Philco Wonder-Wash-Agitator

[Unimatic1140]

Thanks goes out to Greg today for supplying me with some absolutely wonderful Philco brochures which are today's new entry in Automatic Ephemera!

Philco introduced their wobbling rubber disk agitator in 1959 on their full size automatic washers. In 1961 the machine was redesigned with a slightly larger and now perforated wash tub but still using the 1959 agitator design. These brochures highlight this brand new 1961 line.

You can download them here:
http://www.automatice.org/cgi-bin/index.cgi?aw
[this post was last edited: 2/11/2013-11:07]

 

[akronman]

Hey Robert

How does "no transmission"work? Motor, with 2 speeds, does a direct or belt drive derectly to that wobbling disc at the bottom of the agitator? Then reverse motor direction engages the tub and pump for spin/extract? Can anyone explain? Due to its rarity and closing up shop in the mid-sixties, I doubt I'll ever see one.

 

[danemodsandy]

Too Bad....

"Philco introduced their wobbling rubber disk agitator in 1959"

They shoulda called it the Weeble-Matic!

 

[Unimatic1140]

Hey Mark, check these 55 pictures. This was done by me a long time ago, at least 12 years ago and it's in my old house and my original Philco washer, I've since found the exact same machine but in better shape. There are lots of great pictures and explanations of how the Philco washer works...

http://www.automaticwasher.org/cgi-....cgi?dir=/RESTORATIONS/1959_PHILCO_AUTOMAGIC/

 

[tolivac]

Philco "Weebelator",Wobblelator".Has anyone gotten their fingers caught under the "wobble" rubber plate-would imagine that could hurt.

 

[joelippard]

I have one of these, mine is a '61. I have put my hands in it when it was running but I wouldn't dare put them down around the bottom. With tub full of water but no clothes there is some serious undertow around the center of the agitator.

 

[Unimatic1140]

Actually there really isn't a place to catch your fingers, otherwise it would do the same to the clothes. I've had my hand down there many-a-times lol and all you feel is the disk and metal cap.

 

[jetcone]

wow just saw something

I never saw before ,that wobbler is really the Apex Jiggamatic mechanism, only just the agitator moves not the whole tub.

Have been reading all the varied Apex patents lately and now it jumps right out at me.

 

 

[yogitunes]

Thanks for all the great detail pics, there does seem to be a similar patern of this wash action.....Wonderwash, then the Apex, and many years later, the Calypso.....I wonder if we will see a similar design surface again in a few years....but as JohnL once stated, it is an efficient machine, but too costly to build....

wasn't there a video showing this Wonderwash, once being out of the machine, and then in a machine with water and clothes.....it could have been in one of the wash-in videos...

such a great time when there were many manufacturers creating many ways to wash clothes, and all the great designs, and like cars back then, you new one from the other.....now they all look the same

 

[jetcone]

I bet the Apex was expensive to

build, the agitate mechanism had 4 bearings in it.

 

That means a lot of tooling.

 

 

 

[tolivac]

I caqn vaguely remember someone had a video of the Philco "Wobbulator" operating-the agitator post almost looks like it was doing a high speed "Hula" dance along with the rubber base disc "wobbulating"From looking at the crossection picture-it does appear that the base disc would not catch fingers.None the less wouldn't put them there anyway.Don't like my fingers getting caught in moving mechanisms!Its an interesting design.Too ad it hasn't survived.At the time the Phico was built thought there was more inovation in agitation techneques than there is now.