A hydraulic pump or motor that has lost pressure or volume will bring a whole machine to its knees — slow, weak, overheating, or dead in the middle of a job. Hydraulic pump repair and motor rebuilding is core work at Ames Hydraulics, and getting it right is the difference between a fix that lasts and a part you replace twice.
Hydraulic Pump and Motor Repair Done Right
When a pump starts to fail, the easy answer is to throw a new one at it — and a new pump can cost thousands. In a lot of cases, a proper hydraulic pump repair or rebuild restores it to full pressure and volume for a fraction of replacement cost. We tear the unit down, inspect every wear surface, replace what is worn, and reassemble it to spec so it performs like it should.
Pumps and Motors We Rebuild
- Gear pumps: the workhorse pump on trucks, loaders, and implements.
- Piston pumps: high-pressure variable and fixed-displacement pumps with their rotating groups and swash plates.
- Vane pumps and other industrial designs.
- PTO pumps: the driveline-powered pumps that run dump hoists and wet kits.
- Hydraulic drive and wheel motors: rebuilt and re-bearinged so they turn under load without leaking.
We see these come off dump trucks, skid loaders, tractors and combines, excavators, and the custom rigs around central Iowa. If it pushes or turns hydraulic oil, we can rebuild it.
Signs Your Pump or Motor Is Failing
Pumps and motors usually warn you first. A pump that whines or groans is often starving for oil or wearing out. Slow, weak operation under load points to internal bypass — the pump is turning but not building the volume it used to. Overheating, foamy or milky oil, or metal flake in the reservoir all say the internals are coming apart. Catch it early and a rebuild saves the pump; ignore it and the debris can take out the valves and cylinders downstream too.
We Rebuild, Not Just Replace
A rebuild is not just new seals. We replace worn bearings, gears, pistons, and shoes, check the housing and shaft, and bring the unit back to its original tolerances. On hydraulic motors that means new bearings so the motor turns true under load instead of leaking down. Done right, a rebuilt pump or motor is as reliable as new and keeps your money in the equipment instead of in a parts counter.
How We Test Before It Goes Back
We do not guess. We check flow and pressure so we know the rebuilt pump or motor actually delivers what the system needs before it ever goes back on the machine. That is the same standard behind our cylinder rebuilds — test it, then trust it.
Common Causes of Pump and Motor Failure
Most hydraulic pump repair traces back to a few causes, and contamination is at the top of the list. Dirty oil acts like sandpaper on the close-tolerance surfaces inside a pump, wearing gears, vanes, and pistons until pressure falls off. Running the reservoir low pulls air into the system and starves the pump. Heat breaks down the oil and the seals. And plain age and hours wear the internals out. Finding why a pump failed matters, because if we do not fix the cause, the rebuild will not last either.
PTO Pumps, Wet Kits, and Dump Hoists
A big share of the pump repair we do is on PTO-driven pumps — the ones that run dump hoists, wet kits, and tanker systems off the truck driveline. When a dump bed gets slow or a wet kit will not build pressure, the PTO pump is often the culprit. We rebuild or replace the pump and make sure the whole circuit, from the PTO to the cylinder, is moving oil the way it should.
Do Not Let a Failing Pump Take Out the System
A pump coming apart does not just stop working — it sends metal downstream into your valves, cylinders, and motor. What starts as a simple hydraulic pump repair turns into a system full of debris and a much bigger bill. The moment a pump starts whining, overheating, or losing power, it is worth getting it looked at before it takes the rest of the hydraulics with it.
Built to Get You Back to Work
Downtime is the real cost of a failed pump or motor, so we stock common parts, prioritize the jobs with a machine sitting, and turn rebuilds around as fast as we can do them right. The goal of every hydraulic pump repair we do is simple: get your equipment back to earning before the lost hours cost more than the fix.
Pumps and Motors From Any Brand
We are not tied to one manufacturer. The hydraulic pump repair and motor work we do covers the common makes you will find on trucks, ag equipment, and construction machines — the gear, piston, and vane pumps and the drive motors that run them. If you are not sure what you have, send a photo of the tag and the unit, and we will identify it and tell you whether it is a rebuild or a replacement. Either way, you get a straight answer instead of a guess.
Ship It or We Will Pick It Up
Within 60 miles of Ames we offer free pickup and delivery. Farther out, customers crate and ship us pumps and motors from all over the country — we rebuild them and ship them back fast. Pull the unit, send it in, and skip the wait on a new one that may be weeks out. Pump or motor down? See our full hydraulic repair services or call or text 515-292-2599.
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 →
Got something broken? Call or text 515-292-2599