A washing machine includes an agitator and a perforated tub which are rotatable about their coincident longitudinal axes. A switched reluctance motor directly drives the agitator during the wash cycle and both the agitator and the tub during the spin cycle. The drive mechanism is gearless so that the agitator and tub revolve at exactly the same rate as the motor shaft. The sole axial support of the tub and the agitator is the motor, so that motor is provided with heavy duty bearings to carry the load and is supported in line with the axis of rotation by a four arm frame.