Hydraulic Pump Refurbishment Des Moines Shops Trust
When a pump on your flat bed truck, forklift, or ag lift starts whining, losing pressure, or just quits moving fluid, you don’t always need a new one. A lot of the time hydraulic pump refurbishment Des Moines customers ask us about turns out cheaper and just as reliable as swapping in a brand new unit. We tear the pump down on our bench, check the gears or pistons, measure the housing wear, and rebuild what can be saved.
We’re a small family shop out of 210 Freel Dr in Ames, and we’ve been doing hydraulic pump refurbishment Des Moines area contractors, farmers, and fleet managers rely on for years. Most of our work comes from real equipment sitting in our bay — flat bed trucks, scissor lifts, log splitters, skid steers — not from a parts catalog.
How We Handle Hydraulic Pump Refurbishment Des Moines Customers Bring In
Every hydraulic pump refurbishment Des Moines job starts the same way: we pull the pump, drain it, and split the case. From there we look at the gears (or pistons and valve plate if it’s a piston pump), check the shaft for scoring, inspect the bearings, and measure end-play. If the housing is still true and not cracked or heavily scored, we hone it, replace the wear plates, seals, and shaft seal, and reassemble with new O-rings throughout.
On flat bed truck hydraulic pump replacement jobs, labor is usually the bulk of the bill because access to the pump and PTO shaft can eat an hour or two before we even get a wrench on the mounting bolts. On lift equipment, we’ve done full rebuilds that include a new pump, new valves, install, and delivery within 100 miles of the shop — those jobs usually come with a bucket of ATF hydraulic fluid included since most lift systems run on it instead of standard hydraulic oil.
If your pump is a gear-style unit — something like a 15 GPM reel gear pump — we can usually source a direct replacement or rebuild the original core with new fittings, hose barbs, and O-ring seals. For higher output units, like a 1BL-D gear pump rated up to 18,000 RPM, we pair the rebuild with a fresh set of adjustable oil pressure relief valves rated to 7,000 PSI so the system isn’t just running on a rebuilt pump with old, tired relief settings.
Signs Your Pump Needs Refurbishing, Not Just Topping Off
Most calls we get start with someone noticing the machine is slower than it used to be, or the pump is loud. Here’s what we actually see on the bench most often:
- Whining or grinding noise that gets worse under load — usually worn gears or bearing failure
- Slow lift or slow cylinder extension even with good fluid and no visible leaks
- Pump running hot to the touch after normal use
- Fluid contamination — metal shavings or discoloration in the reservoir
- Pressure that spikes then drops, often tied to a failing relief valve alongside pump wear
- Pump not building pressure at all, even with the engine at full RPM
If you’re seeing that last symptom specifically, we’ve got a whole breakdown on what causes a hydraulic pump not building pressure and how we diagnose it before we ever quote a rebuild. Sometimes it’s the pump, sometimes it’s a stuck relief valve or a bad suction line, and we won’t sell you a refurbishment if the real problem is somewhere else in the circuit.
For gear pump specific issues, especially on Blackmer-style units common in industrial and ag settings, we’ve also written up common Blackmer pump troubleshooting steps that overlap with a lot of what we check during hydraulic pump refurbishment Des Moines customers request.
How Much Does Hydraulic Pump Refurbishment Cost in Des Moines
Pricing depends heavily on pump type, size, and how much labor it takes to get the pump off the machine in the first place. Based on jobs we’ve actually run through the shop:
- Medium gear pump rebuild (gears, seals, wear plates): roughly $400 to $700 in parts and labor
- Full pump replacement with new gear pump, fittings, and shop materials: often $900 to $1,800 depending on GPM rating and hose work required
- Flat bed truck pump replacement, labor-heavy due to mounting access: labor alone often runs $250 to $600 on top of pump cost
- Lift equipment rebuild including new pump, valves, install, and delivery within 100 miles: commonly $1,200 to $2,500 all-in
- Higher output pumps paired with new adjustable relief valves (7,000 PSI rated): add $150 to $350 for the relief valve set alone
These numbers move around based on what we find once the pump is split open — sometimes a shaft is scored enough that a rebuild isn’t worth it and a full replacement pencils out cheaper in the long run. We’ll tell you straight which way makes sense before we start cutting a check for parts.
If your machine also has a cylinder that’s leaking or not holding pressure, it’s worth having us look at that at the same time — we cover typical numbers in our hydraulic cylinder rebuild cost guide, and for material handling equipment specifically we’ve got more detail on our material handling hydraulic repair page.
Whether it’s a gear pump on a flat bed truck or a piston pump on a forklift, hydraulic pump refurbishment Des Moines shops send our way usually comes down to catching wear before it turns into a full system failure. Give us a call at 515-292-2599 and tell us what the machine is doing — we’ll get you scheduled and give you a straight answer on rebuild versus replace before you spend a dime.
Frequently Asked Questions
How long does hydraulic pump refurbishment take?
Most gear pump rebuilds are done in one to two days once we have the pump on the bench, assuming parts are in stock. Piston pumps or units needing custom seals can take longer if we have to source parts.
Can you rebuild my pump instead of replacing it?
Usually, yes. If the housing isn’t cracked and the shaft isn’t badly scored, a rebuild with new gears, seals, and wear plates is often cheaper than a full replacement and just as reliable.
Do you work on flat bed truck hydraulic pumps?
Yes, flat bed truck pump replacement and refurbishment is one of the more common jobs we run, mostly PTO-driven pump setups where access and mounting take up most of the labor time.
What’s the difference between a pump rebuild and a full pump replacement?
A rebuild reuses the original housing and shaft with new internal wear parts and seals. A full replacement swaps in a new pump entirely, which we recommend when the housing or shaft is too worn or damaged to trust.
Do you deliver rebuilt pumps if I can’t bring the machine in?
For lift equipment and larger jobs we can deliver within 100 miles of our shop. Give us a call at 515-292-2599 to check if your location is within range for delivery or pickup.
Written by Josiah Ragsdale, Ames Hydraulics