Danny Rael contacted me about an Inhofer Model 750 that he’d just obtained. He was trying to determine the size of the roller chain that connects the belt drive to the main drive shaft of the digging chain. The chain was missing on the groundsaw when Danny got it. He’s since replaced the chain (He tells me it’s a No. 50 roller chain) and used the digger. Here’s what he has to say:
“I got it to run & dug a trench (about 70-ft) this week-end for electric service from our home to my new shop addition.
It worked Great!!! You can see right away the trencher was built with quality & will deliver!!! Who knows how much digging it’s done over the years. I understand my machine was used in the 70’s – 90’s trenching jobs for a private owned construction company. For a good number of years they were contracted out by the old ‘Mountain Bell’ telephone company. Day in and day out they relied on this Ground Saw to perform; out in remote sites sometimes hours away from a city or town to get the job done!
But I also noticed there is quite a bit of wear on the digging chain & sprockets. The bar looks good but I’ll need to replace some digging teeth and a couple of links…
As I already said the machine works great & it will still dig okay for now but I really need to fix it cause I’m afraid if I get into harder ground or hit an unexpected rock when I really need it—it may get me in a pickle…if you know what I mean.
Oh by the way — l did learn the engine is a replacement from the original. Must of worn out the first one!”
As I’ve said before, the Model 750 is one of the neatest machines that Hawk Bilt/Inhofer manufactured. Mr. Elwick (founder of Hawk Bilt) said it was the most reliable machine they made.
Here’s copies of the pictures Danny emailed me.
