No nothing so unusual now...but why BIG ???Normal size!!! a
Sorry Jason for delay on reply, here in Italy american agitators toploaders ang gas dryers are becoming really famous in this periods, in fact their price is about 1700 each and many wants them but just who have the funds manage to have one.
There're many dealers of Speed Queens, Maytag and Whirlpool and are opening places all over the country and growing like mushrooms, as people here who always knew FL washers is totally amazed by the clean that these machines provides and also they're way more energy efficient and you can save at least the 40% on the electric bill!
Here electricity cost ALOT!
My filter-flo was purchased and shipped from the USA in 1994 when I was just a little boy, 5 years old exactly, sent by my maternal granma who lived in KS,my mother was half american and half italian and she growth in KS, the washer was bought and shipped via sea from a dealer of Miami where my granma used to go on vacation and arrived here in Genova.
Paid everything about 2000$USD.
My mother of course never liked the front loaders washers they were selling here as they didn't get clothes clean and wanted to have a toploader at all costs, after this in the 1996 my italian paternal granmother's washer that was an AEG got broken and wanted a toploader too, so my mother asked to my granma to order one for her but this time she got a Maytag that is still in regular use as well and NEVER got broken! Finger crossed!
The filter-flo washer run well till last year when the pulley oil seal went and with the help of a member I got the replacing oil seal and I managed to save it with this surgery, then this year I noticed an oil leak into the tub and got that her tranny needed to be replaced, not sure if I managed to find a spare tranny somewhere I thought was time to change the washer, and googling Speed Queen washer to see if there were any offer or the cheapest dealer around I luckily found an ad on a site like american craiglist of a guy who was selling his these 2,5 years old machines for only 200 euros for washer and 300 for the gas dryer! First time I thought: "no he is kidding, or no they does not work they are broken!"
They were in Sicily, very far from where I am.
Then still incredulous to get these for this price I contacted the seller and sounded like a seroius guy and he was also sending them to me with bill at delivery so I trusted in him and got ahead.
Probably he didn't know their value and sold them for this price.
Later I found out that they were property of U.S government,the guy probably have been charged by US government to empty and sell stuff from an house maybe gived to some marine's family who finally went at home or from the NAS base, as there in Catania (Sicily) there's an American Naval Air Station named "Sigonella".....
In fact I found a sticker on the washer that say:"property of U.S government"...
Love them and still not believing to have got them for this price, they works wonderfully!
Now I'm still looking for a spare tranny for my poor filter-flo that is still in good working order if wasn't for the clutch that makes her run on normal speed only and for the tranny. I want to keep the filter-flo till I can!
Always looking for a transmission on the web I found an ad for very vintage GE filter-flo in Italy in Bari!!! Maybe similar story of the mine I guess!
Asked if he was available to ship the washer but he wasn't, I was thinking to take the tranny out of that washer and replace the mine, but then I realized also that would have been a pity and was not even sure of it's condition being anyway a vintage machine!
Now I can see the seller removed the ad so guess he sold that, but looked like he was too stupid to save this and probably sent it to the scrapper, he was asking euros 150, if only was available for shipping I'd have take this as well!
Also I've a question for my Speed queen washer: How can I remove the top panel and bypass the lid switch? This is an internal switch that is connected directly to the lid to inside by a mettalic arm and you cannot do anything from outside if not by bypassing it from inside!
Thanks to everyone who can help me!
[this post was last edited: 1/3/2012-20:15]
