Old Washing Machines Get Big Crowds

Old Washing Machines Get Big Crowds AG WORLD Tim Matlack has gone to shows with old tractors and hit-and-miss motors but his old washing machines draw the biggest crowds Matlack says it is kids who get the biggest charge out of the old machines especially one hand-powered washtub He has had more than 6 000 people mostly kids use it “They have to plunge it 20 times and then run the T-shirt through a wringer ” says Matlack “The kids will come back 2 or 3 times to do it ” Matlack started collecting washing machines after picking up a gas-powered Maytag motor Once he got it running he found it kind of boring just sitting there He started looking for equipment it could run “I looked around locally and ran across a former dealer whose father and grandfather had been Maytag dealers ” says Matlack “I found out they had thrown old machines into a dump on their farm I went down and started pulling old machines out ” Matlack also gets machines from people buying an old house and finding a heavy old washer left behind by the former owner Today he has 10 Maytags with 5 in working order with gas-powered motors He also has washboards and other old washing machines including one built in 1900 In addition to Maytag washing machines he has a butter churn and a meat grinder sold by the company to be powered by their motors “Maytag motors are considered collectible but they are still in demand for use by the Amish ” says Matlack “They’ve offered me as much as $800 for a restored motor A lot of the time you find them for $350 to $400 ” Contact: FARM SHOW Followup Tim Matlack Felton Del

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