Speed Queen current line up in production through 2018

[mtn1584]

I emailed Allinace and asked them about production,....this was the response I got....

Great questions regarding the DOE and water usage. The good news and only news is we are going to continue to make a sell our current line of top load washers through 2018. There is a lot more to this story but please feel rest assured we will have the current models with slight modifications (better water usage) available for many years to come!

Take from it what you will,
Mike

 

[washman]

How did you manage to get a response?

I emailed them from their website AND their FB page. No reply.

Thanks for the info though!

 

[mtn1584]

I don't know, maybe because I told them that my family has three sets of the AWN542 model and matching dryer. Myself, my mother, and my brother.
Mike

 

[pierreandreply4]

i hope speed queen huebesch keep there classic top lod models in production

 

[yogitunes]

seems pretty vague of an answer.....yes, they will still make them, with added 'modifications'....

and better water use?.....don't like the sound of that....they were already forced to reduce the water level, which can be adjusted back up....as long as that feature is available were good, but if newer models dont allow it, then were screwed!....

 

[foraloysius]

And hopefully they don't introduce the partial drain.

 

[frigilux]

Glad I bought mine now! Since these things are supposed to last 50 years, I should be good-to-go.

 

[combo52]

Future SQ TL Washers

There will be big changes in these washers in the next two years in terms water temperature and rinsing systems, and sorry Eugene the TL SQs are very unlikely to last 50 years, I have never heard anyone @ SQ make that claim, 50 years is the design limit for the FLers. The TLers will probably only last 10-30 years depending on many different usage factors.

 

The TL models are not only very difficult to repair when you have main seal and transmission problems, But also expensive, I predict that most TL SQs will be trashed if they develop these problems, especially when the 10 year transmission warranty is gone. The FL machines on the other hand are relatively easy to replace main bearings and seals in.

 

[washman]

I'm stocking up on replacement parts

now while the gettin is good. Not ever not in a million years am I going to give up my SQ for a less than stellar HE TL machine.

Just got back from dining out. Went to Sears. Looked over the iron, er I mean, trash. And boy was it trash. LG and Samsung with plastic lids. So called Kennmore and GE with stainless PLATED tubs as thin as a Miller beer can. I was able to move a Kennmore HE basket far enough to feel the outer tub. Plastic.

Thanks but no thanks.

I did two wonderful loads today using Tide Original detergent. For some reason in calm weather, we had a quick power surge.

Know what? I did not have to "reboot" my SQ or my old fashioned GE dryer. And neither one is plugged into a surge supressor!

 

[frigilux]

John-- I was being silly and exaggerating when I said it would last 50 years. But you think their front-loaders can actually reach the half-century mark? That's pretty impressive. Is the top-loader's shorter life expectancy due to the tub seal? One more question: Do the new Speed Queen top-loaders have the same Arc-Q-Matic transmissions that were found in the McGraw-Edison washers?

 

[yogitunes]

the tranny on the new ones do offer the 210 degree stroke, but is a whole different design than the Arc-Q-Matic 210.......a shame too, this original tranny offered a power stroke with that design, something that is missing in the new design...

did you see Dan's thread and videos on changing out that agitator with a ramped design from a Westinghouse?

here's one of his videos...

 

[washman]

Did a little research

on the SQ transmissions.

I learned that the copyright and patent expired on both the ArcQ Matic AND the Eversmooth designs.

If you can save the image I attached, in this old ad there is a pic of the AcrQMatic transmission.

 

[yogitunes]

the good and bad of the two trannies is the first ArcQMatic was similar to many designs in aspect of this was for agitation only, and then there was the spin drive seperate......did not hear too much of them ever failing, and good thing too, they are B*#@H to get out!

in the new EverSmooth, its all in one, agitation and spin are from the same mechanism....

granted they are all metal gear designs....

 

[washman]

Yogitunes

do you have any pics of the old style separate transmission and fluid drive anyplace?

 

[combo52]

Current SQ TL Washer Transmissions

Are all metal, BUT they use a lot of aluminum including some aluminum gears, and they have aluminum wearing against aluminum which has never been considered good engineering. When you open a used SQ transmission the oil looks like aluminum paste and having both a bottom oil seal exposed to all the metal in the oil and a top seal exposed to possible contamination from water these transmissions not a super long lasting design.

 

[jeffg]

Given the choice between aluminum and plastic, choose aluminum.

 

[stevet]

Turnover???

In the video link that Ben(Washman) posted, it took nearly a full 2 minutes for the white article to be taken in by the agitator and worked down into the tub. Is that the normal time it takes or was the machine severely overloaded? The white article finally reappears at the nearly 5 minute mark to begin another journey down and around the tub.
Do the yellow and blue articles ever get more than a beating from the agitator?
Am I just out of practice watching clothes move around a tub in a top loader or just been jaded by having Whirlpool/Kenmores all my life and living thru a few different styles of Super Surgilators, Dual Action agitators and those cool golden Pentaswirls?

 

[washman]

Here was the load

LL Bean Queen size fitted sheet, top sheet, two pillowcases plus one queen bedspread.

Pretty heavy load when you consider the water absorbtion of 100% cotton items.

True the turnover is not as agressive here but I have other vids that show a more agressive turnover. It really depends on the size of the items. At any rate, they did come out peachy clean in my USA made Speed Queen.

The attached pic shows a bigger image of the famous Arc-Q-Matic transmission.

 

[jeffg]

That's not a big load, that's a ridiculous load. The bedspread should be (and would be in most households) washed separately.

 

[washman]

I know JeffG

I know. Same beadspread was also washed in the GE along with sheets. Still has yet to drop a thread or split a seam. LL Bean does make good bedding for sure.

 

[yogitunes]

depends on the bulk of the load.....and of course the machine......

I have quilts, not puffed comforters.....so for example in the FL Neptunes, yeah, I would wash the whole bedding(quilt, sheets, and pillowcases) in one load, wether if it was a king, queen, or twin size...

this same thing would fit in the SQ just the same....granted not all machines can handle this type of load well...

 

[jeffg]

IMO it's got more to do with cleaning requrements than load size. I mean I can't remember the last time I washed sheets in something other than hot water, sometimes with LCB etc, meanwhile I don't think I've ever washed a bedspread in hot water.

 

[combo52]

Aluminum Gears

Plastic gears will outlast aluminum gears any day, remember every MT AW washer ever built had at least one plastic gear in the transmission and they never had problems with the plastic gears, WP also used one plastic gear in their DD washers and I have never seen one of these fail. To my knowledge GE never used any plastic gears in any AW washer they built, Norge did however but it was never the gears that failed, LOL.

 

The current SQ TL washers are very good machines and we sell at least a few every week, BUT they are nowhere as good at turning over a big load as the WP-KM washers with a dual action agitator, I always feel bad when we haul away a WP built DD washer and install a new SQ TLer, not only is the agitation poorer for large loads but they also leave the clothing less clean and well rinsed because they spin all the dirty through the clothing as they drain.

 

[pierreandreply4]

a true washer

i would say what ever the brand of washer there should be a way to save energy without changing the water temp coming in the washer like for exemple this vintge washer where like hot water enter hot if hot water temp is selected same for warm water and same for cold and this also go for a warm water rinse if the washer has a warm rinse water temp

 

[washman]

Combo52

Maytag and I think some Frigidaires spun rinsed as well.

Nevertheless, I believe my laundry is just as clean in the SQ as it was in the GE profile. The GE gave 14 years of good service, but when it died, it was an expensive death for sure.

 

[washman]

Here's one showing good rollover

 

[launderess]

Energy Savings

Again the United States when it comes to laundry washing machines and to an extent dishwashers are now putting a laser focus on the cost to heat the water that goes into the machine.

Traditional top loading washing machines use the most water of any domestic laundry and or other appliance. The only way to get that usage down is to either use cooler water temps, and or less water period.

On the other side of the pond though washing machines long have heated their own water there is still the problem of energy consumption. Leaving aside the UK and Scandinavian countries with access to North Sea petrol reserves there isn't much of that in Europe. Electric power generation must then come from other natural sources (coal or whatever else can be burned) or nuclear.

 

[peterh770]

Despite the claims, SQ never had a true 210 arc... It was 180 at best... Same with Norge...

 

[neptunebob]

I wish Speed Queen would bring back the script lettering like on the machines in the ad above, I think it would be a hit with the mid-century look.

 

[washman]

Likewise Neptunebob

In fact, I would like to see the Arc-C-Cuate come back with a separate belt driven pump in lieu of the current direct drive plastic pump. And a true 210 degrees of stroke no less!

At any rate, regardless of engineering, the machine works as advertised and does not add any drama to washday as do some of the techo-laden modern machines.