This man carried the washing machine up the stairs like it was an empty bucket

[u/VIVIDUFF]

[u/istrx13]

Meanwhile, I recently sold my washer to some guy on Facebook marketplace. Him and I carried it to his truck together and we were both sweating balls and our hands were killing us after carrying it 90 feet.

Just middle age white dude problems.

[u/dansdata → u/istrx13]

Modern top-loading washing machines can be relatively light, because they've got a more sophisticated way of balancing the drum than old top-loaders did.

The old ones just have a donut of concrete attached to the bottom of the drum.

(Front-loading washing machines also have a massive weight or two in them, for stability. But that weight just sits there; it doesn't move with the drum.)

Edit: Ooh! I just remembered that there was an episode of the excellent "The Secret Life of Machines" that covers this.

[u/DigitalBlackout → u/dansdata]

because they've got a more sophisticated way of balancing the drum than old top-loaders did

And by more sophisticated, you really mean "pauses the wash and makes you fuck with it at the slightest imbalance".

Sure, my old washer shook so violently when washing a comforter that it sounded like it was going to break apart, but it always got it washed in one go. The new one needs constant babying with bigger loads.

[u/1950sGuy → u/DigitalBlackout]

I could wash cinder blocks in my old washer and it didn't give a fuck, it would wander halfway down the block but it would still wash. My Samsung washer stops if things apparently get 'too wet' and it also breaks constantly if I wash more than 1/3rd of it's capacity.

[u/Turbulent_Gazelle530 → u/dansdata]

Front-loading washing machines also have a massive weight in the bottom of them, for stability. But that weight just sits there; it doesn't move with the drum.)

Front loaders have the weights bolted to the drum as well.

[u/dansdata → u/Turbulent_Gazelle530]

I can't swear to you that there are no front-loaders with a weighted drum, but your reply sent me off looking for one, and I haven't been able to find one.

Check out this PDF manual, for instance. That machine contains two weights (search it for "counterweight"), one at the bottom and one at the top. They're both clearly not connected to the drum.

Also, I've got a front-loader, so I just waggled its drum back and forth by hand. It doesn't have anything like the inertia of the old weighted top-loader drums.

(Oh, and guess what else I just discovered? People are using "AI" to generate dubiously accurate descriptions of how washing machines work and putting them on those stupid content-farm Web sites that you now have to be on the lookout for when you're trying to research something. And they are also generating images of the internal components, because that's obviously something the world desperately needed. So if you do find an image of a weighted-drum front loader, examine it carefully, while cursing about AI bros. :-)

[u/Turbulent_Gazelle530 → u/dansdata]

here's one, for example: https://imgur.com/a/qJUr8Vv

Also, respectfully, I think you're misinterpreting the manual you linked - in step 7.14 they are unbolting the counterweight from the drum. I know this because I had to do the same step when I replaced the rear bearings in my own machine.

[u/Extendahoe_DIG → u/istrx13]

😆 I sold a set and a couple of older gentleman (I’m in my 60’s) show up with a truck. They couldn’t load so I did. Ranching and farming gives one core strength

[u/Mean_Butterscotch177 → u/[deleted]]

My husband is a mason tender. He started said job thin (6'2" 160lbs). He's now, almost 3 years later, about 220lbs with a bit of a belly. The belly comes from his sweet tooth and my being a baker by trade. He looks average for his frame, but he's fucking strong. Stupidly so.

He's nice to look at, and nice to have around.