Taking a page from the book of front loaders, I have always wondered why manufacturers haven't attempted to do away with the agitator in a TL washer, and instead just agitate the entire inner tub back & forth. Of course, this would require mounting a few fins on the sides of the tub, but this would eliminate what seems to be the biggest point of failure in a TL, the fitting between the agitator, transmission, and the "outside world"
washer design, anybody agitate with the tub itself?
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westytoploader
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The 1970's Frigidaire Skinny-Mini stacked sets as well as the 24" GMini compact washers actually do that! Instead of the Rollermatic transmission and pulsating agitator, they use the Synchro-Swing mechanism with a one-piece molded polypropylene tub and agitator, or Agitub. I'll scan a few pages from the Tech-Talk later, but the mechanism is a very simple, reliable design, IMHO.
I saw my first Agitub run at the Convention, and I was surprised at how wicked-fast it agitated! They're a little faster than a belt-drive Kenmore (which is 68 OPM on high), but with a longer stroke, and of course have awesome turnover. There's a video in the "See It Wash" section of an Agitub rinsing, but that doesn't do it justice as far as turnover is concerned...you really have to play with one in person to enjoy it. Yet another great design that fell victim to WCI, unfortunately. They sure hold a lot more than the Franklin-design compacts that followed...I have never seen such a tiny tub in a machine in my life.
--Austin
I saw my first Agitub run at the Convention, and I was surprised at how wicked-fast it agitated! They're a little faster than a belt-drive Kenmore (which is 68 OPM on high), but with a longer stroke, and of course have awesome turnover. There's a video in the "See It Wash" section of an Agitub rinsing, but that doesn't do it justice as far as turnover is concerned...you really have to play with one in person to enjoy it. Yet another great design that fell victim to WCI, unfortunately. They sure hold a lot more than the Franklin-design compacts that followed...I have never seen such a tiny tub in a machine in my life.
--Austin
And there was the Apex Bouncing Basket.
That larger capacity Haier video last week or so showed the whole tub agitating. It looked very effective. I would imagine that the mechanics of agitating a whole tub back and forth as opposed to moving just an agitator involve more than most domestic appliance engineering departments wanted to attempt decades ago without the large subsidies that GM gave Frigidaire. But even the Frigidaire tub had the agitator in the middle rather than having the big vanes on the sides of the tub doing the major agitation. The newer motors that can be pulsed on then off then on again, but in the opposite direction and then off, like in the World Washer and others make wash actions like in the Haier washers more easy to execute.
Steven: You have found your way into the archive of my imagination. I used to look at the tubs in the 1956 Philco-Bendix washers at the coin laundry with the big raised hub at the back and the 4 vanes and wonder how well something like that would wash sitting upright and agitating back and forth.
It's interesting how regular front loader tubs look so small, but we had the tub out of a 1970s standard capacity GE FilterFlo washer and the tub out of a White Westinghouse tumble washer sitting side by side and the Westinghouse tub was very close to the size of the GE, especially if you factored in the space that the Activator took up.
Steven: You have found your way into the archive of my imagination. I used to look at the tubs in the 1956 Philco-Bendix washers at the coin laundry with the big raised hub at the back and the 4 vanes and wonder how well something like that would wash sitting upright and agitating back and forth.
It's interesting how regular front loader tubs look so small, but we had the tub out of a 1970s standard capacity GE FilterFlo washer and the tub out of a White Westinghouse tumble washer sitting side by side and the Westinghouse tub was very close to the size of the GE, especially if you factored in the space that the Activator took up.
I wonder if there would be any turnover in a machine with nothing but paddles on the sides of an oscillating tub?
jasonl
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FrigiBear Agicub
Those are fun machines. There's a centerpost but only for keeping the clothes in balance, otherwise, the whole darn thing rotates back and forth. Also, the Holy Grail of washerdom agitates without an agitator, and that's the soon-to-be-aquired Apex Washamatic.
Those are fun machines. There's a centerpost but only for keeping the clothes in balance, otherwise, the whole darn thing rotates back and forth. Also, the Holy Grail of washerdom agitates without an agitator, and that's the soon-to-be-aquired Apex Washamatic.
The Apex does not agitate. Its basket bounces, like a jogger's.
0y vey. LOL
Rising to the bait, he took a drag from his cig and typed: A jogger's WHAT?
golittlesport
Well-known member
proper suspension and support is important when jogging
Rich-- you're SO right. And with that, I'll retire before I double entendre myself into the fourth dimension, LOL.
LG had (not sure if it's still around) a large capacity TL called a Turbodrum which did this too. Drum turned one way a bit, stopped dead, then turned reverse, stopped dead and so on. It had no "paddles" but had raised vanes pressed into the bottom of the tub, like an impeller. I only ever heard bad things about them - poor reviews, several for sale second hand only a few months old.
Chris.
Chris.
Man I'm waiting on my next Christmas gift to arrive:
Sony's DCRSR100 Camcorder.
I have a winger washer that agitates like this.
Blade on the side of the walls and the whole basket oscillates back and forth.
It would be a good rag cleaner since this unit was in a barn and has a musty smell to it.......
Sony's DCRSR100 Camcorder.
I have a winger washer that agitates like this.
Blade on the side of the walls and the whole basket oscillates back and forth.
It would be a good rag cleaner since this unit was in a barn and has a musty smell to it.......
jasonl
New member
Agitate: Put into motion by mechanical action. They ALL agitate unless otherwise specified (Smackulate, Activate, Nutate, etc)
So when you are running late for school and your mom throws your butt out the door, is she agitating or just agitated? Are you the agitatee or are you the agitator since you set her in motion to throw you out by being late?
Whoa, that's deep... LOL
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