Industrial equipment is unforgiving when it breaks — a down press, mixer, conveyor, or power unit means a plant floor stops earning. Ames Hydraulics does industrial equipment repair for manufacturers, feed mills, elevators, plants, and shops across central Iowa. We rebuild the hydraulics, machine and fabricate the steel, and get the machine back into service so your line runs again. Free pickup within 60 miles of Ames.
What “Industrial Equipment Repair” Actually Covers Here
Under the banner of industrial equipment repair we handle the parts that fail most often on plant machinery: hydraulic cylinders that leak or won’t hold pressure, pumps and motors that lose flow, valves that stick, hoses that blow, and structural steel that cracks under years of vibration and load. Because we do the hydraulics, the welding, and the machining under one roof, we can chase a problem from the leak all the way back to the worn bore or the cracked frame that caused it.
The Machines We See
- Hydraulic presses, brakes, and shears — cylinders, power units, and rams rebuilt and pressure-tested
- Feed mixers, augers, and conveyors — drives, gearboxes, and welded frames
- Balers, compactors, and shredders — heavy cylinders, hoses, and structural steel
- Industrial power units — pumps, motors, valves, reservoirs, and controls
- Mills, elevators, and material-handling equipment — welded repairs and machined replacements
- Custom fabrication when a part is obsolete or can be built better than what came off
In-House Hydraulics Save You a Week
The reason most industrial equipment repair jobs take longer than they should is that shops send hydraulics out. We don’t. Every cylinder is honed, resealed, and pressure-tested here; pumps and valves are torn down, cleaned, rebuilt with fresh kits, and flow-tested; and if a part isn’t available, our machine shop can make it. That vertical integration is why our turn times beat the sub-out model — especially on odd, older, or obsolete equipment.
Welding, Machining, and Fabrication
Industrial machinery cracks in predictable places, and a good weld puts it back stronger than new. We repair cracked mounts, frames, and housings, replace worn wear-pads and bushings, and machine new shafts, pins, and adapters when the original parts are gone. If a repair needs to be engineered rather than duplicated, that conversation happens with the shop owner before we start.
Fast Turn, Honest Diagnosis, Free Pickup
When production is stopped, nothing else matters. We prioritize down-machine jobs, quote before we start, and don’t add work that isn’t earning its keep. Text a photo of the machine and what’s failing to 515-292-2599 and we’ll tell you the same day what your industrial equipment repair needs and roughly what it will cost. Free pickup within 60 miles of Ames.
Get Your Line Running Again
See our full hydraulic repair, welding & fabrication, and trailer repair services. Call or text 515-292-2599 or bring it to 210 Freel Dr in Ames. Open Monday through Friday, 7AM to 5PM.
Central Iowa Manufacturers, Plants, and Feed Mills
Most of the industrial equipment repair we do is for businesses within an hour of Ames — grain elevators and feed mills, ag-processing plants, metal-working shops, food and beverage manufacturers, plastic and rubber processors, and municipal facilities. If a machine on your floor is down and the dealer is quoting three weeks or the manufacturer says the part is obsolete, that’s the conversation to have with us. We keep old machinery running when new parts don’t exist, and we build the replacement piece when the part number no longer does.
Hydraulic Systems on Industrial Machinery
Hydraulic-driven industrial equipment shares a small number of failure modes: the cylinder wears or leaks, the pump loses volumetric efficiency, a valve sticks or bypasses, the reservoir gets contaminated, or a hose gives out. Good industrial equipment repair starts with figuring out which of those is really happening, because chasing the wrong one will burn budget without fixing the problem. We test pressure and flow, pull oil samples when they matter, and diagnose before we tear anything apart.
Preventive Rebuilds Beat Emergency Failures
The cheapest industrial equipment repair is the one you do on your schedule, not the one that shuts the line at 2AM. If you’ve got a cylinder that’s weeping, a pump that’s louder than it was, or a valve that hesitates, that machine is telling you something. Bring it in during a scheduled shutdown or a slow week and we’ll rebuild it while it’s not costing you production. Plant managers who plan hydraulic rebuilds around slow seasons spend a lot less than plants that only fix machines after they stop.
When to Fabricate Rather Than Replace
Sometimes the smart industrial equipment repair is not a repair at all — it’s a redesign. A guard or bracket that keeps cracking in the same spot is telling you the original design was too light for how you actually use the machine. We fabricate replacements that address the root cause rather than duplicating a part that was going to fail again. That conversation happens with you first, with a quote, before any steel is cut.
How Much Does Industrial Equipment Repair Cost?
Every job is different, but there are ballparks. Cylinder rebuild on production-line hydraulics runs $400-$2,000 depending on size and pressure rating. Pump and motor rebuilds are $600-$3,000. Structural welded repair on cracked frames, mounts, or housings is $500-$4,000 depending on scope and how much steel has to come out. Full power-unit overhauls on stationary industrial hydraulics land in the $3,000-$10,000 range. Emergency after-hours work carries a rate premium; scheduled maintenance visits do not. Every quote is in writing, up front.
How Long Will Industrial Equipment Repair Take?
Down-machine jobs on plant floors get prioritized. Cylinder reseals typically turn in 2-4 days once seal kits are in-hand. Pump and valve rebuilds are 3-5 days. Structural welded repair is usually 1-3 days per repair area. Full teardown-and-rebuild jobs on large industrial machinery run 1-3 weeks depending on scope. When a plant is losing production every day the machine is down, we quote a realistic completion date up front — not one we can’t hit.
Signs Your Industrial Equipment Needs Attention
- Slower cycle times — hydraulic pump or valve wear
- Oil leaks around cylinders or fittings — seal or hose failure imminent
- Louder-than-normal pump noise — cavitation or contamination
- Visible cracks at welded joints or mounts — structural fatigue
- Machine won’t hold pressure at rest — bypassing valve or leaking cylinder
- Oil contamination or water in the reservoir — seal failure or breather issue
Frequently Asked Questions
Do you service industrial equipment on-site at plants?
For welded structural repair and small mechanical fixes on equipment that can’t easily move, yes — within 60 miles of Ames. Cylinder rebuilds, pump/motor rebuilds, and machine work happen in our shop where we have honing, pressure-testing, and machining capability. We’ll quote both options — on-site vs. shop turn — for any given job.
Can you make parts when the manufacturer is out of business?
Yes. Our machine shop fabricates replacement parts — shafts, pins, bushings, welded structural components — for obsolete or discontinued industrial equipment. This is one of the specific reasons plant managers with aging machinery bring work to us: we can keep an old machine running when a dealer can only quote a full replacement.
What kind of plants do you serve?
Central Iowa manufacturers, feed mills, grain elevators, ag processors, food and beverage producers, plastic and rubber shops, metal fabricators, and municipal facilities. If your operation has hydraulic-driven equipment, welded steel structures, or precision machinery, we probably work on it.
How fast can you respond to a down-machine emergency?
For jobs within 60 miles of Ames, we can typically be on-site within 24 hours with parts and welding capability. Cylinder rebuild jobs where we need to bring the cylinder back to the shop are turned in 2-4 days depending on parts. Every emergency job is quoted with a real completion date, not an optimistic one.
Do you do preventive maintenance contracts?
For plants that want scheduled inspection and rebuild rotations on hydraulic systems, yes. We can walk your equipment on a quarterly or semi-annual basis and flag what’s approaching wear-out before it causes production downtime. Talk to us about your equipment mix and downtime cost.
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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