Feed Mixer & TMR Mixer Repair in Central Iowa — Ames Hydraulics

A feed mixer works every single day, grinding through the hardest, most abrasive job on the farm, and when it goes down the cows still have to eat. Ames Hydraulics does feed mixer repair and TMR mixer repair for dairies and cattle operations across Central Iowa — augers and flighting, planetary gearboxes, drivelines, hydraulics, scales, and the welding that holds a worn tub together. We turn it fast because we know a down mixer can’t wait, and pickup is free within 60 miles of Ames.

Why TMR Mixers Wear Out So Fast

A total mixed ration mixer runs abrasive feed, hay, and mineral against steel for hours a day, so wear is constant and failures compound. Flighting wears down and the mix quality drops. Knives dull and the ration gets stringy. The planetary gearbox that turns the auger takes enormous torque and eventually leaks or fails. The driveline, PTO, and u-joints take shock every startup. And the tub itself cracks and wears thin at the bottom. Good feed mixer repair means catching this wear before it turns into a gearbox grenade or a cracked tub that dumps feed — and that’s exactly the mix of hydraulic, gearbox, and welding work our shop is built for.

What We Repair on Feed and TMR Mixers

• Augers and flighting — worn flighting built back up with hardfacing or replaced, so the mix stays consistent
• Planetary gearboxes — reseal, rebuild, or replace the planetary that drives the auger
• Drivelines, PTO shafts, and u-joints — the shock-loaded parts that fail first
• Hydraulic systems — drive motors, cylinders for doors and conveyors, pumps, valves, and hoses
• Cracked and worn tubs — welded, patched, and reinforced at the wear points
• Kicker plates, knives, and restrictor plates — replaced and adjusted for a clean, fast mix
• Scales and load cells — mounts and wiring repaired so your rations stay accurate
• Conveyor and discharge systems — chains, belts, rollers, and hydraulic drives

Vertical, Horizontal, and Reel Mixers

Whether you run a vertical single- or twin-auger mixer, a horizontal reel-and-auger, or a truck-mounted unit, the failure points are the same families of parts and the same skills to fix. Vertical augers and their planetaries take the hardest hits; horizontal mixers add reel bearings and more conveyor. We work on all of them, and because we have hydraulic, machine, and welding capability under one roof, a TMR mixer repair doesn’t get shipped between three shops — the auger, the gearbox, the hydraulics, and the cracked tub all get handled here.

All Brands

Kuhn Knight, Jaylor, Supreme, Patz, NDE, Roto-Mix, Penta, Meyer, and the rest — we’re an independent shop, so we fix whatever you run and source the wear parts to match. If a dealer told you the gearbox or the whole mixer needs replacing, get a second opinion first; a rebuild is often a fraction of the cost.

Downtime Costs You Every Feeding

On a dairy or feedlot, a broken mixer isn’t an inconvenience, it’s a herd that isn’t getting fed right, and that shows up in the tank and on the rail fast. That’s why mixer work jumps to the front of the line in our shop, and why we keep common augers, knives, and seals on hand. Text a photo of the problem — a worn auger, a leaking planetary, a cracked tub — to 515-292-2599 and we’ll tell you the same day what your feed mixer repair needs and roughly what it will cost, so you can plan around a feeding or two instead of a week.

Free Pickup Within 60 Miles

A mixer isn’t easy to haul, so we come to you. Pickup and delivery are free within 60 miles of Ames — across the dairy and cattle country of Central Iowa. If it can still run, sometimes we can do the wear work on site; if it needs the gearbox or tub, we’ll haul it in, rebuild it, and bring it back ready to mix.

Signs Your Mixer Needs Attention

Catch these early and a feed mixer repair stays small: the mix is taking longer or coming out stringy and uneven (worn flighting or dull knives), the auger labors or the gearbox runs hot and noisy (planetary wear or low oil), oil is showing up under the gearbox (seals), the scale head is jumping or reading wrong (load cells or wiring), or you can see cracks starting at the tub bottom or around the auger boot (the tub is wearing thin). Any one of these is a call worth making before it strands you at feeding time.

Rebuild Beats Replace

A new TMR mixer is a huge check, and most of the time it isn’t necessary. A worn auger can be rebuilt with hardfacing, a leaking planetary can be resealed or rebuilt, and a thin tub can be plated and reinforced — for a fraction of replacement cost. We’ll give you a straight assessment: what’s worth fixing, what’s near the end, and what a full TMR mixer repair versus a targeted fix actually costs, so you can make the call with real numbers.

Keep the Ration Right

See our hydraulic repair, hydraulic hose repair, welding & fabrication, and farm equipment repair services. Call or text 515-292-2599 or bring it to 210 Freel Dr in Ames. We’re open Monday through Friday, 7AM to 5PM, and we know a mixer can’t wait.