Mason City has plenty of everyday welders, but the jobs that stump them — cast iron, aluminum, a broken part that needs machining before it can be welded — are exactly what a full welding shop is for. Ames Hydraulics serves North Iowa and the Mason City area with steel, aluminum, and cast-iron repair and fabrication, backed by a machine shop and a hydraulic operation under the same roof.
The Welds Most Shops Won’t Touch
What sets our welding shop apart is range. Structural steel repair and fabrication is table stakes; the value is in the hard stuff — cast iron welding done right so it doesn’t crack back out, aluminum welding on trailers, tanks, and equipment, and the broken castings and shafts that need the machine shop to make them whole again. Bring us the part that the shop down the road handed back.
What We Weld & Build
- Steel — structural repair, reinforcement, brackets, and fabrication
- Aluminum — trailers, tanks, and equipment
- Cast iron — the tricky repairs that need the right process and prep
- Equipment & ag — buckets, frames, hitches, gates, and broken implements
- Custom fabrication — one-off parts, brackets, and the piece you can’t buy
Common Questions from the Mason City Area
Do you really weld cast iron? Yes — it’s one of the reasons shops send customers our way. Aluminum trailer or tank? Yes, on the bench or, for what can’t travel, on-site within range. Can you make a part, not just weld it? Yes — the machine shop makes bushings, shafts, and one-offs. Is it worth the drive from Mason City? For the welds and fabrication local shops turn away, absolutely. Text photos of the part and the material to 515-292-2599. See our main welding shop and metal fabrication pages for the full picture.
Steel, Aluminum & Cast — and the Machine Behind It
What makes a welding shop worth a drive from Mason City isn’t running a bead on mild steel — any shop does that. It’s the combination: we weld steel, aluminum, and cast iron, and when a repair needs a part machined, bored, or built up before it can be welded, the machine shop is right there. That’s the difference between a repair that holds and a repair that cracks back out. Bring us the broken casting, the aluminum tank, the implement bracket, or the shaft that snapped — the jobs the shop down the road handed back.
On-Site When It Can’t Travel
Most welding shop work comes to Ames, but for structures that can’t move, our service truck carries an engine-driven welder for on-site steel repair within range. For everything else — the precision fabrication, the cast-iron repairs, the machined-and-welded parts — the bench and the machine shop in Ames do it right. We’ll tell you honestly which your job is.
More Questions from the Mason City Area
Do you really do cast iron? Yes — correct preheat, process, and prep so it doesn’t re-crack. Aluminum trailer or tank repair? A regular job here. Can you fabricate a one-off part? Yes — from your sample or a print. Is it worth the drive from Mason City? For the welds and fab local shops won’t attempt, yes. Text photos of the part and the material to 515-292-2599.
Related Services
Written by Josiah Ragsdale
Owner, Ames Hydraulics — Ames, Iowa
Josiah owns and operates Ames Hydraulics. He has worked on hydraulic and heavy equipment since he was 18, and every hydraulic cylinder his shop rebuilds is pressure tested before it ships back to the customer. More about Josiah →
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