VHQ POD 3/14/05

[spiralactivator]

I've seen a lot of ads for Norge VHQ (Very High Quality) washers, but I've never seen one in real life. Has anyone ever used a VHQ? Does it have the burpalator filter or the Westy-style strainer?

 

[gregm]

what year ??

I had to scrap my coppertone machine, to much rust inside, but I did save the console and top. Anyone know what year this POD is ?? I want to guess somewhere between '69 and '71 ???

 

[re563]

Yeppers GregM, your right they bascially kept that style for about 2 yrs from "69-71. I had a coppertone Montgomery Ward version of this machine and It had the strainer tray that attached to the back. It was a noisy sucker, but the roll over was awesome.

 

[frigilux]

The other thing I remember from Norge (or in my case, Montgomery Wards) machines from this era is their exclusive Levitation-Inducing Gunshot, known as a spin brake in other brands...

 

[veg-o-matic]

Timer Knob

Does that machine have a "remote" timer knob, like some of the Frigidaires?

 

[gregm]

yes

yes, on my console the timer knob is to the right of the timer and by turning the timer knob, the entire dial to its left then turns .............. its pretty cool ..........

 

[mrcleanjeans]

the POD looks like 1965 to me.

 

[appnut]

I'd say it was moe of a 1966. I do remember seeing a 16 lb. VHQ on the market before they new style Norges came out with the burping filter and 18-20 lb. capacity.

 

[gansky1]

I think you might be able to make out the black agitator cap and of course the recirculating filter. The recirc. filter was gone around 1969 and the panels were slanted back and BIG. I found a '67-68 Wards with recirc. filter and a 69-70 "Her Majesty" that already had the burp-up white agitator. Norge did have panels similar to this without the offset timer knob/display in the early 70's, I remember a beautiful one in about 1973 with the same tall & flat-front lines. Here are the Wards Signature machines I found last year.

Other than the woodgrain stripe, the POD panel is white on white - a premonition of days to come?

http://pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/gansky1/album?.dir=/1d78&.view=t

 

[roto204]

Montgomery Wards

gansky, I think I might have found a new favorite machine!

 

[westytoploader]

Cool Signature machines Greg! Lots of water drama and a HUGE tub! I always wondered what happened to these...have you hooked the Avocado set up yet?

Also, when did Norge begin putting recirculating filters on their machines?

--Austin

 

[gansky1]

I believe the Norge/Signature filter came along sometime in 64 or so, with the advent of the perforated tub. I don't have any of these machines anymore, the washers were really too far gone - both spewing oil into the wash water and the Her Majesty had a serious motor/rusty baseplate issue so I junked them all. Those Norge dryers were notorious lint belchers (forced air blowing through the machine rather than pulled through like a vacuum) and even though they were huge, they were rather slow. John Lefever told me once that you always know when someone has a Norge dryer in the basement because everything in the room is flocked like a x-mas tree!

 

[westytoploader]

Darn...that's a shame since the avocado machines looked great, but I'm beginning to think that MW washers are notorious for leaking oil. I looked at an 80's Wards machine (with a burp-up lint filter) about a week ago that was literally "put out to pasture", and when I lifted up the machine there was oil and grease all over the underside. That's not the first one I've seen like that either. Too bad...

 

[gansky1]

Yup - those are greasy machines, and their reputation usually works out to be true. The thing is, if you get a machine with good seals, they'll run nearly forever and be just fine. Luck of the draw...