Just read a repair manual from 1992 and the labor time for a dryer belt blew my mind

I was cleaning out my truck and found this old Maytag service guide from 1992. I flipped it open and saw the flat rate time for a dryer belt replacement was listed as 1.2 hours. 1.2 hours! I almost laughed out loud. I can do a standard belt swap in my garage in about 20 minutes now, maybe 30 if the drum rollers are shot. It really shows how much the trade has changed. Back then, with less common tools and maybe fewer guides, everything took longer. Now, with YouTube and better access to parts, we can work so much faster. It makes me wonder what other jobs had crazy high book times back in the day. Has anyone else come across an old manual with times that seem totally wild now?

2 comments

2 Comments

phoenix_carter2d ago

What model was that for? I bet the book time for a fridge compressor back then was a full day.

murphy.barbara2d ago

A full day seems like a lot for that.