stuck agitator puller- made cheap!

[rollermatic]

i've had very good luck making pullers out of 2x4's and bolts. i did this to pull a stuck inner tub out of my 65 custom imperial rollermatic, i made one to pull the impeller off my g.e. mobile maid and today i rigged this one up.

thought i would demonstrate in case anyone else can use the idea when working on their appliances.

this one is a stuck agitator on my speed queen solid tub i picked up last week in indianapolis.

 

[rollermatic]

the parts consist of

about 2 ft of 2x4

4 ft of chain cut in half

one 5/16 center bolt and a couple nuts and fender washers

2 eye bolts and nuts about 6 " long.

2 little L braces

4 s hooks to attache chain to eye bolts and L braces

the 5/16 center bolt screws down into the center post of the agitator i found out by taking off the top cap and measuring the bolt on it.

the L braces i bent with a hammer a bit so when they are inserted under the agitator and pulled tight by the chain and eye bolts they grip it instead of popping out.

 

[rollermatic]

i drilled the center hole

for the 5/16 bolt and then 2 more about 6" out on both sides for the eye bolts.

the idea is to hook the chain to the eye bolts and the L braces to the chain which slip under the agitator. when you tighten the nuts on the eye bolts it pulls them up and hopefully the agitator too!

 

[rollermatic]

a better view

of the whole deal

 

[rollermatic]

this pic shows

how the L braces go under the agitator, or at least you get the idea.

 

[rollermatic]

had to bend the

L brace to get it to not slide out from under agitaor.

was gonna just use the s hooks under the agitator but felt the L brace would give more support to the agitator itself.

also thought about drilling 2 small holes in the vanes of the agitator and hooking s hooks thru the holes but didn't want to put holes in the shiny white speed queen's agitator! hate to start drilling and changing things unless i have to.

had to drill about 6 holes in the bottom cone of one of my rollermatics to get top nut off but in that case it was a neccessity. did a thread on that one last year.

 

[rollermatic]

so it worked

perfectly and cost about 10 bucks to make.

would work on most top loaders i would imagine even if you didn't screw center bolt down into agitaor post. center bolt could simply rest on top of post and effect would be the same.

agitator is out and i can continue exploring this new territory. know nothing about speed queen solid tubs. do have a later model speed queen perforated tub that melvin (supreme whirlpool) gave me last year.

hopefully this little tid bit of a tip for washer repair will help someone else here.

will do a thread on the speed queen very soon here.

 

[tolivac]

that agitator puller reminds me of tube pullers used in some FM and older TV transmitters.Will have to try it!

 

[jetcone]

Thanks for the teck talk!

I want a solid tub speed queen!

 

[tinkering]

Old thread but timeless

This is the perfect thread, exactly what I was searching for. Our McClary washer from 1974 has had the agitator in place for nearly 50 years. I was looking for ideas to build a puller. I tried a ratchet strap under the agitator with a steel rod spanning the opening (on wood blocks to protect enamel). That didn't work very good;the strap wanted to slide out of place when ratcheting; not only that but the agitator was flexing a lot. I am going to drill holes in the agitator fins (maybe all 3 fins) so the pulling energy is focused closer to the shaft.

Is there something I'm missing here? This agitator does not have a center bolt holding it down to the shaft; is it held down by some other means??

 

[Unimatic1140]

Can you show us a picture of this agitator? I assume you removed the cap on top?

 

[tinkering]

1974 McClary Washer Model YWG1118W1291 AGITATOR Puller Pics

I am still getting parts together to build the puller. I will post some pictures of the machine, the puller, and the process, soon...
Thanks

 

[tinkering]

If there is tranny oil leaking by the seal, why can't a guy try some seal swell (Blue Devil or similar) in the tranny. I do that on many trannies, and power steering systems etc. Why not here?
I might be able to locate a new agitator, tub, or transmission too if necessary. I like these vintage machines, simple and built to last many decades. The new ones aren't. Too many electronics too.

 

[tinkering]

After thought:If oil is getting out of the tranny, water is getting in. Maybe try treating the seal and running it till it is done, with or without water in it.

 

[swestoyz]

Hi there!

Thought it may be helpful to point out a few things for you in regards to your McClary. Mechanically it is identical to the 1970-1979 Speed Queen DA/FA series washers, that foundationally are derived from the original Beam fluid power design from the late 40's.

The transmission is completely independent from the overall drive portion of the washer. The chances of water getting into the transmission is quite slim. Are you seeing a lot of leaking oil on your machine?

It may be helpful for you to download the Speed Queen DA service manual. It will detail all the service info needed to work on your McClary.

https://www.automatice.org/cgi-bin/index.cgi?showdoc~1593~Speed Queen~

If you are looking for parts diagrams for the mechanical section, the parts info from a DA9101 listed at the link below should help:

https://www.ereplacementparts.com/s...atic-washer-parts-c-473566_474554_474631.html

Parts are starting to get harder to find for even the DA series machines, outside of water valves, pumps, belts, and motors.

Beyond years of hard water and soap, nothing else is holding the agitator to the drive block once the cap is removed. I often will spray some PB-Blaster between the drive block and the interior metal spline of the agitator and carefully heat up the drive block with a torch. Get it smoking and tap around the base of the agitator with your hand and give it a good tug.

You also may want to start a new thread for help as this post is well over a decade old.

Ben

 

[slb77]

Not sure if it would work on those machines, but on the newer Speed Queens and some older GE machines i use a pair of air shims that i can slide under the agitator and pump them up to pop the agitator off. For a really stuck one maybe 4 of them around the base.

 

[tinkering]

@slb77

I already got the agitator off using my puller configuration. I would have loved to try the air shim method but I don't have any air shims anyway. I will attach pictures soon. Thanks though!

 

[tinkering]

@swestoyz

That is fantastic information swestoyz. I am going to spend the money to download the DA/FA Series manuals. Thanks for the links!
There seems to be some oil slinging around onto the inside walls of the washer but I think not bad for nearly 50 years of service. There was no oil visible under the agitator. I will let you know if I find any oil in scrud between the inner and outer tubs. I have good pics that I will post after I get the top and the inner tub off. We are getting there. Thanks

 

[swestoyz]

Oh goodness! Are the photos you just shared of the machine you’re working on? If so, that appears to be a Hotpoint rim flow, GE based washer. Totally different than a Speed Queen. A splattering of oil from the transmission pulley on a GE transmission is common.

Great use of a harmonic balancer puller!

Ben