Question for the vintage Norge macherim-----

[brucelucenta]

The agitators were first non lint filter until about 1959. From 1959 till the early 60's there was the agitator with the swiss cheese holes in the fins and the filter basket much like a GE or much later large capacity Norge machines. The one in the picture had a lint filter with a sleeve that fit over the center of the agitator and then allowed the filter water to pump up to the top and into a small lint basket attached to the sleeve. Those were the last type of agitator made for the solid tub machines, to my knowledge. There were many machines like those here in Tulsa, Oklahoma that were rebadged as Tempmaster, sold by Otasco and Signature, sold by Montgomery Wards. They washed quite well, but then the agitator base covered nearly the entire bottom of the tub. They couldn't help but move the clothes.

 

[gyrafoam]

Thanks Bruce------

helps me put a time-span on the agitator with the holes in the fins. It must not have been a design they liked very much to change it in so short a period of time. It has slightly taller fins, slightly shorter in length than the plain version which nearly guarantees less roll-over and more thrashing!

I think it is also interesting that Norge was still using an 8lb tub machine as late as the early to mid-sixties. No wonder they came out with the (then) largest tub machine! They must have see a large part of their market-share disappear by 1962 because that was the year Frigidaire dropped-in a larger tub. By then GE, Kenmore/Whirlpool,etc. had already moved to at least a 10lb tub.

When the tub was loaded just right, they had good roll-over and the "Tidal-Wave" action of the agitator was VERY strong. I am sure any load that did roll-over during agitation got exceptionally clean!
Bulk, as usual is a problem. I use standard-size bath towels, however, they have a high thread count and are pretty bulky. Three of them is the maximum limit for the sixties Norge. Even at that there is only minimum roll-over.
Two towels, two hand-towels and a couple of wash cloths are a better load for it.

Summertime clothing such as T-shirts, shorts and lighter fabrics do pretty good as well. One sock too many, however, and the roll-over stops and the thrashing begins.Unfortunately, the thrashing action tends to splash water overboard and perpetuates the thrashing even more! I am convinced 10 minutes of violent thrashing also gets the clothes clean in these machines, at a price of some fabric damage. It is too vigorous not to!

In any event, these old Norges are good for drama!

Les----i'll work on getting you some action shots.
[this post was last edited: 10/14/2016-14:22]

 

[brucelucenta]

Yes, my mother was the worlds worst at overloading a washing machine. I recall being a small child and seeing the Norge washer we had just pulling the mass of clothes back and forth as it washed. There was seldom any turn over due to how full it usually was, but it got things clean. It couldn't help but do that since almost the entire bottom of the tub was agitator! In that sense, they were a little like Kelvinator washers. A small tub and a big agitator that could not help but really move the clothes around. Only difference in the two was that the Norge didn't tangle the clothes badly like the Kelvinator did. But the gold crown for tangling goes to Frigidaire washers of that era. I have seen a load of diapers from one of those machines that was literally tied in knots! In fact, one of Whirlpool's ads back then played on that. They advertised that their machine would UN tie knots in clothes! We know who that was aimed at!!!

 

[gyrafoam]

I dunno Bruce-----

the old slant-front Westinghouse cement mixers could really make a rope of things too!

My best childhood memories of the Norge's were that great over-flow rinse, and the dramatic throw-out when the tub went into spin. Typically they went from Zero to Full Speed in about 15 Seconds! My sixties machine certainly does. And the pumps have tremendous strength. Like an old Maytag or Whirly/Kenmo. Oh, and the agitation---that long, slow, stroke. I'm shvitzing just thinking about it.

I don't think you could overload one of the old Norges because that transmission must have been built for a crane! No amount of clothes seems to put the slightest bit of strain on it. One gets the impression that it would wash a tub full of concrete blocks--- with ease---- were it not for the plastic agitator!
I don't know what the "weak-spot" was with these machines (I have been told to beware bad oil-seals!) but, I don't think it is the transmissions!

 

[turquoisedude]

Didn't Norge run a kind of 'Believe or Not' style ad claiming their washer could untangle a knotted sheet or something to that effect?

 

That's something I'd like to try this winter - pop a load of knotted sheets from the Westy or one of the Frigidaires into the Norge and see what happens!   So whoever said I'd be bored now that I'm retired??  LOL 

 

[tolivac]

In one of my old 1950's issues of Better Homes& Gardens magazines they have an ad for a Maytag washer-a picure of tangled clothes is shown-the title-With Maytag no more "Whipped Wash!"Figure which machines would be guilty of that?

 

[brucelucenta]

There were actually several weak spots on Norge washers. The earlier ones from the 50's had weak pumps that needed to be replaced frequently and the draw on the amperage when they went into spin was hard on timers and home fuses and circuit breakers. Eventually when they had quite a bit of use, the oil seal under the agitator drive block would go bad and pump transmission oil all over the clothes. That usually was the time people would replace them, if they lasted that long. When they were in good operating condition, they washed, rinsed and spun clothes out quite well. As far as tangling, I still say and truly believe that had it not been for Frigidaire's excessive tangling with the early machines they could have been a major contender or even the leader of the industry now. They already had the refrigerator market sewed up and "Frigidaire" is what many people referred to refrigerators as.

 

[vacerator]

Yes, that's true.

Borg Warner's strong business was automatic vehicle transmissions, and differentials. They wanted an appliance division like GM, and the others, but didn't invest in improving the product, but then didn't Norge washers have a lower price point?

 

[brucelucenta]

Seems that Norge might have been slightly lower in price, not really sure. I do know that in the 60's & 70's there were no lower priced washers and dryers on the market than Kenmore! It was shocking and amazing how cheaply they were sold! They were good machines too, which is how Sears cornered the market on appliances from then until now. Things have changed some since then, but many people still go to Sears for appliances and at one point in time, Kenmore was the brand most people had.

 

[gyrafoam]

Borg-Warner Transmissions----

were in all kinds of machinery back in the day. Including some great "muscle cars"! Must have used one out of an earth mover for the Norges.

I agree, they were somewhat less expensive than most other brands, but, not that much. I don't think Frigidaire had any less pot-metal in their machines than Norge did.

The REAL driver back in the Baby Boomer Days was Credit Terms!
That's why Sears did so well and any other store or utility company that would offer good credit terms did well also.
Almost all the major department and auto parts stores offered them as well.

In Atlanta, you could put your new Maytag on your Gas Bill at Atlanta Gaslight Company (each store had a large showroom right in the lobby so you could wander about them before paying your bill) and pay them just about anything you wanted ($1.00 mo.) each month until it got paid off! The Gaslight Company and Maytag both made a lot of friends. I think Georgia Power sold Westinghouse?

Chances are, if our neighbors got a GE machine it was from Rich's Dept. Store or a (re-branded) Hotpoint from J.C.Penny. One of the major Tire brands sold Philco-Bendix, maybe Goodyear?
The Economy Auto store sold Wizard, W.T.Grant sold Bradford.
Castleberry's in Chamblee sold GE and Hotpoint from a HUGE furniture and appliance store and country folk came from miles around NE Georgia for their credit terms. Same with Sharp's Appliances in Little Five Points. Frigidaire and Whirlpool.

Anyway, those easy credit terms made the appliance manufacturers a hell of a lot of loyal customers back in the 40's-70's.

 

[lesto]

Atlanta appliance stores

Steven, you know your Atlanta history well! Rich's was indeed the big GE dealer here so there were a lot of Filter Flos around when I was growing up in the 60's. They also sold a lot of Fedders air conditioners. Plus for a while they sold some machines with the AMC brand on them. I think the AMC washers were made by Easy.
A neighbor of ours was the manager of one of the Georgia Power retail stores. They sold Westinghouse, Maytag & Frigidaire appliances.
Western Auto stores sold Wizard wishes & dryers and Temp Master air conditioners.
Davison's Dept. Store, which later became Macy's, sold Frigidaire & Maytag appliances and Frigidaire & Carrier air conditioners.
Hotpoint were usually found at independent appliance stores.
When I was a kid you rarely ever saw a Speed Queen, Kelvinator, Norge or Philco in an Atlanta home.
GE, Kenmore, Maytag, and Frigidaire were the most common.

 

[gyrafoam]

Les,

I remember Kelvy's all over the place, same for Norge and Philco. Speed Queen was the rarity. There was a guy in my bar mitzvah class who's father was some big macher with SQ. I think their last name was Greene, I don't recall what they had in Atlanta at the time. In any event they lived on the other side of Paces Ferry from me. They always had a new set of SQ's in the laundry room to watch. The Margols owned The Big Red Furniture Barn and they sold Hotpoints. Their home was where I saw my first set of Lady Executives.

If I have to think of the machines I saw little of in the '50's and '60's they would be SQ's and Whirlpools automatics.The only time I ever saw a Blackstone is if someone from the north east moved in. There were plenty of people around Atlanta with Easy Spinner manual machines and plenty of SQ manuals. The coin laundries were almost always SQ, Bendix, Westinghouse, Norge, or Frigidaire. Eventually Whirlpool coin laundries appeared.

My first memory of a coin laundry was a hole in the wall little place near the "picture show" (theatre) in East Atlanta. It was a row of old Bendix diving bells. My best friends grandparents lived over there so it was a treat to drop in and watch people trying to kill those Bendix's.

 

[lesto]

In my southwest Atlanta neighborhood we had a Norge Village laundromat. It still had some solid tub machines with the overflow rinse towards the back of the laundromat and in the front some newer perforated tub models. There was also a Frigidaire coin laundry that had the mid 60's jet cone machines in sunny yellow and a round window in the lid. For some odd reason there were four blue Easy top loaders there as well.

 

[vacerator]

Yes, the Sears

revolving charge was very popular. It was the only credit card my parents had.
Our local gas company offered credit terms for Hamilton laundry equipment.

 

[cornutt]

Regional brand preferences

Alabama Power also had those types of deals on machines. But north of the Tennessee River we were under TVA, and they weren't allowed to do that. So we had lots of independent appliance stores (a few of which are still in business), and the department stores. There was an independent department store here called Miracle City that I recall having an extensive selection of appliances and electronics. There was an RCA retail store that sold Whirlpools back when they had their marketing agreement.

In houses around here, I recall mainly Kenmores (Sears was big here), Whirlpool, Fridigaire, Maytag and Westinghouse. There were some Philcos around; I think this may have been due to people here who worked for Philco's aerospace division. There were a few Speed Queens probably for the same reason, and I recall at least one laundry equipped with Speed Queens. There was a big Norge Village (which included a row of the self-service dry cleaning machines), but I don't recall seeing too many Norges in homes. I had never heard of Blackstone or Easy until I started reading here.