Never as good as a Hobart!
Vulcan dishwashers were definitely tanks as were just about every machine of this era. Many companies made machines of every type save for the under counter units.
Having worked for a private Servicing company that is a Vulcan rep,I had many opportunities to assist our service force and customers with their Vulcan dishwashers. While they were rugged and well built, it seemed that they had lagged behind other manufacturers like Hobart and Champion in the late 70's early 80's.
Just like General Electric which also made machines of this type as well as Toastmaster. They all had single tank units like the AM series and KAB series but also made machines in the standard 44,54 and 64" designs. Once Hobart bought GE's commercial Cooking Division, they phased out the dishwashers completely which Ge is was winding down already. When they bought Vulcan, there was really no need to continue the dishwasher lines as the sales did not warrant it. The designs and technology were old. Hobart did the same with the Vulcan Mixer lines as well. By the early 90's most of these lines were discontinued and parts were supported for for a number of years and then obsoleted.
It was always sad to see these lines go and I often look at what today's designers will call "new" and laugh at how many engineers have so little idea of what went before in the industry and was tried and used for years by other companies. Some still use some designs that go back 40-50 years but it was leading edge at the time and have become timeless designs. I have seen so many different conveyor drive systems that it would make your head spin. It is truly amazing how much you need to know to either service these old machines or to sell someone the proper parts for them.
I sure hope that nothing breaks on the AutoSan in the above picture. You will probably find next to nothing out there for it. Pump seals for sure if you know who to call and motors will have to be rewound by a rebuilder locally.
And as Eddie can tell you, those AM-8 and 9's while still churning day in and day out, have few electrical parts available. And only really knowledgeable Hobart parts guys will have a good answer as to what you can still get for them. You really have to know what was used years ago when the parts for them were superceded by newer parts and machines.
