When a Des Moines business needs a part that does not exist off the shelf — or a broken one rebuilt — they need a real machine and fabrication shop. Ames Hydraulics runs a machine shop serving Des Moines and the surrounding metro from Ames, building custom parts and made-to-spec steel for trucks, trailers, and equipment.
Serving the Des Moines Metro from Ames
Ames is about 35 minutes north of downtown Des Moines on Interstate 35, and our free pickup-and-delivery zone covers the whole metro — Des Moines, West Des Moines, Ankeny, Urbandale, Johnston, Grimes, Waukee, and the towns around them. You do not have to haul anything to us. We come to you, do the work in our shop, and bring it back.
Custom Parts the Metro Cannot Buy Off the Shelf
Bumpers and brush guards, headache racks, crane and crane-plate mounts, spare-tire and toolbox brackets, and the one-off parts that keep a piece of equipment working — that is the machine shop and fabrication work Des Moines contractors, fleets, and shops bring us. If you can give us a part to copy, a drawing, or just a description of what it has to do, we can build it.
Repair Parts and Reverse Engineering
When a part is obsolete or backordered for weeks, we can often make it. Bring us the broken piece and our machine shop can fabricate a replacement so a Des Moines operation is not parked waiting on a part that may never come. For older trucks, trailers, and equipment, that is sometimes the only way to keep them running.
Built to Work, Not Just to Look Good
The custom parts and fabrication we build are made to take a beating — heavy steel, welded and finished to hold up to the loads and abuse that metro work trucks and equipment see. This is a working machine shop for Des Moines businesses, not a hobby shop, and the parts are built to last.
One Shop for Parts, Welding, and Hydraulics
Because the machine shop sits next to our welding, fabrication, and hydraulic work, a Des Moines customer can get a custom part built, a frame welded, and a cylinder rebuilt in the same building. See our full machine shop and custom parts services.
Made to Spec for Trucks, Trailers, and Equipment
Most of what we build is for working iron — mounting plates and brackets, pintle and hitch mounts, guards and racks, and structural parts that have to carry a load and take abuse. Give us the old part, a drawing, or measurements off the machine, and we will fabricate a replacement that fits and holds. For metro fleets running older or one-off equipment, that is often the only way to get the part at all.
Local, Fast, and Built to Last
Ordering a custom part from a catalog vendor can mean weeks of waiting, if they will make it at all. A local shop that can build it this week keeps your Des Moines operation moving. And because we build with heavy steel and weld it properly, the part outlasts the bolt-on alternative.
Have a part you cannot find or a broken one to copy? Bring it in and let us build it.
Des Moines Machine Shop & Custom Parts FAQ
Can you make a part that is obsolete or backordered?
Often, yes. Bring us the broken piece or a drawing and we can fabricate a replacement so you are not parked waiting on a part that may never come.
Do you do one-off parts or only production runs?
One-offs are our specialty — custom brackets, mounts, guards, racks, and repair parts built to spec.
Will the part hold up to real work?
Yes. We build with heavy steel and weld it properly, so the part outlasts the bolt-on alternative.
Get Your Part Built
For a machine shop in Des Moines or anywhere in central Iowa, send a photo of the part or a sketch of what you need. Call or text Ames Hydraulics at 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