This no joke. Several years ago, I was taking whites out of the wash to put into the dryer and watched small sock go in between the top of the drum and the frame. It did not fall completely through to the rack under the drum and was still in there when the machine gave up the ghost twelve years later. My wife and I bought it used, and it lasted another thirty years before it gave it up and blew a seal that could not be replaced. I never had to do any maintenance other than replace the pawls in the agitator twice.
No hero here. Just a guy who went out and did his job.