Abstract

An agitator for a washing machine of the vertical axis type has an upper auger portion with a helical vane thereon and a coaxial lower skirt portion having upstanding agitation and scrubbing vanes thereon. The lower portion is driven in to and fro oscillations, while the upper portion is driven in stepwise, unidirectional rotations through a one-way, non-ratcheting clutch. The clutch has a double-lobed, cam carried with the lower, oscillating portion of the agitator. A pair of clutch members carried radially outwardly of the cam are each engageable on a spiral surface thereof with a corresponding thrusting surface of each of the cam lobes and on a generally radially extending surface with a capture and retraction surface of each cam lobe. Teeth on the outer portions of the clutch members and on an inner surface of the auger portion are selectively forcibly engaged on the driving oscillation and are positively disengaged on the reverse oscillation, to provide the desired one-way drive to the auger element.