1972 Maytag A806 washer agitate & spin

This is my 1972 Maytag A806 washer doing a quick fill, wash, drain & spin, and spray rinse. You can see the clothes turn over and at the end, you can see the lit up console.

Category:

Science & Technology

Tags:

• 1972
• Maytag
• A806
• washer
• agitate
• spin
• laundry
• dependable
• care

[itscool1968]

whats with the patch on the right side of the outer tub ring?

[RedCarpetDrew]

Thank you for asking. The patch is actually a lens set into the top for a tub light. When you lift the lid, it lights up the tub to help you load/unload your clothes.

[Blackinterceptor999]

@RedCarpetDrew Oh! My A106 tub has a flat spot for that light to be cut out, I bet they used the very same parts and just sent the A806 down the line for some more parts! I'm actually planning on modding my bottom of the line A106 into an A806(sorta) I'd like an extra capacity tub and a corkscrew agitator possibly even a two speed motor for delicate items would be cool as well...

[XJetPilot72]

The Maytag's - when they were "really Maytag" were built like a tank. These new "Whirltags" are crap now. I bought a Maytag Centennial and I only used it for about a couple months and now it sits in my garage because it's junk that just shreds clothes and doesn't rinse near as well as the these reliable older models.

[whoisthisguy724]

My grandfather had one of these but one sad day it bit the dust and he shifted it off to the scrap heap... :(

[motorhead45102]

i remember having one of those washers, i don't know how long we had it, i was young, but it eventually got replaced, because it just leaked too much water, and i don't know why it couldn't get fixed.

[mxylpx]

Love these old machines...after reading some of these comments I feel vindicated in my observation..."The Higher the tech..the less efficient."

[MrLehnerd]

I know odd Maytag sounds like whirltags now....

[Deepwatersecret]

Modern machines have so many electronic controls and components that can fail. Motors that used to drive a transmission that lasted forty years now are designed to do the work of that transmission with complicated movement programs. There is no way anything built now will be as dependable as old Maytags, even the higher priced washers. Newer machines may be more efficient in some ways but they are designed to fail sooner rather than later.

[PlausableApple4]

I love all Maytags that were made from 1970 to 2006. 2006 was the last year they had freedom until Whirlpool bought them out and got the company. They now make them cheap and they suck. I'd love to have a Maytag top loader in my basement.

[TheChancerdog1]

What is efficient about a front loader when the lifespan is only about 4-5 years on them when the old dependable cares last 40 years!!! It seems the energy used to manufacture the materials, shipping and rebuilding of the new machines outweigh the savings. These Maytag machines were the best ever made... Thank you EPA and DOE for ruining a good thing.

[ByFaithnKC]

My thoughts precisely! Didn't know anyone else felt the same way. I purchased a new front load Sears (high dollar), machine in 2002, got rid of it, not enough water to clean good, cycle lasted too long, very tempermental with regard to balancing the load, etc....  Found and bought an older used Maytag top loader - GREAT. Cleans the best and doesn't take all day.