POD -- 01/24/2012

[chaskelljr2]

And as for your viewing pleasure, on today's POD, may I proudly present to you, my Grandmother's Washer.

It is the VERY FIRST one that is featured RIGHT ON the page, our beloved Model 600.

One thing about that machine though, when the washer got finished filling for the wash cycle (i.e. -- if you used hot water to wash a load of whites, and you wanted to use cold water for the rinse cycle), you had to make sure that you remember to reset the temperature control for the rinse cycle if you wanted a different water temperature for the rinse water.

Other than that, it had Instructions Underside The Lid, the Chrome Waterfall Lint Filter, a Gray Speckled Tub, and that infamous Bakelite Black Straight-Vane Agitator (the SAME EXACT one that is used in our 24" BOL Single-Speed/One-Cycle Kenmore with the Dark Blue (or Black) Tub and the Gold Colored Waterfall Lint Filter), and an Off-Balance Switch With Buzzer.

Great machine with great memories. Too bad it gave out in 1990 (the motor/traney gave out). It was replaced with a 1990 Direct-Drive Model 80 with a Dual-Action Agitator.

Thanks for that POD, Robert!!!

--Charles--

 

[tomturbomatic]

The POD for the 24th was the apotheosis of the Bendix washer. The Kenmore washers are the POD of the 25th.

 

[kenmoreguy64]

Interesting about the 1/25/12 POD

This is a fascinating piece of literature for me.

I have the 67 600, and had one of the 67 70s in the 1990s. This was the first machine that I did a bearing job on actually. It was a beautiful washer. Sold it for $125 to a newly divorced Dad who had part-time custody of his son and needed something better than a laundromat when the son was staying with him. I was glad that I'd saved the machine from the crusher and that it went on to be useful like that.

Interestingly, a couple of the illustrated machines, even though they have model numbers, appear to have never made it into production. There were three large capacity machines shown - the infamous 518 (John has one but his is a 68), and what would have been a 418 and a 718. Look at the panels of them - they actually say 418 and 718.

For reasons unknown, these machines never made it to market. The model numbers are not valid on Sears' site or any other, though the number for the 518 is. I would love to know the reasons behind that!

Also interesting is the '66 Lady K with the water conditioner. John told me once that he had seen these. Cool stuff!

Gordon

 

[akronman]

Water conditioner

tell us about it, please.

 

[tomturbomatic]

Did anyone notice how the table of features got a bit messed up and features did not match model #s in a couple of places?

 

[combo52]

WP-KM WATER CONDITIONER

WP also sold a washer around this time with this feature. This was a real water softener system that you added salt to and would go through a brinning and backwash for each wash cycle. It would be a similar idea to the European DWs that have built in water softeners. We have the service manual buried somewhere on our old micro-fish cards that tells how it works and how to service it.