wringers will not turn and funny feature

[sniffy]

Anyone knows about the antique Viking wringer washer? it washes and drains but the wringers will not turn. I bought this antique a month ago. And it has a feature a strange part i have no idea what it is for. It is a long black cord that comes out of the tank on the side. It is the same color as the electric cord but it ends in a black flat oval shape. It seems to me to be some sort of pedal or some pneumatic thing...i have no idea the purpose of that funny looking thing...anyone has a clue about the wringers tht will not turn and that black cord with a an oval shape at the end? thank you

 

[justjunque]

The mystery cord sounds suspiciously similar to the safety feature on some Maytag wringers.
If I'm not mistaken, you had to step on the bulb at the end of the cable or tube, in order to operate the wringer.

 

[golittlesport]

Dead Man safety switch

lay the end of that cord on the floor and step on it and the wringer will probably operate. Nice looking machine

 

[ea56]

If this is a safety pedal like Maytag wringer washers had there maybe a way to by pass it. My family got a new Maytag EL machine in 1969. When we were in the store making the purchase the salesman told us that this was a new safety feature that most of his customers hated. If we wanted he told Mom that he could remove the hose from the back leg that it screwed into and plug the hole with a stove bolt, which Mom instructed him to do.

This allowed the user to use the wringer just like the older Maytag wringers without this safety device. If the existing hose isn't’ brittle and you can safely remove it by unscrewing it without breaking or damaging the hose connection, just in case you need to reattach it, then gently remove the hose and screw into the hole a stove bolt of the same diameter as the hole. Then plug in the machine and try to turn the wringer on. If the wringer works, success, you can now use it without having to step on that annoying pedal!

HTH,
Eddie

 

[ea56]

Looking again at your photo number 1 it appears that the solution that worked on the Maytag wringer washers will probably not work on your Eaton machine. Yours looks like its an electrically connected safety switch rather than a pneumatic safety switch. Too bad as this would have been an easy fix.

Eddie[this post was last edited: 10/26/2023-14:42]