new guy, old hoe- '70s hein-werner

[AlanF]

picked this thing up for $7500cdn. The old detroit stil purrs like a screaming, leaking sewing machine. Just doing some cut/fill in my front yard in that pic. Found the forum here hoping to find some info on the machine, google doesnt bring anything up.

 

[surfer-joe]

70's Hein-Werner

My brother and I ran Hein-Werners in the late 60's to mid-seventies. They were a fairly popular machine in Michigan, being one of the first manufacturers to produce what was then considered a big machine. They were somewhat slow but powerful, no fancy pilot controls you know. I notice yours has the later undercarriage which was a step up from the first one's. They were simple in design and the Detroit, though loud, was usually dependable. Our worst problem was hydraulic leaks and blown hoses. And we never could keep the bucket pins tight.

Can't tell you much more than that, the dealer in Michigan was AIS out of Grand Rapids. They are still in business at least.

 

[AlanF]

I must say I sure miss joystick controlls and only having your feet move the tracks, not the stick and bucket. The thing was hard to get coordinated on, I still have troubles.
Left hand swing, right hand boom, right foot stick, left foot bucket curl. Shes a character builder alright!

 

[surfer-joe]

Yeah! These early machines were still making the transition from cable operated models, so compared to what we have today, they seem strange.

 

[wrenchbender]

AlanF, that's a nice looking old hoe for the model.

 

[jimmyjack]

the problem is the cabs on the wrong side:lmao

 

[AlanF]

the cabs not on the wrong side of the machine....the whole rest of the machine is on the wrong side of the cab haha

 

[dayexco]

my dad started biz on hopto's...i cut my teeth on drott's...how old does that make me?

 

[AlanF]

way older that me

 

[CAT245ME]

the problem is the cabs on the wrong side:lmao

Just like the first John Deere excavators.

 

[guest]

AlanF, I can't help you but, glad you asked about old Hein-Werner hoes I have been looking at one also. I have not found much info about them, joined this board and have not been here long enough to start a new thread on them. Here is a pic of it

Not to hijack your thread but, I would like some info on these machines also. Thanks for the jump start.

 

[AlanF]

from what I was able to dig up on the net, I saw a picture of a '69 one and it looked just like that one. The guy we bought ours from said ours was early 70s, I think its more mid to late 70s

 

[surfer-joe]

my dad started biz on hopto's...i cut my teeth on drott's...how old does that make me?

Way old, like me.

 

[Buckethead]

cool pic!

I briefly ran a Hein-Werner C-12HD (looked like the one in the first pic), I found the swing was very jerky. I also ran a newer H-W C-14B, (like in the second pic)it still had the old style controls, but it was smooth like a modern machine. If I remember correctly they both had free swing like a friction crane.