solid tub Hotpoints ~1958-72

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cfz2882

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-not quite sure if that year spread is exactly right,but the post-beam,wet cabinet solid tub hotpoints: pretty washers that seem to be virtually extinct today :( Parents bought a MOL HG one new in 1970-large and pretty control panel and beautiful light blue spiral vane agitator.Washer was trouble free for about 9 years and then troubles began-first pump seal went,trouble to replace since bronze hub of plastic impeller secured to steel motor shaft with a setscrew and very stubborn to remove..a couple years later a friction pad came off the clutch-in 1981,all parts were NLA except pump kits,so obtained a ~ 1965 parts machine to provide clutch parts and other spares-it then went to the dump.The 1970 lasted a few more months until corroded aluminum "sediment tube"broke apart and lodged in the pump-parents then bought a new KM BD and hotpoint went to the dump where I watched it get buried in the landfill along with a white rollermatic-(rollermatics very common at the dump in the early 1980s BTW)Also had a ~1958 HP dryer for a few months~1980:bought at a yard sale,started to squeal then came to it's end with a loud clang as plastic drive roller shaft bushing wore out and hollow roller shaft wore through and drive pulley came off-dryer had lighted panel and as I recall a foot pedal to open door.Wish I could go back in time and grab both these as both would be an easy fix today :)
 
I think

The pump was the biggest problem in these Hotpoints, I kind of like them, the dryers too, I see a dryer once in a while, but very rarely the washer, we have a family owned furniture store here in Mocksville that has been a Hotpoint dealer since 49, they now are selling Speed Queen washers, "After you know who talked them into investigating Speed Queen", but they sold TONS of Hotpoint appliances here as well as Duke Power Company who also flooded the market.
 
Hotpoint!

This was the 55 HP we had till I was 6 years old! As I remember it was the pump that went out and my parents got another bol hotpoint after that! I remember on these early models it didnt pause before the spin. No one in this club that I know of has ever found one of these rare birds with this unattached lid!

peteski50-2016012307465702495_1.jpg
 
So I guess it was '72 when they quit making the solid tub ones? For some reason I was thinking it might have been '74, but probably just mistaken. I know the early Hotpoint washers had the one direction motor with solenoids to operate agitation and spin like the Speed Queen washer back then. I had one of those once upon a time. You had to advance the timer to wash after it filled to the level you wanted. After that it automatically worked.
 
Pretty machines

Apparently mediocre performers and not built to last. I have one 1961 Hotpoint with transmission issues and one fabulous early Silhouette with the spiral Fountain-Filter agitator. I maintain that for people with delicate laundry needs these machines would have been good choices if they were durable. Not spectacular at cleaning(on a par with Maytags with worse sand disposal), extraction( a little better than Whirlpools) or versatility. I had two different Aunts who owned Silhouettes and heard no complaints but back then, if you were lucky enough to have a home laundry, you didn't complain; almost any Automatic machine is better than a wringer or lugging stuff to a laundromat. Never given proper credit for low water use and low noise though. Even the TOL's generally had only one cycle but they had wonderful bells and whistles. There are at least 3 more Hotpoints that I'd love to get my hands on for the same reasons I'd like to find a late Philco and a late Kelvinator, mostly because of the way they looked, beautiful varieties of color combinations and panel designs.

bajaespuma-2016012308311101420_1.jpg
 
The first perforated, GE clone Hotpoint came out in '74 so we're in the early 70's zone when HP (GE) quit the solid tub washers.  It's rather surprising that GE kept the HP design & factory so long given their reliability & performance ratings.  Different business climate then, I suppose.  

 

I have a '64  Hotpoint and love using that washer.  With the straight-vane agitator, it's no slouch when it comes to cleaning but the spiral-ramp version is pretty anemic unless loaded completely full.  

 

Spiral Ramp agitator - 

 



 

Here's Eddy's 53 Hotpoint solid tub washer with the straight vane agitator 

 



 

 
 
 
Gibson's Discount Store here (long closed) carried Hotpoint laundry into the 1970s.  I found them to be handsome machines, always enjoyed examining the wares while in the store.  Those spiral agitators were large.
 
If I am understanding correctly when HP, ST's were mfr. by Beam they had an actual outer tub. When HP was no longer mfr. by Beam, they went to the "wet cabinet" design. It seems like a step backward?
 
I like this thread

Yeah, anemic but you gotta love that 210<sup>o</sup> stroke. What happened to the fill flume? When I saw a Hotpoint working for the first time, I thought it was graceful in contrast to our GE Filter-flo which was vigorous, loud, splashy and had a very short stroke.

 

Dr. Freud, your 2 o'clock is here.

 

Were the Hotpoint washers that Ozzie and Harriet advertised, Beam machines?
 
rollover

as I recall,rollover was actually half decent-used to throw star wars figures,legos,and other items in the Hotpoint and watch them circulate :)Action was kinda slow though-one look at the pulleys and reason can be seen:motor pulley~2.5" while transmission pulley something like 8"-about the same ratio as a maytag.The Hotpoint's stamped steel tranny pulley also is the clutch drum-perfectly shaped and positioned to collect and hold any leaked tranny oil where it will go right to the friction surface as pulley turns :)Another feature of the Hotpoint I recall is all the wires were white and had a number printed on them.
 
I like this thread too...actually I LOVE this thread.

Thank you bajaespuma for posting the ad photos, and gansky1 for the videos. First washer my family had was a 1964/65 Silhouette model which I had only seen thanks to two old slide photos that captured it in the background. My parents bought it in October 1964, which is usually the crossover period of when the current and future year's models are on the showroom floor together, so that is why I am not sure of the model year ours was. I am also not sure whether ours had the straight vane or spiral agitator, as our washer only lasted until September of 1972 (just short of 8 years), and I was only 2 years old at the time of its demise. Having no memory of it, the videos are a treat as I now know how the action would have looked with either agitator. I agree with bajaespuma in that the spiral agitator action is fairly anemic, but I do love the 210 degree arc, so it still winds up providing some entertainment value. I would love to see what the 1964 line looked like. Someone posted it eons ago, but I don't know where to find it.

Have a good one,
James
 
Had to chime in here with a quick video of my '57 Hotpoint solid-tub washer.   This was taken on its 'maiden wash' back in summer of 2014.  

 

Sadly the washer failed its spin tests with a load of laundry.  It barely spun out the wash water (which made for a really poor rinse) and at the end of the final spin, the laundry was sopping wet.  Even the '53 Westy or the '56 GE Combo would have spun out more water!   I'm pretty sure the clutch shoes are the problem on this one.  The pump is good, however. 

 

But I love the machine even though it's sitting in the garage awaiting its turn in the shop....  Hopefully in 2016, I'll actually have the 'shop'!  

 

 

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