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1969-70 #2 Kenmores

"jons1077":

I am with "appnut" on what he has said about this set. That's a VERY NICE set indeed. They have everything the Lady K's of that time had except the three-speed motor and the flip down cover.

But other than that, they almost do everything the Lady K's do.

Just like "appnut" said though, those are not Lady Kenmores. But they're the next models down (which I call them #2 Kenmores).

The 1971 version of this dryer has done away with the push-button/dial arrangement and went with the toggle switches and dial arrangement instead. But somehow, the console still matched that of the washer.

--Charles--
 

70series

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Connecticut.
Very nice looking pair, minus the dirt and clutter.

Definitely the 900 set from late 60s early 70s with the Vari-Flex agitator. These would likely have the QuietPak which would make them purr like kittens. Hope they are grabbed by a club member.

Have a good one,
James
 
These are interesting machines! I remember seeing a few ringers on the Sears floor in the early 70s, they were over in the corner out of the main traffic area. As a kid I wanted to take out the agitators and put them in "real" washers.

The Kenmores in the top photo are are a bit of an oddity. As Charles and James were mentioning, these were the #2 Kenmore machines in 1970. They carry 80/800 series model numbers. The washer had the Vari-Flex agitator.

These are odd or different to me in that they have the old carryover console frame of the 1966 - 68/69 Lady K, but they are only two speed machines. In the Lady K, one of those 14 buttons is the custom-care 3rd speed button. I'm curious to know what replaced it in this model.

Gordon
 
custom care button

We had these machines, in the avocado version. My parents purchased them in 1969, and we used them until 1991 and then I gave them away after my mom's death and the house became mine. (had to keep the Maytags :) I had bought in the early 80's and installed in the basement) Giving them away was a huge mistake, but ....live and learn. ...anyway,the Custom Care button slowed down the agitation speed from "normal" to "gentle" on any cycle. I do remember how quiet this washer was......
The salesman told us that the 900 series was simply the previous year's Lady Kenmore, rebadged.
 
Ben,

Well, to be honest space is really tight. I only have enough room to hook up 3 washers and 1 dryer. I only have electric power so a gas dryer does me no good. The washer is possible but I would have to seriously shift things and would have to unhook one to hook up another. I went ahead and wrote the seller to see if just the washer is available.

I definitely love the machines and I Kenmore like that is absolutely something I want. It's only about an hour from me so we'll see what happens. The worst that can happen is I've already got some great machines and very happy with them.

Jon
 
Well, since nobody else wanted it...

I went ahead and picked the washer up today. It's a 1970 model. The man that sold it to me just happened to find the parts list still in the plastic too! It looks to be in pretty good shape...some cabinet rust on the very bottom but otherwise very good shape. Of course has the brown variflex agitator and everything is automatic. Just needs a good cleaning and he said it still works just fine.

Pictures to come!

Jon
 
More on the Kenmo...

So we got it out of the car. It is rather dirty and will need a deep scrub. I was able to open up the lid and kind of check out the insides. There's your typical rust on the cabinet from years of use but nothing terrible. The outer and inner tubs look really nice and shiny. The fabric softener dispenser/bleach compartments will need to come out and get a deep clean but they seem to work. The recirculation water for the detergent dispenser is very powerful too. Bypassed the lid switch and fired it up. It is just as quiet as I remember when using the one at Roger's home in Tucson. It really does purr. All of the funtions work. The timer advances fine and all of the selections work. Basically the only thing is the light is burned out. Bummer!!! I'll have to locate a new bulb but otherwise I'm really excited about it. Oh yah...gotta love the vari-flex agitator too. It really does make that machine versatile!

Patrick, hope you'll be available to help us get it downstairs. I'll move the 1-18 out of its slot so I can give the Kenmore some use for a bit while. The Frigidaire needs some cleaning. (By the way...the squealing sounds from the 1-18 have pretty much gone away now. It's running like new!)

More to come...

Jon
 
More on the Kenmo...

So we got it out of the car. It is rather dirty and will need a deep scrub. I was able to open up the lid and kind of check out the insides. There's your typical rust on the cabinet from years of use but nothing terrible. The outer and inner tubs look really nice and shiny. The fabric softener dispenser/bleach compartments will need to come out and get a deep clean but they seem to work. The recirculation water for the detergent dispenser is very powerful too. Bypassed the lid switch and fired it up. It is just as quiet as I remember when using the one at Roger's home in Tucson. It really does purr. All of the funtions work. The timer advances fine and all of the selections work. Basically the only thing is the light is burned out. Bummer!!! I'll have to locate a new bulb but otherwise I'm really excited about it. Oh yah...gotta love the vari-flex agitator too. It really does make that machine versatile!

Patrick, hope you'll be available to help us get it downstairs. I'll move the 1-18 out of its slot so I can give the Kenmore some use for a bit while. The Frigidaire needs some cleaning. (By the way...the squealing sounds from the 1-18 have pretty much gone away now. It's running like new!)

More to come...

Jon
 
Bob,

You're absolutely right. I really did like that 900 at Roger's house. I was completely sold on the variflex agitator and I love how it's fully automatic with soak, prewash, timed dispensers, etc. You know I like to stand around and watch my machines do their work but sometimes I really don't have the time. This is one that I can start and walk away knowing it'll do everything for me.

I should be able to get it moved to the basement tomorrow. I will take plenty of photos and hopefully a video as well.

Jon
 

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