger capacity??

Cheers, Mike,

 

[macboy91si]

Maytag Wringers

Hey Mike, good to hear from you! Apparently they made 3 Models of the Maytag Wringers in this time period, at the same time with 2 being square and 1 being round. Some of the Maytag folks can correct me here, but from what I gather it works something like this:

Maytag E2L
Aluminum square tub, This I gather was the smallest capacity, low-end model. From what I've heard the aluminum can require some upkeep, but I find them striking machines in appearance.

Maytag N2L (the model that I have)
Round porcelain washtub which I'm thinking was considered an upgrade. Larger capacity than the E2L and considered the middle of the line model. The round tub seems more natural to me with these machines in terms of shape.

Maytag J2L (pictured above)
Square porcelain washtub. This machine seems to hold more than the N2L round tub wringer, I'm assuming that this would have been the top of the line in the wringer washers as it has the largest capacity.

I could be dead wrong but that's what I've figured out from the research that I've done. These machines also at one time had names like the "Commander" and the "Master" but I believe that may have been before my machine was made.

SLIGHTLY off topic...

You know Mike, you guys over there have Hoover wringers, a Hoover AND a wringer, how cool is that. My research here indicates that in fact that DID sell the single-tub, hand wringers here for a few years in the 1st generation 1948 thru 1958ish but they are very rare. I doubt I will find one anytime soon. I would even love to get my hands on even a shell of one from your side of the pond and fit it with some 110v pieces from my collection of Hoover stuff here. So many cool Hoover things over there that we never had here. Spin-a-rinse machines are super cool too.

-Tim

 

[aldspinboy]

Hello Tim congratulations on your Maytag wringer...
well i learned somthing from you today and thanks
for the info ...yes the E2L's does require maintenance
i don't use it often just in the summer time for whites.

I had a round tube once the one you have, and gave it away like an idit but at the time i did not have support and i gave it to someone who really needed it but i'm sorry i did i'm sure you heard this story before with other members.

Anyway have a good time with your wringer there is nothing like a gyrator agitator it can move water...!! It is amazing that a skinny shaft with four curved vanes can make so much water move in a maytag fashion.
Have a good one.

Darren k.

 

[geoffdelp]

Hi Tim ... congrats on the N2L! Actually, the N2L was the smallest wringer Maytag made ... it held 16 gallons of water and was considered "economic". The J and E held 18.

The little "slider" you remember was the "P" portion ... or PUMP control.

Here's my 1964 Maytag N2LP ...

 

[geoffdelp]

The Model J (or Commander) was the mid-priced Maytag. It featured a porcelain on steel tub and held 18 gallons of water. A very nice washer, indeed.

Here's my 1965 Model J ...

 

[geoffdelp]

And, of course, the "Queen Mother" of the Maytag wringers, the Model E2L ... the Master.

This was the "top of the line" of Maytag wringers. It had a big aluminum tub that kept water hotter longer but had the same basic parts as the other two.

Here's are two of my E's ...

 

[circlew]

Maytag wringer lineup

In 1977 I had a summer job at a hardware store that sold appliances- Maytag, Frigidaire and Sunray. We had Maytag wringer machines on display, and the E model with the square aluminum tub was the most expensive, followed by the J with the square porcelain enamel tub, and then the N with the round tub. I think they only sold a couple of these while I was working there, as most people by then wanted automatics. Do remember helping deliver an E to an older lady in an old farmhouse, and helped some people load an N into their truck. The E we had on the floor was Avocado.

 

[macboy91si]

I learn something new everyday!

Thanks for clearing this up. I was thinking that the porcelain would have made the machine more upscale. I know the J was bigger than the N but that aluminum tub in the E is quite deceptive. As always I love your posts Geoffdelp, you have such beautiful machines. I also never thought about the aluminum holding heat better but it makes perfect sense. I wonder if it would have been possible to make the aluminum less maintenance prone somehow.

Did the N have a name like the others?

-Tim

 

[circlew]

Geoff, there was an even more basic model of the N, with dark blue enamel on the exterior. We did not display this, nor do I know if it was even available during this time. Please tell us what you know about it.

 

[geoffdelp]

Hi Tim ... it sure did; sorry I forgot to put it on!!

The N was the "Chieftan". So you had the Master (E), Commander (J), and Chieftan (N). There was also a Brigadier and a General, believe it or not!! Those were from the early 1940's before WWII, I do believe.

The E tub does not like strong additives (chlorine or oxygenated bleach); it tends to dull, or darken, with use. I use plain old regular scented Tide granules in my E with good results. The best results, however, are a laundry bar like Fels Naptha; that does nothing to the aluminum.

I like the E with the hinged lid; that's a nice feature. The water stays in the tub, too, with that wide splash crown.

Who am I kidding??!! I like all these Maytag wringers.

Oh, BTW, these machines were all basically the same design from 1939 to the end of production in November 1983.

This is the pink Model E2LP that I "rescued" from the crusher. Look at that nice big tub!!