experience with speed queen washing machines?

Washing machine just died. Was old school with manual controls for water temp, water level, and wash type.

New machines are high efficiency which is a good bit slower so I am looking at speed queen. Apparently they make a light duty commercial unit for the home that still has all manual controls.

Anyone got experience with this brand or those models in particular?

I've only had maytag (whirlpool) myself and the one I'm currently using quit once and it was only the lid switch somehow got loose.

my ge has both a bad hood switch and timer motor .it sucks to use

raggie33 said:

my ge has both a bad hood switch and timer motor .it sucks to use

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My dryer has a bad timer, but it is an advantage in that it takes longer than the timer has on it to dry so I just watch the clock and check it after awhile as replacing the timer would cost me more than getting another used dryer.

Lynx_Arc said:

My dryer has a bad timer, but it is an advantage in that it takes longer than the timer has on it to dry so I just watch the clock and check it after awhile as replacing the timer would cost me more than getting another used dryer.

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thats what i do. and i jumped the lid switch . but every once in a while i have to remove jumper to get it in spin mode

I have had a Speed Queen Commercial dryer that has been used every day since June 1994. I have replaced one gas valve (~$16) and a cracked igniter (~$37) last month. My experience has been ultra positive. Best of luck.

We purchased a Speed Queen "TC5003WN" Top-Load Washer ($1,000) and a Speed Queen "DC5003WE" Electric Dryer ($930) in March of this year. They replaced an inexpensive brand we bought 40 years ago, a GE Hotpoint Washer (which failed only this one time, but was beyond repair) and a GE Hotpoint Dryer (which needed a new bearing once).

Speed Queen sells other Washers and Dryers, but I believe the set we purchased are the most "old-school-style" they currently offer for residential use. Speed Queen also offers a Gas Dryer that is comparable to the Electric Dryer we purchased.

The current versions of Speed Queen Washers and Dryers do contain electronic components. The "claim to fame" for the previous version from a few years ago of the Speed Queen Washer (TC5000 series) and Dryer (DC5000 series) was that they did not use any electronic components and instead relied on mechanical and non-electronic electrical components which may be more resistant to damage caused by power surges or brown-outs so they should last longer and are usually easier to troubleshoot and less expensive to repair.

The new Speed Queen Washer and Dryer work fine for us, but I do not have any idea how they compare to other brands or if they will last 40 years like our last set (most likely not, but 20 years will outlast us). They have smaller outer dimensions compared to some other brands which was important for us to fit in the available space. The Washer also has a "Deep Fill Option" button with memory, so if you always do full loads like we do and have activated this option in the past, it will always fill the water to the top instead of the normal very low water level used for conservation.

Before there were BIG Appliance stores, a friend of mine, had a family owned appliance store, that was large at the time. When we needed a washing machine, he recommended a Amanda unit. He said that it was commercial quality, and that everything could be accessed from the front.

My wife ran the snot out of it. Clothes and towels could only be used once before washing. Six of us showered every day, some times some showered twice. My wife used 2 towels, one for her body, one for her hair, she had beautiful long hair to her waist.

One day, a belt or pulley went bad, and I couldn't get to it for a couple of days. Her parents came down and took her to our friend's place and bought her a new identical machine. They used my credit card.

So, in two days we had two working machines.

For years we ran two machines. One for really nasty dirty, greasy mechanic's work clothes, and anything that you wouldn't want touching your skin, such as throw rugs. Although they were perhaps 60% more expensive than cheaper units, when they died, they didn't owe me a penny. I think it was their gear box that failed on them when they finally gave up the ghost, but I can't swear to it. One died and then about a month later the other died.

I don't know which ones, but I believe that many different brands are made by the same parent company, and their parts are interchangeable.

After reading good things about LG brand we bought two. A front loader (a mistake) and a top loader. We used the large top loaded for about 10 years. It died during Covid lockdown, and I was NOT going to have a stranger walk through my house to look at it. We switched to using the front loader. It has a smaller tub, and you have to leave the door open when not in use, or it develops mold.

When we moved, I just pushed the top loader out to the curb. A neighbor, who does customer service to LG said it was the command module, and that pushing it to the curb was the right thing to do. Those modules are expensive, but they are easy to swap out. A friend had a LG gas dryer. It's command module sometimes opened the gas valve without powering the igniter! A new module was unobtainable, and off to the curb it went.

Knowing you, I am confident that you'll do an appropriate amount of research, and choose a good replacement.
Please let us know what you choose. :thumbsup:

i prefere digital or mechanical

I'm not looking at them for the 'quality'... I want the analog features and no darn high efficiency settings. Had a brief stint using a modern washer with high efficiency and no agitator. Clothes came out still dry and took forever.

The speed queen top loader I bought in 2010 seems like a good one- though more difficult to personalize. I prefer whirpool products though even if I have to buy them used off the mule trader classifieds. The older top loading ones are easy to work on and all that mainly go wrong with them is the water pumps and the ratcheting dogs on the agitator- mainly the dogs. You can now buy them online and are simple to replace.

Unless whirpool bought out maytag.....the only other brands they make are kenmore, roper and kitchenaid (their cadillac model).

I hate water saver features and the washer stopping when I lift the lid- bypass time.

turbodog said:

I'm not looking at them for the 'quality'... I want the analog features and no darn high efficiency settings. Had a brief stint using a modern washer with high efficiency and no agitator. Clothes came out still dry and took forever.

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I'm sorry that I can't be more helpful.
I experienced the same with our LG front loader. It used so little water that the clothes came out dry/damp. IIRC we changed the settings to large/bulky load and it worked as one would expect. The LG top loader had a large stainless barrel, and didn't have the "too little water" problem. It cleaned well, until the "brain" died. I can't comment on the length of time it took to complete a washing cycle. I really didn't pay attention to it. But, yes, I think it took longer than our older agitator style washers.

greenpondmike said:

The speed queen top loader I bought in 2010 seems like a good one- though more difficult to personalize. I prefer whirpool products though even if I have to buy them used off the mule trader classifieds. The older top loading ones are easy to work on and all that mainly go wrong with them is the water pumps and the ratcheting dogs on the agitator- mainly the dogs. You can now buy them online and are simple to replace.

Unless whirpool bought out maytag.....the only other brands they make are kenmore, roper and kitchenaid (their cadillac model).

I hate water saver features and the washer stopping when I lift the lid- bypass time.

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I don't think Whirlpool owns any of those brands they are just contracted to make them for the perspective companies so you have to research at times which models and brands are made by the same company.

Electronics is a bane of longevity these days, computers is the king of bane more and more especially interconnectivity as it opens itself up to attacks that can render it inoperable.

A friend of mine who is a appliance repairman for an appliance chain store in this area says Speed Queen is the only brand he recommends. He's been a repairman for almost 30 yrs.

Got it narrowed down to 2 models. Will see what's in stock...

turbodog said:

Got it narrowed down to 2 models. Will see what's in stock...

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One other feature of the Speed Queen "TC5003WN" top-load Washer is that the lid can be opened while the Washer is operating. A safety switch stops the washer cycle while the lid is open and resumes the cycle when the lid is closed.

Other top-load Washers we looked at (including other Speed Queen top-load Washers) had a lid-lock (instead of a safety switch) and did not allow the lid to be opened once the washer cycle had started.

I also believe the "TC5003WN" may be the only top-load washer that still uses a transmission (instead of electronics on the motor) to change agitator speeds.

Lynx_Arc said:

I don't think Whirlpool owns any of those brands they are just contracted to make them for the perspective companies so you have to research at times which models and brands are made by the same company.

Electronics is a bane of longevity these days, computers is the king of bane more and more especially interconnectivity as it opens itself up to attacks that can render it inoperable.

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My bad choice of words- yes, whirpool makes them for others. I don't think any brand though can make a long lasting flat top stove though. We bought a beautiful whirpool flat top stove from alabama power and time we finished paying for it the thing was scrap. I think one eye worked and the element in the oven didn't work- all replacable, but the electronic control board went out also.

Had a ac with a bad electronic board and with the ideal that I could and the help of youtube I straight wired that thing and turned it off and on at the breaker. That thing blows cold.
I don't know if a washer can be straight wired though if the board goes out on it. If that is my only choice I might have to go back to the primitive rubbing board and clothes line. I hate new fangled gadgets when the old style worked just fine.

When I worked at a Circle K store the board went out on one of the coffee machines. No problem to replace except the board cost $300+.

(fingers crossed) my Kenmore pair from the days of the VCR are still going, and when they finally do play I'll buy a Speed Queen because that's what laundramat's use.

I've gotta be honest when I first saw the title I thought "hmmm, crack attic hooker?"

I wonder if the ones used by the laundromats are available to the general public. When I got my speed queen set money wasn't an issue at all and I tried to get the best dog gonest washer and drier set known to man.

greenpondmike said:

My bad choice of words- yes, whirpool makes them for others. I don't think any brand though can make a long lasting flat top stove though. We bought a beautiful whirpool flat top stove from alabama power and time we finished paying for it the thing was scrap. I think one eye worked and the element in the oven didn't work- all replacable, but the electronic control board went out also.

Had a ac with a bad electronic board and with the ideal that I could and the help of youtube I straight wired that thing and turned it off and on at the breaker. That thing blows cold.
I don't know if a washer can be straight wired though if the board goes out on it. If that is my only choice I might have to go back to the primitive rubbing board and clothes line. I hate new fangled gadgets when the old style worked just fine.

When I worked at a Circle K store the board went out on one of the coffee machines. No problem to replace except the board cost $300+.

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We have a whirlpool plant in the city here but it wasn't here all the time. As for bypassing circuitry it would be a big hassle because washing machines agitate, spin, pump water out, spray water in, fill water to a certain level and all of these would have to be done manually without some switches and timers and such.