Livestock Trailer Restoration in Iowa | Ames Hydraulics

Livestock Trailer Restoration In Iowa

Livestock trailer restoration is one of the most common trailer rebuilds we do. Livestock trailers take a beating — wet floors from urine and manure eat the aluminum or steel, hoof kicks bend the walls and gates, and years of loading and unloading crack the ramp and gate hinges. A trailer that hauled cattle for 15 years usually needs floor work, side panel repair, gate rebuild, and a full brake and electrical service before it’s safe and clean to keep using.

Our shop is in Ames, Iowa. We do livestock trailer restoration on all the common makes — Featherlite, Wilson, Merhow, Hillsboro, Titan, Trails West, Sundowner — for cattle producers, hog operations, sheep producers, and general livestock haulers across central Iowa and beyond.

Floor Repair Is The Number-One Livestock Trailer Restoration Job

The trailer floor is where most livestock trailer restoration work happens. Wet cattle manure and urine sit on the floor and corrode aluminum or steel over years. Sometimes we replace individual aluminum planks; sometimes we replace the entire floor. On steel-floor livestock trailers we typically weld plate patches over corroded areas or, on badly-rusted trailers, replace the full floor section with new steel or an aluminum retrofit. Rubber mats over new floor is a good long-term protection choice for most operations.

Side Panel And Gate Work

Cattle push, kick, and lean on side panels. Over years that puts dents, cracks, and eventually failures in the aluminum or steel. Livestock trailer restoration typically includes straightening or replacing bent panels, welding cracked seams and corner posts, and rebuilding gate hinges. On stock trailers with sliding gates we service or replace the sliding hardware. On divider gates we replace hinges and latches.

Suspension, Axles, And Brakes

A livestock trailer sitting between spring and fall use gets neglected on the underside. Suspension bushings wear, spring packs sag, axle spindles show wear, and brake shoes get grooved. Livestock trailer restoration includes full inspection and service of the suspension and brake system. We replace spring packs, service or rebuild drum brakes, install new bearings, and inspect axle spindles. We repack all bearings with fresh grease.

Electrical And Lighting

Old livestock trailer wiring is corroded, chafed, and unreliable. Restoration usually includes tearing out the whole trailer harness, replacing with new marine-grade wire, upgrading to LED lights where the customer wants, and rebuilding the 7-way plug at the hitch end. Bad wiring is the number-one cause of no-lights DOT violations, and restoration is a chance to fix it once and be done with it.

Cost Ranges For Livestock Trailer Restoration

Partial livestock trailer restoration — say, floor patch, brake service, and wiring rebuild — runs $1,800 to $3,500. Fuller restoration with panel replacement, gate rebuild, and full floor replacement runs $3,500 to $7,500. Ground-up restoration on a 20+ year old livestock trailer with structural weld work, complete floor and panel replacement, and full mechanical rebuild can push $6,000 to $12,000. Every job gets a written estimate before we start.

Free Pickup And Delivery For Livestock Trailer Restoration

A livestock trailer that needs restoration is usually not roadworthy in its current state, so we offer free pickup and delivery within roughly 60 miles of Ames for livestock trailer restoration jobs. For farms and operations farther out, we can coordinate a hauler.

Timeline

Livestock trailer restoration is a 2-6 week job depending on scope. Partial restorations turn in 2-3 weeks. Full restorations take 4-6 weeks. We update the customer weekly on progress. If restoration needs to be done between spring and fall use to hit a specific hauling season, tell us your target date and we’ll work backwards from it.

Common Questions About Livestock Trailer Restoration

Do you restore aluminum livestock trailers? Yes. Aluminum livestock trailer restoration is what we do most often — aluminum welding on Featherlite, Wilson, Merhow, and similar trailers is one of our specialty jobs.

Can you install new floors on old livestock trailers? Yes, both steel and aluminum floor replacement is standard livestock trailer restoration work.

Do you install rubber mats? Yes. Rubber mats over new floor is a good long-term investment for livestock hauling operations — protects the floor from urine and manure and gives the cattle better footing.

Will the trailer pass DOT after restoration? Yes. We do a full FMVSS inspection before returning the trailer and document the work for your records.

Iowa Livestock Producer Focus

We do livestock trailer restoration for cattle producers, hog operations, sheep farms, and general livestock haulers throughout central Iowa. Customers regularly come to us from Story County, Boone County, Hamilton County, and the surrounding ag regions. Our free pickup and delivery service covers roughly 60 miles from Ames, and for farms further out we can arrange a hauler.

Between-Season Restoration Timing

Most livestock trailer restoration jobs are scheduled between hauling seasons — winter for spring-hauling operations, summer for fall shipping. If your livestock trailer needs restoration and you have a specific season to hit, tell us your target date. We can work backward from it and prioritize your job so the trailer is ready and DOT-inspected in time for shipping. Livestock trailer restoration done during off-season means no lost hauling revenue and no scrambling for a rental when the trailer goes down mid-season.

Talk to us early. The best livestock trailer restoration outcomes happen when the customer scopes the work in the fall for a spring finish date, or scopes in early summer for a fall finish. Waiting until the trailer is already unsafe to haul is where restoration goes from a planned investment to an emergency repair, and neither the timeline nor the cost work in your favor.

Get A Quote

Call or text 515-292-2599. Send photos of the trailer if you can, especially the floor and any damaged panels. We’ll ballpark the livestock trailer restoration cost over the phone and firm it up when we see the trailer.