• Thank you for visiting HeavyEquipmentForums.com! Our objective is to provide industry professionals a place to gather to exchange questions, answers and ideas. We welcome you to register using the "Register" icon at the top of the page. We'd appreciate any help you can offer in spreading the word of our new site. The more members that join, the bigger resource for all to enjoy. Thank you!

Insley H 560 B excavator

Rob Gunn

Well-Known Member
Joined
Mar 18, 2013
Messages
163
Location
Buchanan, MI
I went to look at a older (maybe 1970) Insley 560 excavator last night that is for sale about 2 hours away from me. Its has been setting for a couple years but it did start and run very well. Problem is the tracks don't seem to move correctly. The owner is a 88 year old gentleman that cant remember what lever dose what. I was able to figure out the lever below the left of the seat is for forward and reverse. However I couldn't get the machine to turn, it will go in a straight line both forward and reverse. There are two levers to the right of the seat that I would have assumed were the steering brakes for the track but they don't seem to do anything. The owner also tells me that its has a 2 speed option but no idea what lever makes that happen. Anyone able to tell me what lever is suppose to do what? Any help will be appreciated. Is there a trick to making it turn? I think at this point that I am not going to make an offer on the unit but I would like to help the old guy out so maybe he can sell it to someone else.
 

Attachments

  • Insley 560.jpg
    Insley 560.jpg
    52.4 KB · Views: 1,489

spitzair

Senior Member
Joined
May 4, 2007
Messages
1,008
Location
Squamish BC (Home), Slave Lake, AB (Work)
Do you know if the thing is clutch/shaft driven? My old Bantam C450 was set up with clutch drive in the house operated by one lever and disconnects/brakes in the lower unit that worked like a dozer worked by a seperate pair of levers. One lever would disconnect the left track and set the brake, and the other lever would do the same for the right side. The brakes were long worn off on my machine and it would just keep going in a straight line until you either picked one end up and helped it around the corner with the swing or you started going up an incline and she would turn, the steeper the hill the sharper the turn. To dig, you set a dog in the driveline that would allow you to travel one direction but not the other so you wouldn't pull yourself into your hole/trench/etc. The dog was bi-directional so you could set it up to dig on either end of the machine... It also had 2 speed but the difference between high and low was hardly noticeable...
 
Last edited:

pjflyer

Well-Known Member
Joined
Mar 27, 2012
Messages
127
Location
Wolverine, MI
Hey Rob, the levers on the right are the drive/brake system. Left lever left track, right lever right track (front of the car body is the idler tumbler, rear is the drive tumbler with the sprocket and drive chain, it can be confusing when you're facing the opposite way!!). I haven't ran ours for a few months, but I believe lever forward is the brake and lever rearward is drive. The levers control a meshing gear plus the brake shoe.

When braking there is a hydraulic cylinder that disengages the meshing gear while simultaneously applying the brake to lock the track. Sometimes you need to use the forward/reverse lever (on the left side of the seat) to release any binding that might be on the meshing gear, same goes for getting it back into gear (sometimes the meshing gear doesn't "mesh" and needs a little movement to do so). Operation for drive is just the opposite, the hydraulic cylinder releases the brake shoe and engages the meshing gear.

I don't recall what the hydraulic source is for these cylinders, but I think it comes off of the swing system, the valve bank in the center of the machine. On ours, we had to have the brake shoes relined ($100 a shoe), due to old, cracked, missing shoe liner. We found the braking system wasn't working so the track would still move while in neutral causing it to turn very slowly or not at all.

As far as high/low. The original lever for this is the lever forward of the throttle lever (upper left of the control console). This lever is actually a hydraulic pump which is plumbed through the center of the pivot point to the underside of the machine, which in turn throws a single valve for high or low. The difference is either high pressure to both tracks in low (top speed of about 1mph), or high pressure to the left track and residual pressure to the right track in high (top speed of about 2mph). SLOW either way!! Going up an incline or long straight paths in high will tend to have a right turn due to just residual pressure going to the right track.

On ours, the lever has been disabled (probably long before we got it). There is a rod sticking out of the turret in the rear connected directly to the high/low valve. It works by either pushing or pulling on this rod. You have to get off and do this manually!! Can be a pain! Out is low, in is high. I used the pneumonic of out has an "o" hence low and in has an "i" hence high.

There is definitely a learning curve on getting used to the turning system. If I haven't been running it for a while, it still takes a few times of doing it the wrong way to remember the correct way. If there is a problem you would have to get under it, remove the belly pans, and check out what's going on. After working on ours, I found there are several mechanisms working together that all need to be working and adjusted correctly as well.

Hope all this helps. Hope you figure out the Hein as well!
 

Rob Gunn

Well-Known Member
Joined
Mar 18, 2013
Messages
163
Location
Buchanan, MI
pjflyer, Thanks for the info. As I said, I don't think I want to offer the guy anything after looking at it but I will forward this info onto him so maybe the next guy will know what lever does what. I suspect that the machine has set to long and as you say " someone may have to get under it, remove the belly pans, and check out what's going on". The unit may be OK once someone crawls under it and make the adjustments but its not going to be me. Its 2 hours away and I just dont have the time...
 
Joined
Oct 4, 2020
Messages
16
Location
Wasilla alaska
Dos any one know what a insly
HC-560 excavator Weighs in at ?
Only thing i have ben able to find is one add stating 40,000 and just need to know if thats right as my trailer is only 30,000 max
 

pjflyer

Well-Known Member
Joined
Mar 27, 2012
Messages
127
Location
Wolverine, MI
Hi Lunch box, I have an H-560B that the manual said it weighs around 31,000 lbs. I don't know what the HC at the beginning of HC-560 is.
 
Joined
Oct 4, 2020
Messages
16
Location
Wasilla alaska
Had some Trubble’s with it not wanting to steer and cutting out on moving under its own power but managed to get it loaded and moved home
 

Attachments

  • AEFE711E-5A3E-47E9-90A0-7DF7EE5471BE.jpeg
    AEFE711E-5A3E-47E9-90A0-7DF7EE5471BE.jpeg
    2.5 MB · Views: 29
  • D34BB769-59B7-4FB6-9DE8-1FBAD16FC421.jpeg
    D34BB769-59B7-4FB6-9DE8-1FBAD16FC421.jpeg
    2 MB · Views: 30
  • CCAF5F9A-5826-4A6E-A275-6E5C9EFCC175.jpeg
    CCAF5F9A-5826-4A6E-A275-6E5C9EFCC175.jpeg
    504.2 KB · Views: 30

John Blankenship

New Member
Joined
May 19, 2022
Messages
3
Location
North Pole, Alaska
New Forum member here. I am trying to find an owners manual for an H-560-C. I've searched the site and haven't located one. I've reached out to Jen Sales and they have nothing. Ebay has a 560-B. what is the difference between the B and C? I am in Alaska and would like to have a manual to see if I can get it running to place on a trailer or how to drag up on a trailer if possible. Any recommendations would be great, thank you john
 

pjflyer

Well-Known Member
Joined
Mar 27, 2012
Messages
127
Location
Wolverine, MI
I have a 560-B, but I don't know what differences there are. I can look at my manual and see if it mentions anything. I know in the manual I have, there are some differences of B's depending on what serial # you have, different hydraulic pumps and configuration. Do you know anything about it? Year, engine or anything else? Is it still chain drive or does it have finals? I also have an 875. It seems the to be the same design principle just a bit bigger, going by that, there might not be big difference between a B and a C.
 

John Blankenship

New Member
Joined
May 19, 2022
Messages
3
Location
North Pole, Alaska
I have a 560-B, but I don't know what differences there are. I can look at my manual and see if it mentions anything. I know in the manual I have, there are some differences of B's depending on what serial # you have, different hydraulic pumps and configuration. Do you know anything about it? Year, engine or anything else? Is it still chain drive or does it have finals? I also have an 875. It seems the to be the same design principle just a bit bigger, going by that, there might not be big difference between a B and a C.
Thank you for the reply, I don't know much about it other than the model. I haven't put eyes on it yet. I have a picture and that is all. I found a 560-B manual online but I cannot determine what the difference is anywhere. On your model is there a way to dis-engage the drive system so the tracks move freely to be pulled onto a semi trailer? how much does your model weigh?
 

pjflyer

Well-Known Member
Joined
Mar 27, 2012
Messages
127
Location
Wolverine, MI
560-B weighs in at about 31,000. As far as the tracks being free, yes and no. There are hydraulic actuators that disengage a "jaw gear" that will disconnect the drive transmission from the tracks, but the same action (different hydraulic ram) applies the brake to that track. If the brake band is wore or loosened, it should work. If it's chain drive you can always try to pull a pin in the chain and take the chains off. I think the C has final drives which I am not familiar with.

The 560-B is completely hydraulic, if it doesn't run, there's no controlling anything. Mine has a detroit 453, pretty simple and bullet proof, but depending on how long it's been sitting you could have a lot of water in the hydraulic system.
 
Top