SQ fluid drive and arcuate tranny

[helicaldrive]

Does anybody have a diagram and an explanation of how the solid tub SQ motor transfers power to the fluid drive and in turn to the tranny and pump without any belts?

When I look at that design, it’s a total mystery to me.

 

[nmassman44]

There are 3 belts in a solid tub SQ washer...one that goes from the motor to the pump and one from the pump to the Transmission and one belt that goes from the Fluid Drive...that sit on top of the motor ...to the spin pulley. I have had both the reverse motor design sans solenoids and the first SQ washer my parents bought that did have solenoids. I am sure someone will dig up a pic of what I am taking about...

The fluid drive has an impeller inside the drive head. When the washer calls for spin, the impeller spins inside the head and there is a fluid that begins to spin and the upper part of the drive head has vanes inside that cause the liquid to "lock" and cause the drive to move, causing the head to spin and transferring that motion thru the belt to the spin pulley causing the tub to spin...

 

[helicaldrive]

And that leads to another question that was always a mystery

Solenoid solid tub SQ’s were in my college dorms. They were abused beyond belief. They ran about 20 hours a day nonstop, stuffed with clothes, packed so tight there was no movement of the clothes. The only time they broke, was for one of two reasons. Most often a sock would go over the top of the tub and jam the pump.

Or the mystery, it would spin, weakly, the moment the cycle started, and throughout the cycle, preventing the tub from filling properly. Something with the fluid drive being partly engaged for some reason?

 

[gansky1]

The spin solenoid pulled the fluid drive bracket/fork down on the motor shaft to engage it and cause the tub to spin. If the spacing isn't right, the tub can turn constantly. A couple of adjustments were all that was usually necessary.

 

[tolivac]

That man in the picture needs to load his clothes with a compactor!Seen the fluid drives on Parker merry-go-rounds.Belt driven from the motor(fixed park) or engine on portable units.Their carousels were famous for their art deco design.There was one on the Mall is Wash DC with a Whilitzer 153 organ.Liked riding it and listening to the organ.Knew the guy that owned it.

 

[helicaldrive]

Thanks nmassman and gansky!

For the explanations. It’s always nice to have a mystery solved.

And that photo (LOL) isn’t far from what went on.

I’ll never forget those machines, and how fascinated I was with that solid stainless tub and how different they were from the perf tub WP machines I had grown up with. I had never seen an overflow rinse before. First time a solenoid activated I almost jumped through the ceiling. They were avocado green, so by 1980-1984 they had to have been more than ten years old, if not going on 20. Absolutely amazing they could withstand that abuse from constant overloading and running nonstop about 18 -20 hours a day. The very small tub was one reason they got overloaded so badly. They never sounded stressed when overloaded. They never sudslocked either. But then again, the clothes in them were so dirty the detergent couldn’t make any suds.