QUESTION.....who made the last wringer washer in US history?

[launderess]

Speed Queen has been passed around a lot in its time.

Barlow & Seelig Manufacturing sold to McGraw Edison in 1956.

The rest have laid out previously in another post:

Amana began as "Amana Refrigeration" in Amana, Iowa in 1934 to sell walk in "cooler" By the 1940's Amana made the first upright freezer for domestic use, followed by the first fridge/freezer side by side unit. In the 1950's Amana was bought by a group of investors, which included their founder and became "Amana Refrigeration Inc". By 1954 Amana had also started producing air conditioners.

In 1965, Raytheon purchased Amana because it needed to develop furhter and more importantly market the "RadarRange" to consumers for domestic use. In 1979 Raytheon purchased Speed Queen and Modern Maid. Previous in 1967, Raytheon had purchased Caloric.

Amana began producing laundry appliances at in 1982, at the Speed Queen plant in Ripson, WI. By 1992 Raytheon had two appliance divisons, Speed Queen and Amana.

In 1997 Raytheon sold off it's appliance divisions, with Alliance Laundry systems getting the SQ and Unimac (commercial) brands, and Goodman Holding, getting Amana domestic applince, cooking and commercial HVAC. In the early 2000's Maytag purchased Amana from Goodman.

In 1997, Alliance Laundry Systems, granted the Amana Corp, and it's affiliates a license to use both the SQ and Horzion trademarks and trade names until the year 2012. The Horzion trademarks and trade names were given with unlimited use, while the Speed Queen names could only be used for 75,000 home style washing machines, and 75,000 domestic dryers per year. Amana also has the rights to use certian patents, copyrights, mask works, and "know how" for eternity as relating to SQ. Such use was granted in all markets, and Alliance did not belive such use would harm their business.

So the short answer is that yes, the washing machine above can be a "Speed Queen" made by Amana. "

If above is true, that in 1994 Raytheon ceased production of SQ wringer washers in USA, well that predates sale to Alliance Laundry Systems in 1997.

Thus while likely somewhere in archives or whatever information *may* still exist on SQ wringer washers; it is highly unlikely anyone working at Alliance Laundry Systems today knows a thing about such machines. Well unless you can lay hands on an older executive or employee who was around back then, this assuming they survived the various changes of ownership.

Now both then McGraw Edison (now part of Cooper Industries) and now (Alliance Laundry Systems) had a relationship with Al Babtain Group in Saudi Arabia. These are the people who built/sold the "Home Queen" or whatever wringer washer based upon Speed Queen machines.

Long story short it is highly unlikely you are going to get anything out of Alliance Laundry Systems about SQ wringer washers. Not at least from front line or tier one employees. Wringer washers are likely as relevant to them as whalebone corsets.

You *may* try running someone at Amana down to ground (see: https://www.automaticwasher.org/cgi-bin/TD/TD-VIEWTHREAD.cgi?39079 )

But since Amana went with Maytag to Whirlpool, again it just may lead to a dead end.

One person suggest you reach out to is Lee Maxwell. The guy is a wealth of knowledge on old/vintage washing machines. He just may have some of the information wanted, and or can point you in right direction.

 

[tolivac]

I don't think wringers will come back due to safety hazards of the wringer-maybe twin tub agitate-and spin drum machines.Its an interesting thought,though.

 

[combo52]

Last US Built Wringer Washer

As mentioned above, SQ built and sold the last WWs in 1994.

 

A customer of ours renter a minivan and she and her daughter drove to Philadelphia in early 1995 to pick up one of the last SQ WWs she could find. We set up the new WW and she used it about 10 years, quality had deteriorated and it had many problems over its 10 year life.

 

In 2006 we replaced it with a SQ FL washer [ with heater ] and she loves it [ never a service call yet ] our customer is now 94 YO.

 

WWs are not likley to make a comeback, it is very expensive to make this type of machine. WWs are not safe and the wringers are simply not that effective and can really damage clothing. A spinner type washer just makes more sense for people who want to be in complete control of washing their clothing.

 

John L.

 

[launderess]

With all due respect

Your boss is *nuts* for even considering bringing wringer washers back to USA.

Am more than unusually sure out of liability concerns no dealers would touch them with a barge pole. Once Consumer Reports got wind of things, there would be a steady drum beat as they whipped up consumer sentiment against. For the record Consumer Reports waged a two or three decade hate against wringer washers. Once fully automatic washing machines came on the seen CR (among others) kept reminding women there was no need to have such dangerous and impractical appliance.

By 1953 fully automatic washer sales outpaced wringer washers, and the latter saw steady decline in sales from that time onwards.

While one can see some benefits to semi-automatic washing machines; a wringer washer just is wrong way to go. Something like the AEG Turnamat would likely be a better choice.

All wringer washers suffer from same drawbacks as hand operated mangles; width of whatever is being sent through must be less than that of rollers. This is all very well and good for most clothing, but for sheets, blankets, tablecloths, etc... things must be folded or whatever to fit.

Finally wringers just aren't very efficient in extracting water from wash. Best most can manage equals around 250 or so rpms.

After hearing about how Maytag wringers removed so much water they left things nearly "dry" was gobsmacked at how much water truly remained. When took just washed laundry out of catch tub there was quite a lot of water remaining. This was the water which drained out of wash while it sat.

Given the push for energy efficacy you stand a better chance of bringing back top loaders of old with central beaters that used tons of water. At least they spun laundry much drier than a wringer.

 

[yogitunes]

just about the only market that a wringer washer would be considered is the Amish...

they are big on manual machines like this....and eventually the supply/parts/rebuild will dry up in time....

and by that time, they may take on manufacturing it themselves....

note too, a machine used by Amish must be gas powered!

 

[launderess]

Wait I Told A Lie

Or think may have!

Just researched some old posts and find that Crosley wringer washers were sold in 2000.

Also it seems SQ sent their tooling for wringer washers to Saudi Arabia who then made the "Home Queen" washers that were sold by Lehman's well past 1997.

Speed Queen Wringer Washer - New?

Hey Guys! I recently came across a Speed Queen wringer washer at a flea market. Now, it was very white, and it looked fairly new (?) which is was took me by surprise. Even the cord was modern, grey, and a three-wire type. Can I assume that Speed Queen, like Maytag, was still manufacturing...

www.automaticwasher.org

 

[thomasortega]

The units won't be sold nationally and we won't use our own brand.

We have a big client that strictly wants wringer washers for an specific group of customers

We will basically provide the information for this client and work as a link between the manufacturer and them instead of getting really involved. (for this reason I'm NOT going to design a wringer at all.)

My boss is not crazy. I can imagine it would be sold out in five minutes with 100% of the units bought by people planning to hit the million dollar lawsuit jackpot

 

[thomasortega]

@Kenmoreguy

On reply #10 you mentioned Brazil.... LOL

Well, In Brazil we had only one model of wringer washer (that tiny Hoover with a manual wringer) a long time ago.

Brazilian washers were basically American washers until 1990, since then the brazilian know how changed A LOT.

You're right, semi-automatic washers are still made in Brazil because of the culture. Many people love to have the suds in a semi automatic and then transfer the load to an automatic washer to rinse and spin while ye next load is washed reusing the suds.

Nowadays, Brazilian washers are way better than american ones because of the Eco-nazi HE standards we have here in the USA. Even some models made in USA are adjusted to use much more water in Brazil. For example Frigidaire Affinity (Electrolux Ecoturbo), Whirlpool Vantage (Brastemp Vantage)

 

[launderess]

@Thomas

Was not literally saying your employer was "nuts". Just that there is a reason why wringer washers faded away from USA market, and no one has seriously bothered bringing them back.

Even that "Home Queen" wringer out of Saudi Arabia didn't last long, and that was with Lehman's pushing the thing with their natural Amish market.

 

[launderess]

Parts for wringer washers.

At least for Maytag there still seems to be quite a lot out there NIB still. Witness various sellers coming here to the group offering their wares.

Am also going with that Maytag didn't stop building wringer washers until early 1980's and thus many machines may not have seen much use. That is housewives who got the things new soon moved to a fully automatic. That and or only saved the wringer for special jobs.

IIRC well after Maytag formerly announced it would cease production of wringer washers, dealers/service people could still reach out to them for certain parts. It may have taken a few weeks or so to have it made, but the tooling was still around.

Of course now that Maytag is owned by Whirlpool am sure whatever tooling, dies and whatever else related to wringer washers has long since been destroyed. Am guessing any spares sitting around in a warehouse or whatever equally were disposed of as scrap/rubbish.

 

[iowabear]

I wonder how many are still being used?  In the early 80s I cut grass and did other odd jobs for the widows in my blue-collar neighborhood.  I knew three of them that still used their WWs and none of them had dryers.  They line dried...basement in the winter, outside in the summer.

 

Once I helped one of them do her laundry, she was really quite efficient about it, it didn't take nearly as long as one would have thought.  And yes she warned me several times about keeping my hands out of the wringer!

 

[ea56]

“Once I helped one of them do her laundry, she was really quite efficient about it, it didn't take nearly as long as one would have thought. And yes she warned me several times about keeping my hands out of the wringer!”

Even though doing the laundry with a wringer washer is full time hands on, there is no faster or more efficient way to do a weeks worth of laundry! I’ve always said, if I had the set up for one, either a kitchen large enough, a laundry room with a laundry tub or a bathroom big enough to roll the wringer washer up to the tub for rinsing, thats the way I’d be doing my laundry even today. It’s zen like, almost theraputic, and I know most reading this will think I’m crazy. But don’t knock it if you haven’t tried it, its kinda fun.

And you do need to be very careful to keep your fingers out of the wringer. My Mom, when she was about 6 and her sister were playing with a sock once, running it back and forth through the wringer while Gradma was hanging some rinsed laundry, and Mom didn’t let go of the sock in time. she got her hand up to ther wrist caught before Grandma could release the wringer. As a result she had a ganglion cyst on that wrist that she had to have removed when she was 33. It was about the size of my thumb, I remember going to the doctor with her the day it was removed,

There is also an old fashioned Mid Western saying for someone that is all “het up” over something, “They must have got a t*t caught in the wringer”, LOL. I use it all the time, reminds me of my grandparents.

Eddie[this post was last edited: 10/8/2018-22:06]

 

[thomasortega]

@Lauderess

Guess who's the "client".... LOL I'm forbidden to say but you're smart enough to guess.

BTW. Having a "non-automatic" or even a "semi-automatic (basically a wringer washer without the wringer, some of them with pumps, others with "automatic" fill is actually great to save water and cut time.

We did a test here in the USa about 2 years ago with the SuperPop. (a similar version is also sold in Brazil with fewer features).
I was quite impressed with the number of people that loved it. Until today, 1 year after the test ended and it was discontinued I still receive emails from people asking when we will have more.

Based on that test, I've designed a much bigger model (Megawash) sold exclusively for the customer I have one here with me.

When we were creating the name, some of the names we thought bas "bad ass", "big ass" and "jumbo". The capacity is nearly THREE times that LG that claims to be the largest capacity ever.

The biggest "semi-automatic" washer sold by our partner in Brazil is 50% smaller.

Launderess you have a Mega spin dryer.... You would have to split the load in 8 megas really packed.

For the open market we are releasing early next year the Avalon. A semi automatic HATL washer. Full size heavy duty "extra" capacity in a mini footprint.

 

[abcomatic]

HI Jim and all, I have several wringer washers and they all work. 2 ABC's from the '50's.
60's Easy spindryer, 3 Speed Queens, 3 Maytags, 1 GE, I Dexter made in Fairfield, Iowa and 1 Hoover washer from the '70's. I love these machines and they all wash well. The Dexter needs a facelift, but it still turns out CLEAN laundry, not like the new ones that are out there now! Oh, please, don't get me started. Happy washing, Gary