Have both of you with the stuck tub tried squirting Rust Buster down the center tube of the tub where it mounts onto the transmission drive shaft? It will probably take most of a bottle. Doing so would not only help release the tub from the shaft, but also possibly help unstick the balancer plate from the drive shaft.
That balancer is quite something. Inside it are two ring weights and it is partially filled with oil to allow the weights to move about easily. Since it rests on the agitator shaft, if it is rusted to the shaft and to the bottom of the tub, it could prevent removal of the tub.Once you have allowed the Rust Buster to work its way down the shaft and soak in a bit, add some more and then set the machine to Dry. The spinning might force the Rust Buster between the tub bottom and the balancer plate, breaking the bond between the two.
Like the Blackstone machine, the Thor rests on three feet, one at the back and one at each front corner. The nice thing about a tripod is that even if it is not level, it won't rock.
Now, a word about how the dishwashing feature works. At the clothes dry setting, the tub spins at 600 rpm. From a mechanical standpoint, the "dish-laundry" incorporates the use of both the low-geared agitator speed with the high speed spin to produce a high pressure spray over every cubic inch of space in the dish unit.
When setting up the "dish-laundry", the first item placed over the agitator shaft is a water distributor. This is a two-piece basin in which one piece is operated at agitator speed and motion while the other spins at 600 RPM or both may be rotated--and are-- at high speed for drying.
When the switch is turned to "dishes-wash", the clutch and brake solenoids are both energized. The clutch engages the agitator, moving the water scoops, while the brake releases the drive which spins the basin at 600 RPM.
The purpose in combining the two speeds is to build up a wall of water on the sides of the spinning basin by centrifugal force with the high speed and to scoop into the water wall with the agitator motion producing a 35-mile-an-hour surge of spray 52 times a minute.
After rinsing the dishes with hot water, the machine is switched to "dry". The spinning action below the dishes begins with both the basin and large scoop arms whirling together at about 600 RPM. By removing the cover, the resulting circulation of air--such as a fan-- drys the dishes in a matter of minutes so that they may be put away soon after washing. This is the part of the operation I remember because the dishes were slightly vibrating as the ladies removed the dishes and finished toweling them dry back in early 1955.
