Starting 'May Is Maytag Month' with a bang!

[combo52]

CLOTHES WARE

Dan I showed you my proof why don't you do a side by side comparison and show the results? if you think my more than 40 EXPERIENCE years are wrong. Further I tend to trust Maytag and thier engineers they are the ones who changed to the load sensor agitator for there dependable care washers they did a lot more testing than either one of us. Remember I have been a MT dealer since the mid 1970s I have been in more than 40,000 homes and have had far more complaints about MT dependable Care washers than any other brand when it comes to performance issues. That is why MT was aggressively switching away from the helical drive washer even thier literature spoke of the better cleaning& rinsing performance you could expect from thier newer washers.

 

[fltcoils]

dealer for 40 years, ahhh!!!

Then YOU'D be the fellow to tell me what PN# load sensor agitator will fit my '74 A606!!. No one else seems to know.

Please, what is it? I want to upgrade my machine to reap the benefits of this extensive testing and research.

thanks.

 

[alr2903]

Wow, 14 minutes of wash time on the dial if i am looking at the picture correctly. My A206 only offers 10 minutes. Why did Maytag get so "tight" with their wash time? RCD, I am glad you are giving this old machine a new life. alr2903

 

[spankomatic]

Seems like my grandmothers had two console lites. 1) being the big flouresent lite and 2) a smaller incandecent lite that back lit the dial. Can anyone elaborate ?

Jim

 

[brettsomers]

Yay for Maytag Month!

Mom loved her a207 and the BOL orbital that replaced it around 1995 is going strong. The short stroke can be harsh, IMO, if loaded too tightly. Never had any washability or rinsing issues (or noise or durability or construction issues).

 

[laundromat]

Today,I found an A106 maytag and it's in great shape physicaly.Charly's dropping it off to me tuesday.I'll run it once it arives.

 

[combo52]

MT WASHER AGITATION

Bill the load sensor agitator from any late MT washer will fit I believe there was only one used. If you can't find a model to use to look it up I can look @ one of the MTs laying around @ the shop when I go in later just let me know. MT shortened the maximum allowable wash time because of clothing ware concerns Just as WP Started stepping down the agitation speed on thier early DD washers in the late 1980s as they also realized it provided too much of a good thing. And WP did have quite a few complaints about the first DD washers in regard to linting and increased fabric ware. Thats way WP had to go to the expense of developing the neutral drain system for a reversing motor drive washer and started using the dual action agitator in DD washers. Sears had a ten year exclusive deal with WP on the DA agitator for the KM brand. But WP quickly developed a DA agitator to fit the basic 24" DD washers that we could get through service channels only. There were quite a few basic DD washers out there with a LT blue dual action agitator fitted in them. This solved the lint streaking problem on dark clothing that can occur on a spin drain system and while a neutral drain washer drains some of the water through the clothes a spin drain washer with a perforated basket subjects the clothes at the top of the tub to the water being strained through the clothes over and over again as the washer starts to spin and drain turning that part of the load into a very effective lint filter.

 

[geoffdelp]

CONGRATULATIONS, RCD!! Those really were fine machines. You DID start "May Is Maytag Month" off with a bang!

My 1964 A700S has been running wonderfully for 3 years now; I absolutely love it. I use it most every weekend and wash my good office clothing in it; no problems here! I don't overload and watch how much detergent I use; couldn't ask for anything finer or more dependable. It strokes at 54 o.p.m. and spins at 618 r.p.m. I absolutely LOVE the thermostatically controlled warm water ... 100 degrees (+/- 5) degrees. That warm water rinse is a real treat and the clothes come out a lot drier than if I rinsed in cold.

I am protecting my original bakelite agitator and bought the power fin replacement agitator. I like it a lot, too. I sometimes use Clorox and feel better using the power fin replacement; bleach dulled/dried out the bakelite agitators.

I'm also a big Maytag wringer washer user; I don't see any significant wear on my clothing from these machines either. I've been using a wringer washer a long time and since I use a dryer, I can put my permanent press through it and the dryer removes the wrinkles.

If you remember, even though my A700S was brand new, I had an "oil slick", too. After removing the transmission, I discovered that I had to replace the gasket that goes INSIDE the transmission shaft. It is a little rubber ring and was a real bugger to get out and then a new one in. Just ask Jetaction (Don Shier) about it. We (Ben S., Don and myself) replaced one in Don's machine, too. Don got it seated so quickly ... like on the first try ... Lucky Dog!! I think he found himself a new job!!!

Love to see these machines still around and getting new homes!!

Geoff

 

[swestoyz]

Beautiful on the outside, well-loved on the inside!

Doesn't that describe most of us? LOL

Nice looking 'Tag there Andy! Amazing how durable the finish was on Newton bread machines. It is a wonder why we see more of these in comparison to say a Bendix or a Westy from the same era!

Ben

 

[volvoguy87]

A700.

One of my dream machines someplace below a Frigidaire WCI-58 is a Maytag A700 or A702, preferably with a Suds Saver. I too would likely use a Power Fin. I like the way the Power Fin performs, I like the way it looks, and you can get it in turquoise or black.

Dave

Geoff, can we get a tub shot with the Power Fin?

 

[maytag63]

Nice, I grew up with one of those. Mom purchased it when I was born. She had to replace it just before I turned 20. Only one minor repair over it's 20 year life. She had it in the kitchen and used the light as a night light. All those memories are coming back.

 

[dnastrau]

Power Fin in an A700

Yep, my A700 lost its original Bakelite agitator at some point. The replacement is a black Power Fin with a 1979 date on the bottom.

 

[geoffdelp]

Dave ... I don't have one of the power fin (I should get one; forgot, I guess). But here's one of the original bakelite before it was even used.

 

[geoffdelp]

The original bakelite agitator is quite powerful; the recirculation portion on the bottom "pumps" water that is in the agitator out. Sort of like a "burp", but only under the water!

It can create a lot of suds; especially with vintage detergent.

 

[geoffdelp]

I think these are great machines and who ever ends up with the one that RCD found, is going to be happy when they get it repaired!!

 

[geoffdelp]

Here's Dave's night light ...

 

[combo52]

WARM RINSE SPINS OUT MORE WATER?

Try rinsing the same load in cold water and then in warm water and weigh the load each time I don;t think you will find much if any difference. The human hand cannot feel moisture but it can discern temperature and items that are colder we tend to think are wetter. Raising 20 gallons of cold Minnesota water in the winter which can be around 40F to 100F uses a lot of energy more than enough to run a classic DW through a full cycle or a new energy star DW through two cycles. I am looking forward to seeing all the Minnesota folks and everyone else at Robert's wash in see you then.

 

[qsd-dan]

The worn portion of the lower porcelain basket is a dead giveaway of repeated overloading techniques. I have a '65 A702 that saw much, much more use/abuse and the tub is still near perfect. However, I knew the original owners and their laundry habits. All washes were properly loaded, if not slightly underloaded.

if you think my more than 40 EXPERIENCE years are wrong

Well, my 50 year old towels in the hall closet coupled with my nearly 20 year old clothes prove (to me) that long stroke Maytags aren't as aggressive as you claim. Actually, you are the only person on this site (that I have known of) to claim long stroke Maytags have a harsh washing action. Not to be an asshole, but that kinda sounds like your opinions are clouding the truth.

Further I tend to trust Maytag and thier engineers they are the ones who changed to the load sensor agitator for there dependable care washers they did a lot more testing than either one of us.

Engineers changed to the load sensing agitator with the orbital transmission because of its fast agitation speed that was harsher on clothes and had poor turnover in a fully loaded situations. The orbital trans was used because it was cheaper to manufacturer than the pitman trans, and had a couple of less moving parts. It was also serviceable without requiring a complete tear-down of the machine. However, those points don't prove it's a better design, especially in the long run. Orbitals wear out the lower o-ring seal faster than the older transmissions and replacing the lower o-ring in orbitals doesn't guarantee a leak free operation after replacement. Also, they like to shear the pin and wind the agitator and upper shaft right out of the transmission, requiring a rebuild. It also didn't help th fact that most orbitals used the inferior triple lip seal that lasted an average of 5 years, compared to several decades, like the older design. The fact that most orbitals didn't have a lint filter in the agitator is just icky to someone who has 4 pets.

had far more complaints about MT dependable Care washers than any other brand when it comes to performance issues.

So, I guess the all of the high ratings that long stroke Mayatgs consistently received via Consumer Reports (long before the days their opinions became skewed) and the millions upon millions of happy customers that paid BIG $$$ for those machines are all full of BS then?

To me, it sounds like the complaints you got were from those who were "stuffers" and didn't know how to properly load a machine. They are a common breed in society I have used several other washers and never was much impressed. The only machines I haven't played with a lot are belt drive WP/KM machines. However, my parents had a coppertone belt drive Kenmore for a short period time when I was 5 and I remember my mother commenting how, once the KM died (it was less than 7 yrs old) the "new" Maytag (the very machine I still have) exceeded the Km in washing performance and especially drying performance with its faster spin. Also, no more frequent out of balance issues with the Maytag that the KM had.

 

[mrcleanjeans]

Absolutely true.If a Maytag is not stuffed,they wash just fine,and are DEFINATELY more gentle than the DD Kenmores. Maytags with the Helical Drive are the best washers all around. They're not as fun or flashy as some others,though. And the one weakness they had was that you could'nt stuff them and expect good results. It goes without saying that no washer should be stuffed anyway!