Pushbutton Kenmore Pair

[chaskelljr2]

A Briefing About Lady Kenmore Washers In General.....

"RevinKevin":

In the actual history of the name itself, not all the past Lady Kenmore Washers were 3-Speed Machines. The first ones/early ones (say from 1957-63) were 2-Speed Machines.

The first 3-Speed Lady Kenmore was introduced in 1964.

Now..... I don't know if the Lady Kenmores produced prior to 1966 had the "Custom Care" Button on them or not. But I do know that it was featured on the 1966-67 Lady Kenmore and the Model 900 (yep...... there was a Model 900 before 1970...... Model 900's were introduced in 1966 as well). At least, that's to my knowledge.

Of course, I think that KenmoreGuy64 will eventually confirm these facts with me.

--Charles--

 

[chaskelljr2]

And Now...... For Other Comments......

"KenmoreGuy64":

You mentioned the following in an earlier post in this board.....

"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."

And my response to that is......

The #2 Kenmores in 1969-71 were Model 900's. The Model 800 was the #3 Kenmore during that era, That would be the VERY machine Jason is so crazy about.

And one other thing that "I" would like to share with everybody. Both, the Lady Kenmore and the Model 900 were cool machines back during the 1969-71 era. But now, if I was an adult during that time, and I was purchasing high-end laundry appliances, and if I felt that I couldn't/wouldn't spring an extra $20.00-to-$40.00 for a Lady Kenmore, I sure would've been JUST AS HAPPY with this Model 900 that "jons1077" has.

"jons1077":

You got yourself a REAL "beaut" right here, and a TRUELY classic Kenmore. Make sure you hold on to it.

--Charles--

 

[jons1077]

Jason,

On my machine at least, the custom care button changes all agitation speeds to "slow" but the spin speeds apparently stay the same. That makes the normal cycle perfect for rugs and knit blankets. I have to wash rugs alot here since we have pets.

You can also see from the lid photo that the enzyme soak and prewash cycles are both slow agitation as well. So it's actually possible to soak, prewash, and wash all on slow speed. Cool huh?

I have to say this thread has been getting a lot more response than I expected. Must be tons of Kenmore fans in here! I love it!

Jon

 

[chaskelljr2]

"I have to say this thread has been getting a lot more response than I expected. Must be tons of Kenmore fans in here! I love it!"

Yep...... I may not have the level of knowledge that "KenmoreGuy64" has, but I am an ardent Kenmore fan.

So yeah...... I am definitely one.....

--Charles--

 

[autowasherfreak]

I was never a huge fan of Kenmore, until I found aw.org. I was always a huge Whirlpool fan because that was the first automatic washer and dryer that my dad bought for my mother. A family friend was always telling me that Whirlpool and Kenmore used the same parts and that Kenmores were made by Whirlpool, but I always liked the Whirlpools better. Now I'm stating the like Kenmore better than Whirlpoo.

 

[kenmoreguy64]

Jon / Charles / Kevin -

I've debated about whether I should even mention this, but in the thread I posted a couple weekends ago about the '65 Kenmore 800 and the '76 green beast, we discussed the console bulb for this machine. Jon provided the model number of this washer, which was 110.7004801. The model number for my '65 800 is 110.6504802. The series indicator number in this format of model # is the third digit to the right, which is 8. That makes this an 80/800 series washer. Until 1976, the only 90/900 machines that I know of were Lady Ks.

Charles is correct about the speeds in the 1960s Lady Ks. The '63 was an 800 series machine (model 110.630480x), and was one of those where the series was actually displayed on the panel. The third speed debuted on the '64, which became the first 900 series machine (model number 110.640490x). The third speed lasted in belt drives until the '76 Lady K, and all but one of them had the 'piano key' push-buttons. The '76 was a two-speed machine, and I am not aware of another 3-speed belt drive being made, or a 3-speed Kenmore of any kind until the 90s DDs. I don't know when those debuted...

Charles is right also about the 'Custom Care' button. Though the '64 and '65 machines have a 3-speed motor, the button for them says 'slow' or 'extra slow' on the panel, not 'custom care'.

Gordon

 

[chaskelljr2]

Sears Kenmore Model 900 vs. Lady Kenmore???

Gordon:

Then maybe you want to explain to me then why I have actually saw a mid/late 1960's #2 Keyboard Kenmore that has ACTUALLY said "Model 900" on the left side of the panel???

And yes, this is during the same time the Lady Kenmore was also in production. Both machines from that era actually had the SAME EXACT control panel. Again, difference being that the Lady was an actual three-speed machine and the "Model 900" (??) was a two-speed machine just like "Jons'" 1970 machine which is the subject of this thread.

The machine I saw before actually DID say "Model 900" on the left side of the panel under the "Sears Kenmore" name on the emblem. And this is still a Model 800 Machine???

Jason has a machine from the same era that actually said Model 800 on it. If "Jons'" machine is a Model 800, and both, Jons' machine and Jason's machine are from the same era, then what model is Jason's machine???

--Charles--

 

[chaskelljr2]

Followup On "KenmoreGuy64" Thread.

On YOUR previous post however, and just like I have concurred last night..... The first three-speed Lady Kenmore has debuted in 1964, and for the next decade, all the Ladys produced in that era were three-speed machines. Only the 1974-75 Lady Kenmore (which was also a Keyboard Machine) was then demoted back to a two-speed machine (I guess it was a cost cutting measure that has taken place during the 1975 recession).

The 1976 Lady Kenmore was a two-speed machine as well as the first electronic Lady Kenmore in 1978. The third speed has made its return on the Lady Kenmore on the 1989 Direct-Drive, and has remained a fixture when the Catalyst debut a decade later (when the Kenmore Elite name was launched and the Lady Kenmore name went into retirement).

--Charles--

 

[appnut]

I wish Steve 1/18 would post pictures of his Kenmore 900 set. I've seen and used them, but it's been about 6 or 7 years since I saw them.

 

[chaskelljr2]

To "appnut".....

But they do exist though, right???

So that's who has a Kenmore Model 900??? And I think during the same time you probably saw and used his Model 900, I do recall having THIS debate with Steve 1/18 about the 1966-67 Lady Kenmore and whether or not a Model 900 actually existed. That was until he showed me some hard proof. He posted a picture of the machine with an up close shot of the control panel, and sure enough, it did say Model 900 under the Sears Kenmore name on the name emblem.

Then that was before he had the machine renovated and had started using it. It looks EXACTLY (and I "DO" mean that seriously) like the 1966-67 Lady Kenmore. In fact, they looked SO MUCH ALIKE that he has paired it with a 1966-67 Lady Kenmore Dryer (and sans the name emblems on the Washer and Dryer) and THEY MATCHED.

You remember seeing that set posted on this site???

I know I have seen this set before.

--Charles--

 

[DADoES]

This be Steve's 900.

 

[DADoES]

The dryer appears to be dubbed "Lady Kenmore" while the washer is "Kenmore 900."

 

[chaskelljr2]

To "DADoES":

Thanks "DADoES"...... I rest my case.....

Alright Gordon, your turn.....

--Charles--

 

[70series]

Not that I would try to get into this debate, but I decided to go onto the Sears site to check out the Parts section. I typed in the model number 110.7004800, and although the sketch is hard to make out, I could see that the console parts matched the Kenmore pictured above.

http://www.searspartsdirect.com/par...CONSOLE ASSEMBLY&documentId=00026213&backToLi

 

[70series]

My guess is that this model was once again rebadged, but this time from being a 900 model down to an 800. I also checked out 1969 and 1971 for the 800 models, and those clearly match Jason's favorite. From this I surmise that there were two 800 models featured in 1970; the one pictured above, and the one like Jason's which must have been a continuation of the 1969 model. I could not find his on the Sears site as a 1970 model, and I am not surprised by that. A few months ago I was looking up the 1966 and 1967 LKs. I could only find results for the 1966, but not the 1967. The 1967 was a duplicate of the 1966 model in its features and mechanics as far as I know. Now the model that Jason had was exactly the same in 1969 through 1971, except that in 1971 the lid switch was the visible push button type, not the hidden mercury switch like its predecessors had. This little difference in the parts diagrams was probably why it shows up again.

As I have said before, 1970 was an interesting year regarding Kenmore badges. What we all know of the Kenmore series rankings and the features associated with them shifted that year. Lower end series models were upgraded in features to what normally passed for a higher series ranking a few years earlier. For instance, the 1970 500 series had many features that were seen on a 1967 60 series, so I would not be surprised if the 1970 Kenmore at discussion above is an 800. It mystifies me.

Have a good one,
James

 

[jons1077]

All the more reason for me to have it then...

I like rare, mystifying machines! Westinghouse TL, a 3-speed GE washer, now a Kenmore 800 1/2!!! Maybe I do have a cool collection now. Makes the 1-18 seem so ordinary!

 

[chaskelljr2]

To "70series".....

Well....... for what its worth, I do have both, a Fall 1969 Sears Catalog and a Spring 1971 Sears Catalog, and in the Fall 1969 Catalog, the Model 900 (??) and the Model 800 are pictured RIGHT on the SAME PAGE, while the Lady Kenmore, that being an entirely new machine at the time, had a full blown up page to itself (with the picture of the console lit up..... in fact, that machine is featured as the "Picture Of The Day" sometimes on this website) right along with the matching dryer having a full blown up page as well.

I still think that Jons' machine is a Model 900. Because as I have just seen in a few posts above, Steve 1-18 had the same machine that "Jons" has, only Steve 1-18's machine is an earlier version of it. But it is the same machine. So, there is no way that I could say that "Jons'" machine is a Model 800.

It's just that the Lady Kenmores and the Model 900's were SO CLOSE and SO MUCH ALIKE at the time, it made sense for Sears to feature both machines in the same diagram. But by the Lady Kenmore being the flagship machine, it made better sense that Sears would give the Lady Kenmore's Serial Number to the diagram in the end, because after 1971, the Model 900 was no more. In 1972, the #2 Kenmore was an All Alphabet Washer (which didn't have ANY push buttons on it..... but instead, it sort of looked more like someone's Montgomery Ward's 1969 Touch-And-Go Washer).

If I have time, I will scan a picture of both, the 1969 #2 Push-Button and the 1969 Model 800 tomorrow.

I'm off to bed now......

--Charles--

 

[kenmoreguy64]

Charles -

Lets go back to what I said above. I said "Until 1976, the only 90/900 machines that I know of were Lady Ks." I didn't say they were all Lady Ks, I said they were all I know of. I certainly haven't seen them all, and I hadn't seen Steve's machine before. It's cool that you remembered that picture, and it would be interesting to know why Sears made that distinction. That console debuted in 1966, and that year there were four 90-series models, so there must have been something different about each one. There were several 90-series non-Lady K machines in 1976, and with his machine pictured here, there clearly was a 90/900 prior to this as well that wasn't a Lady K. There were also some years it seems (1962 comes to mind) when the best model issued that year was not called a Lady K (this from a time when the Lady K was different each year), and perhaps Steve's came from one of those years, 1967 for example?

I remain absolutely firm however in that the third digit from the right in model numbers of this era is the machine's series, and the subject of this thread is therefore an 80 or 800. It stands to reason that whatever the dynamic was in Sears' marketing dept. for 1970, they felt that this model belonged in the 800 category. Perhaps this is because the Lady Ks of the time were sold with the drop down console door, so a machine without that got knocked downline, regardless of where it had been earlier.

It is important to note that the inclusions in a particular series have changed drastically from one year to the next. A perfect example are two 1979 Kenmore 90 washers: one was the highest line machine that year with a mechanical timer. The identical featured machine in 1980 was numbered as a lower line 80 series. Further, the next machine downline in 1979 was also a 90-series, but was a 70-series in 1980.

Here are some pre-1974 model numbers of machines that I either have now or had in the past, or have parts lists for:

110.6114721 - my 61 model 70
110.6204701 - 62 model 70 parts list
110.6304500 - 63 model 500 parts list
110.6304701 - 63 model 70 of Gyrafoam's
110.6308804 - my 63 Lady K 800 dryer
110.6504801 - my 65 800
110.6504901 - my 65 Lady K coppertone
110.6504902 - my 65 Lady K white
110.6504905 - my 65 Lady K with the newer style lid handle
110.6604400 - 66 model 400 bol
110.6704701 - 67 model 70,the 2nd washer I repaired for resale
110.7004501 - my 70 model 500 midline washer
110.7014501 - my other 70 model 500 that James likes so much
110.7204902 - my 72 Lady K white
110.7204904 - my 72 (1973 built) Lady K coppertone

There is no doubt that the third digit to the right is the machine's series indicator. For 1974 into the mid 1990s, the fifth digit to the right is the series number.

Gordon