Editing Washing machine (section)

====Mechanical aspects====
Front-loading washers are mechanically simple compared to top-loaders, with the main motor (a [[universal motor]] or [[variable-frequency drive]] motor) normally being connected to the drum via a grooved pulley belt and large [[pulley]] wheel without the need for a gearbox, clutch or crank. The action of a front-loading washing machine is better suited to a motor capable of reversing direction with every reversal of the wash drum; a universal motor is noisier, less efficient, and does not last as long, but is better suited to the task of reversing direction every few seconds. Some models, such as those by [[LG Electronics|LG]], use a motor directly connected to the drum, eliminating the need for a belt and pulley.

However, front-load washers suffer from their own technical challenges due to the horizontal disposition of the drum. A top-loading washer keeps water inside the tub merely through the force of [[gravity]] pulling down on the water, while a front-loader must tightly seal the door with a [[gasket]] to prevent water dripping onto the floor during the wash cycle. This access door is locked shut with an [[interlock|interlocking device]] during the entire wash cycle, since opening the door with the machine in use could result in water gushing onto the floor. If this interlock is broken for any reason, such a machine stops operation, even if this failure happens mid-cycle. In most machines, the interlock is usually doubly redundant to prevent either opening with the drum full of water or being opened during the spin cycle. For front-loaders without viewing windows on the door, it is possible to accidentally pinch the fabric between the door and the drum, resulting in tearing and damage to the pinched clothing during tumbling and spinning.

Nearly all front-loader washers for the consumer market also use a folded flexible [[bellows]] assembly around the door opening to keep clothing contained inside the drum during the tumbling wash cycle. If this bellows assembly were not used, small articles of clothing such as socks could slip out of the wash drum near the door and fall down the narrow slot between the outer and inner drums, plugging the drain and possibly jamming rotation of the inner drum. Retrieving lost items from between the outer drum and inner drum can require complete disassembly of the front of the washer and pulling out the entire inner wash drum. Commercial and industrial front-loaders used by businesses (described below) usually do not use the bellows, but instead require all small objects to be placed in a mesh bag to prevent loss near the drum opening.