Hydraulic Pump Shop Near Me — Ames Hydraulics
If you typed “hydraulic pump shop near me” into your phone while standing next to a dead flat bed, a stalled lift, or a skid steer that won’t lift its arms, you found the right shop. We’re at 210 Freel Dr in Ames, and pump work is a big chunk of what we do every week. Not diagnostics-on-a-screen guesswork — we pull the pump, look at the shaft, check the gears, and tell you straight whether it’s a rebuild or a replacement.
A lot of folks searching for a hydraulic pump shop near me are dealing with the same handful of problems: a flat bed truck that won’t raise, a scissor lift losing pressure halfway up, or a gear pump that’s just plain worn out after years on a PTO. We’ve replaced pumps on flat bed trucks more times than we can count, and we’ve rebuilt plenty of gear pumps and lift pumps for shops and owner-operators around Ames who didn’t want to wait on a factory-new unit shipped from who-knows-where.
How we handle hydraulic pump repair at our shop near you
When a truck or piece of equipment rolls in, we start with a pressure test and a visual on the pump housing, shaft seal, and coupling. If a customer’s pump is only losing pressure under load, that’s often a worn gear set or a bad relief valve, not a dead pump — and we’ll say so instead of selling a new one. You can read more about that specific symptom on our page about a hydraulic pump not building pressure.
If the pump itself is toast — cracked housing, scored gears, a shaft that’s walked out of its bore — we source a replacement, whether that’s a gear pump rated for a specific GPM and RPM range or a PTO-driven unit for a flat bed. On flat bed trucks specifically, we’ve done straight pump swaps where the old unit is unbolted, the new gear pump is set on the mounting pad, hoses and fittings are reconnected, and the system is bled and pressure-tested before the truck leaves. That’s the core service people expect from a hydraulic pump shop near me — not a mail-order part with no install behind it.
For scissor lifts and similar equipment, a pump replacement job usually means a new hydraulic pump, new valves if they’re pitted or leaking, and full reassembly, then we test the lift through its full range before calling it done. If your shop is more than 100 miles out, we still handle delivery — we’ve made that trip plenty of times with a rebuilt or new pump loaded up and ready to install on site.
Common pump failures we see and what they usually mean
- Loud whine or growl under load — usually worn gears or a cavitating inlet; often fixable with a rebuild before it seizes completely.
- Slow lift or no lift at all — could be the pump, could be a stuck relief valve set too low, or a bad coupling between the PTO and pump shaft.
- Fluid leaking at the shaft seal — a worn seal is a cheap fix if caught early; ignored, it lets air in and starves the pump.
- Pump runs but pressure gauge barely moves — internal wear letting fluid bypass instead of building pressure, common on older gear pumps that have logged a lot of hours.
- Sudden total pump failure with metal in the reservoir — usually means a full rebuild or replacement, and we’ll check the cylinder and valves too since metal debris travels through the whole system.
We also see this on stationary equipment like Blackmer-style transfer pumps, and if that’s what’s giving you trouble, our Blackmer pump troubleshooting page walks through the specific checks we run on those units.
How much does it cost to fix or replace a hydraulic pump
Costs vary a lot depending on the pump size, the equipment it’s mounted on, and whether we’re rebuilding or replacing. Here’s roughly what we see:
- Gear pump rebuild (medium size) — parts and labor typically run $400–$900, depending on how much of the internal gear set and seals need replacing.
- Flat bed truck pump replacement — labor alone often runs $200–$450, plus the pump itself, which can range from $300 to $1,200+ depending on GPM rating and PTO configuration.
- Lift pump and valve replacement package — including a new pump, valves, installation, and delivery within 100 miles, this kind of job commonly lands between $1,200 and $2,500.
- High-output gear pumps (rated well over 4,000 PSI relief settings, high RPM) — these run higher, often $800–$1,800 for the pump plus install labor, given the specialty fittings and PTO hub work involved.
Those numbers move around based on fittings, mileage for delivery, and whether we find additional worn components once we’re inside the system — like a cylinder that also needs attention. If you’re pricing out a bigger rebuild, our hydraulic cylinder rebuild cost guide gives a good sense of what companion cylinder work tends to add.
We work on material handling equipment too, not just trucks and lifts — forklifts, pallet jacks, and warehouse gear with hydraulic pumps that quit at the worst time. That side of the business is covered on our material handling hydraulic repair page if that’s closer to what you’re dealing with.
Whatever’s not lifting, not pressurizing, or making a noise it shouldn’t, we’d rather you call before it gets worse. If you’ve been searching for a hydraulic pump shop near me, stop searching — call Ames Hydraulics at 515-292-2599 and tell us what the equipment’s doing. We’ll get you scheduled and get it running right.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do you rebuild hydraulic pumps or only replace them?
Both. If the housing and shaft are still good, we’ll rebuild the internals — gears, seals, bearings — which usually costs less than a full replacement. If the pump’s shot, we source a new or reman unit that matches your GPM and PSI needs.
How fast can a hydraulic pump shop near me get my truck back on the road?
Most flat bed truck pump replacements are same-day or next-day jobs once we have the right pump in hand. If we need to order a specific gear pump or PTO hub, it can take a day or two longer.
What does it mean if my hydraulic pump runs but won’t build pressure?
Usually it’s internal wear letting fluid slip past the gears instead of pushing forward, or a relief valve stuck open. We test both before quoting a fix.
Can you come to my shop instead of me hauling equipment to you?
Yes — we deliver pumps and do install work within 100 miles of our Ames shop for lifts, trucks, and larger equipment that’s not practical to trailer in.
How much does a hydraulic pump replacement usually cost?
It depends on the pump and equipment, but flat bed truck pump swaps often run $500–$1,500 total, and lift pump packages with valves and delivery can run $1,200–$2,500. Call 515-292-2599 and we’ll give you a real number for your equipment.
Written by Josiah Ragsdale, Ames Hydraulics