our weird early 60 sears washer

[bpetersxx]

I wanted to put this out to the fine club members here

I am trying to research the washer we had when I was younger

In our club collections I have not seen a picture of it

It looks like Sears took parts from their washers and created it

3 of Kenmoreguy gordon's washers he has in his inventory has the parts that I think they used to make this machine

going to dig thru the pics and post them to get a idea what it looks like

but the preliminaries

Had a preggo roto swirl
colored buttons like a alphabet washer
manual lint filter made of metal
Strange dial to set the cycles
Infinite water level
It had a dispenser on the left side this I am not clear about as the washer was a display and MOM and Dad got it because this dispenser was broken
metal lid handle
left hand console had squares cut into it

i I could find a picture of it that would be great as i do not remember much about it especially the dispenser as I have a horrible feeling it had a fancy bleach rinse timed system on the left side

 

[300c]

Something Close on YouTube

Have you seen Swestoyz's 1959 Kenmore Eighty video on You Tube? It might be a close.

 

[70series]

It almost sounds like a 1962 LK, except I am sure that model would have the self cleaning lint filter. Otherwise you describe the 1961 Model 70 featured in the 1at picture of Gordon's photo album with the exception of the cut squares on the panel.

I am going to have to do some thinking on this one. To see a 1962 LK, go to Thread #9176 in the 2006 archives dated 11/29/2006. It is titled "TV sitcom-family washer trivia question. If you scroll down in the thread you will come to a photo of a younger Donna Reed standing in front of an LK pair. Those are 62s, and could be the model you are looking for, except again, that would have a self-cleaning as opposed to a manual metal filter.

Have a good one,
James

 

[appliguy]

Here is the picture of Donna Reed of which James speaks

it is originally from the brand history page of the Sears website.....I had it saved in my vintage appliance picture file...PAT COFFEY

 

[combo52]

1962 KENMORES

I don't think the machines that Donna Reed is standing in front are actually the LKMs for 1962 as there was a fancier model that had all push-button controls that year. The all push-button model is very rare I have only ever seen one set of them, the washer even had an automatic water level sensor system that would automatically set the needed water levels.

 

[jamman_98]

Ok Help me remember

Was there not an episode where Donna Reeds husband is doing something with a new washer? Not sure. Just wondering whihc episode it was. Found them on hulu.com

 

Thanks

Joe

jamman_98

 

[bpetersxx]

this picture here has the buttons that ours had not sure if there were letters
but the colors and the cycles printed on the buttons are right

The dial is close to what we had

The agitator is right

The lint filter is right

not sure about the dispenser bezel


<span style="text-decoration: underline;">OH picture courtesy of Kenmoreguy64 Gordon</span>

 

[bpetersxx]

also wanted to put this up

The left hand side is exactly the same with the squares in the panel

Also this washer has the same dial pointer as our dryer

I suspect the dryer we had was a BOL dryer


<span style="text-decoration: underline;">Oh photos courtesy of Kenmoreguy64 Gordon</span>

 

[retromania]

I loved the bleach dispenser on my mother's Whirlpool. We were Frigidaire people for years and years until GM no longer had it. As a matter of fact, there's photo on this site of just Frigidaire agitators. I remember exactly what the agitator looked like on the earliest Frigidaire that I can remember and there it was in the line-up! Helped me date it to 1963-64.

 

[70series]

Combo52:

I think you might be describing the 1961 LKs, as they were entirely pushbutton controlled. The LK dryer has popped up from time to time as the POD, and they resemble the 1962 models since they have the same tall squarish looking console.

I am not eliminating the possibility that there could have been a more fancy set for 62. They seem to be rarer models than other years, so I am sure I have not seen the full lineup.

Have a good one,
James

 

[kenmoreguy64]

A couple thoughts

BPetersxx -

Did your machine have a 29-inch cabinet or a 24-inch? I was browsing Sears' website looking at models and noticed some 24-inch washers that might have had the right combination of features if you had a 24-inch cabinet. I am not finished looking though....the little cut squares you're talking about are a trademark of sorts for 1962 models (and a couple 63s). However, I have not found a model yet that had colored push buttons besides the 62 800/Lady K, and I don't believe that any of those had a manual filter. I am going to keep looking!

John / Combo -

I think James is right in that you may have seen a 1961 model that remained in production a while. While checking Sears' site, there is a way now to have it display ALL the models from a certain year, and so far, the highest numbered model is the elusive but familiar 1962 Kenmore 800/Lady K. This machine remains near the top of my 'dream machines' list. The fancier model you mention should theoretically have a higher model number, but I'm going to keep checking.

Gordon

 

[jamman_98]

My Mom's Washing Machine

The picture that bpeterxx put up is the machine my mom had when we lived in Alaska in 1964-67. They gave it to my Grandmother when we left North Carolina in 1968 to move to Colorado. She use to hold the button down so I could watch it spin.

 

Thanks for posting it.

 

Joe

jamman_98

 

[drewz]

My Kenmore Jewelry is one of those washers!

 

[chaskelljr2]

1961 Lady Kenmores....

@ 70 Series....

I concur with you on this one.... The 1962 Lady Kenmore Washer that was described as an "All Push-Button" washer before may be in fact is the 1961 model he's describing. That model has a Self Cleaning Filter, and an Automatic Water Lever Sensor.

It could very well be a holdover model in 1962 and be a 1962 model as well. And it could be possible that the set that Donna Reed is standing in front of could be 1962 Model 80's/800's as well instead of them being Lady Kenmores....

I do have a picture of the 1961 Lady Kenmore Washer in my 1961 Sears Catalog, as well as a 1963 Lady Kenmore Model 800. But I have yet to see what a 1962 Lady Kenmore looks like.

Seems like that VERY model has been very elusive ever since I joined the club a decade ago...

Just My Thoughts....

--Charles--

 

[kenmoreguy64]

Charles -

I am beginning to think that there was no true 1962 Lady Kenmore. The 62 800s as seen in the Donna Reed picture, though they don't have the lower model 1962 squares on the panel because they are lighted, don't say "Lady Kenmore" on them, at least I do not think so. One of our neighbors when I was a kid had this washer and I do not recall ever noticing that it was a Lady, whereas I knew that on other machines in the neighborhood.

These machines feature for feature are essentially identical to the 1963 LK/800s.

The models at Sears would all begin with 110.6204 or 110.6214, followed by three digits, the first of which is the series. There is only one model in the 110.6204800 range, though this one had 7 revisions after the original. I suppose it is possible that one or another said "Lady Kenmore" on it while others did not. As well, one of them could be unlighted, have the squares, and a manual filter? I doubt that, but anything is possible.

Immediately under this model is the 110.6204700s, the 710 and 720, and they are all clearly 70-series models. So far I can't find any other lofty models for 1962 so I I think the Lady may not have been made as a '62 instead the '61 may have carried over until the highly popular 63s came to market.

Gordon

 

[kenmoreguy64]

Bpetersxx-

I looked some more in the model parts drawings at Sears. If your machine was a 24-inch, I think I found the model - 110.6304300 or 110.6304350 (if it had an all porcelain cabinet).

Back in the 60s, the entry-level 29-inch washer was the 400 series, followed by the 500, 600, 70/700, and 800, etc. The 24-inch models started as 000 series (110.6304000), followed by the 100, 200, and 300, though I don't think these numbers were shown as such on the panels.

The 300 in this case shows the panel with the squares, the push-buttons for cycle selections on either side of the timer selector knob, a manual filter, etc.

Is that right?

Gordon

 

[chaskelljr2]

1962 Lady Kenmores (???)

@ Gordon:

(Your Quote):

"I am beginning to think that there was no true 1962 Lady Kenmore. The 62 800s as seen in the Donna Reed picture, though they don't have the lower model 1962 squares on the panel because they are lighted, don't say "Lady Kenmore" on them, at least I do not think so. One of our neighbors when I was a kid had this washer and I do not recall ever noticing that it was a Lady, whereas I knew that on other machines in the neighborhood."

(My Response):

I'm thinking that also..... Because if there was a 1962 Lady Kenmore, one would've shown up long before now, wouldn't you think??? So that model that Donna Reed is standing in front of had colored push-buttons??? And a lighted console???? If so, that could very well be the VERY model that the 1963 Lady Kenmore Model 800 is derived from???

--Charles--

 

[combo52]

1962 LKMs

Gordon you and Charles may be correct the one I am remembering may be a 1961 model. Some one needs a 1962 Sears catalog to look this up. All of the LKMs from 1958- 1961 or 2 are very rare I only know of one pair of 1958s, three pairs of 1959s, two pairs of 1960s and no 1961s to exist. These machines were just too expensive, too complicated and the economy was not that great in this time period as we were still recovering from the Eisenhower recession of the late 1950s for these machines to sell very well.

 

We should start a Lady Kenmore registry to keep track of these rare and beautiful machines.

 

[kenmoreguy64]

Good thoughts mister Combo....

John,

Catalogs can be a little misleading. I got a '62 for Christmas five or six years ago, but it shows a '63 600 on one page along with the 'underlings' also all from '63, but a '62 800 set on the next. That's the top billing for that issue. Problem is, when models are carried over on the sales floor, they sometimes are carried over in the catalogs too. You have to be adept at reading the stock numbers to figure out what year they are from. It would be good for me though to get the other issue from 1962 just to see what else might be listed in there. Every once in a while a catalog skips the LK - Fall 1975 for example, as there is none in the book at all.

As to a Lady Kenmore registry, I suggested that a while back to Robert, but it was during some site mod/improvement uploads and I think he was really busy. I may well do that again, as I agree that it would be useful to have a list of who has what in special machines. I'd suggest LKs from their beginning through the 1974/75 model, or maybe even beyond could be listed there, along with other coveted special and collectible machines. I don't know how involved the programming would be for it however.

Gordon [this post was last edited: 2/28/2011-08:52]