Look for the mention of the "procelain" tub. I wonder if the two speed machines were largely sold to on premises laundries in upper scale housing units.
Who made the front loader for them?
Who made the front loader for them?
POD SQ Commercial Equipment
- Thread starter tomturbomatic
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There were two laundromats near us, a Maytag equipped "Highlander Center" and an older store with a mishmash of machines in a constantly changing rainbow of colors.
The Highlander Center had SQ Front-Load washers, they were always good washers and really fun to watch compared with the overly-secretive Maytag top loaders.
The Highlander Center had SQ Front-Load washers, they were always good washers and really fun to watch compared with the overly-secretive Maytag top loaders.
These SQ coin-op commerical machines were in laundromats, apartment buildings and dormitories all over Minnesota and South Dakota in the 1970s. Loved that they had two speeds--quite fancy for coin-op. One of these was in the laundry area of an apartment building my sister lived in. Was intrigued by the motor/pump running during fills and, of course, the clanks of the solenoid. Probably the first time I used a machine with a lid lock.
Demonic child that I was, I discovered how to bypass the lid lock by depressing the lid switch near the end of the wash period allowing the lock bolt to the thrown so I could watch the spin-drain. I think I determined that if I raised the lid just enough to keep the lid switch engaged, the lock mechanism would slip below the opening in the actuator on the lid and allow the machine to go into spin while I could raise the lid and watch the action. Once we got the '58 LK, we took throw rugs to the coin-op so as not to stress out the machine and I got to see a lot of different washers work. Just at that period lots of new coin-ops were opening and there would be coupons in the community papers for a free wash or two during the grand opening. We would use those and drive all over Hell's 40 acres to save the 25 cents each load cost to wash. Daddy would just read the paper and leave me alone unless I was doing things that stopped the washer.
Greg, did the SQ FLs do a distribution like the Milnors and other big machines by starting to spin before the drain valve opened and giving lots of drama by sending streams of water down the glass?
Greg, did the SQ FLs do a distribution like the Milnors and other big machines by starting to spin before the drain valve opened and giving lots of drama by sending streams of water down the glass?
The apartment house I lived in-Forestville,MD-in the Wash DC area had the SQ laundry gear shown in the POD-was very nice-then replaced by WP.
The place I lived in in Silver Spring had the same laundry history.
These machines were the absolute no nonsense beasts. I remember the short spin between the wash and rinse. And that agitator design was no nonsense also, they stayed with that design as long as whirpool did with the surgilator.
Speed Queen ruled....
They ruled the apartment buildings in the Bronx, Yonkers and old fashioned SQ top load only laundromats still existed when I was a kid. I never ever saw Maytag anywhere in these buildings! Once in a blue moon I’d find a GE filter flo with no console and coin box switches for temp selection. Every laundry room I scooped out in my youth in these areas were ALL Speed Queen!!!
My faves were the SQ top load laundromats were the washers were lined up like 20 in a row in Avocado, Harvest and White!!! To hear all those machines work at once and to smell the soap and see the suds coming up through the sides of the lid were intoxicating for this washer freak! Lol
Mike
They ruled the apartment buildings in the Bronx, Yonkers and old fashioned SQ top load only laundromats still existed when I was a kid. I never ever saw Maytag anywhere in these buildings! Once in a blue moon I’d find a GE filter flo with no console and coin box switches for temp selection. Every laundry room I scooped out in my youth in these areas were ALL Speed Queen!!!
My faves were the SQ top load laundromats were the washers were lined up like 20 in a row in Avocado, Harvest and White!!! To hear all those machines work at once and to smell the soap and see the suds coming up through the sides of the lid were intoxicating for this washer freak! Lol
Mike
cfz2882
Well-known member
real survivors 
went to a Laundromat in Wyoming in 1989,and was delighted to find turquoise mid 1960s era SQs still on the jobThey were identical to a commercial SQ I drug home in 1980-that one made in 1966.I still have the unique toggle switches from it somewhere.
went to a Laundromat in Wyoming in 1989,and was delighted to find turquoise mid 1960s era SQs still on the job
They were identical to a commercial SQ I drug home in 1980-that one made in 1966.I still have the unique toggle switches from it somewhere.Did anyone ever see the laundromats with alternating avocado and orange Speed Queens? Those were not color patterns you wanted to face on a weekend morning after a night of drinking.
