I bought a 1968 Insley H875 last year. Needs new sprockets & drive chains. Does anyone know the appropriate chain size for this machine or how to figure it out? I understand I may have to build the drive sprockets up with weld instead of buying new. Also, with this have street pads/crane pads, was there ever a bushing that went into the pads before the pins? I'll get some pics of the sprockets & chains when the weather clears. Thanks.
Here are some pictures of the drive sprockets and chains. All are pretty well worn.
I would measure the pitch of the chain and count the teeth on the sprockets. Then contact local chain/bearing supplier to see if they have anything close. Tsubaki makes loads of different sprockets. Perhaps you could make something work. I use a company called Bearing Engjneering for roller chains and sprockets.
Can't help too much I'm afraid. Thoughts: - I'd be changing the gears and roller chains while you have it apart. Unless you want to do it when it breaks down in a mud hole....because it WILL wait until deep in the mud to break! - Change to a more common, modern track chain, sprockets, idlers. I haven't seen a thread on swapping that particular machine, so don't know what size it would be similar to, but I have an Allis Chalmers HD11 dozer and parts are hard to find. There are guys that have changed the AC over to CAT parts. Nothing is a direct bolt on of course, so it takes a fair bit of measuring, cutting, machining, welding (and a friendly parts guy!) to find out what will work. Andrew
Believe me, I would love to swap it over to a more modern hydraulic drive system. The street pads are about worthless out in the woods. The drive sprockets & front idlers are also shot & need major welding done. I'm open to other ideas & machines to look at for parts swap over. I bought this machine for messing around on my property. I didn't have the $20k+ for a newer machine, so I settled for an older machine that needed work. I'm not afraid to throw money at it, bought it cheap in working condition. Here are some pics of the sprockets & pads.
Another (crazy!?) idea...find a wrecker where you can buy a complete lower section (or a dealer that sells amphibian bottoms) and swap the complete bottom. No idea on matching up drive for the tracks though! Andrew
That is a early hydraulic upper on a crawler crane lower. If it does not have hyd. drive motors in the carbody driving the chains, you can probably forget about converting. The chains really don't look all that bad. The bottom is most likely the same as the model L crane, maybe model M. I've had some success with ACR Parts in Cleveland, OH...talk to Dave if he's still there. I have a model K crane here in Howell, PM me if you want. Tom
I love the old Insleys-but you now own a machine that is VERY hard to find parts for,while its still working at best limp it onto a concrete pad somewhere close or at least a flat area where you can layer multiple plywood layers down and jack/cribb it up to work on..A lot of the older Insleys went to the torches in the last metal price hike so parts are hard to find.Even the 80's Insleys are getting scarce.My best shot would be to make parts for it.Hope you own a torch and can at least weld,and that ain't with no little 110v mig either.