Skid Steer Cylinder Rebuild in Des Moines, IA | Ames Hydraulics

Skid Steer Cylinder Rebuild Serving Des Moines, Iowa

Skid steer cylinder rebuild is one of the most common cylinder jobs in our shop. Every skid steer has multiple hydraulic cylinders that eventually leak — loader arm cylinders, tilt cylinders, quick-attach cylinders, and auxiliary attachment cylinders. If you’re in the Des Moines area with a leaking or failing cylinder on your machine, skid steer cylinder rebuild in our Ames shop is the fastest and least expensive way to get the machine back in service. Our shop is 35 miles south of Des Moines on I-35 — most customers can drop the cylinder or the whole machine off and back within the same day if the roundtrip works.

We rebuild skid steer cylinders across every major brand — Bobcat, Cat, Kubota, John Deere, Case, New Holland, Gehl, ASV, Takeuchi, Mustang, JCB. The rebuild process is the same across every brand — pull the cylinder, disassemble on the bench, inspect the rod and barrel, replace all seals with a matched heavy-duty kit, hone the barrel if needed, reassemble with new fluid, and bench pressure test at the machine’s rated operating pressure before it goes back on the machine.

Skid Steer Cylinder Rebuild — Specific Work

What Fails On A Skid Steer Cylinder

Three failure modes cover 90 percent of skid steer cylinder rebuild jobs. First, the rod seal leaks — wiper seals fail from grit ingress, pressure seals fail from wear or a scored rod, and either shows up as oil weeping past the rod when the cylinder cycles. Second, the piston seal blows internally — the cylinder drifts under load as fluid bypasses the piston. Third, the rod itself gets pitted — salt in feedlot chemistry, moisture from washing, and dirt trapped past the wiper attack the chrome plating on the rod.

Cylinders We Rebuild

Loader arm (lift) cylinders take the load of the bucket plus material plus the arm geometry — biggest cylinders on the machine, highest cycle count. Tilt (curl) cylinders rotate the bucket — smaller than loader arm but higher cycle count. Auxiliary attachment cylinders on grapples, snow blowers, augers, and hydraulic tampers all come off the attachment and come to us for the same bench work.

Rod Repair And Replacement

Light pitting we polish out on the bench. Deeper pitting requires re-chroming (adds a week to the timeline through a specialty shop). Severely damaged rods we replace new. Every rebuilt cylinder ships back with a rod in good working condition — we don’t put worn rods back into service.

Des Moines Area Customers

skid steer cylinder rebuild customers in the Des Moines area include Iowa’s largest metro; every kind of contractor, municipal operation, and heavy fleet works out of Des Moines and the surrounding metro. Every one of these customer types comes to us for the same reason: dealer rebuild quotes are punishing, general shops don’t have the specialty bench equipment to do the job right, and the machine needs to be back in service fast. We handle the skid steer cylinder rebuild in-house, quote before we start, and turn work as fast as parts and shop capacity allow.

Bringing the cylinder (or the whole machine) from Des Moines to our Ames shop is a 35-mile drive on I-35. Most Des Moines customers can drop a cylinder off, run other errands nearby, and be home in a couple hours. For larger machines we can arrange pickup and delivery if you’re within roughly 60 miles of Ames — Des Moines is well inside that radius.

Bench Pressure Testing

Every skid steer cylinder rebuild we complete is bench pressure tested at the machine’s rated operating pressure — usually 3,000-3,500 psi on modern equipment. We test extend, retract, and hold soak. If the cylinder doesn’t pass on the bench, it doesn’t ship. That means when the rebuilt cylinder goes back on your machine in Des Moines, it works right the first time.

Cost And Turnaround

Standard skid steer cylinder rebuild runs $400-$1,500 per cylinder depending on size and brand. Larger cylinders on bigger machines run $1,000-$3,000. Add $500-$1,500 if the rod needs re-chroming through a specialty chroming shop. Add $300-$800 for barrel work. Multi-cylinder rebuilds (bringing in 3-4 cylinders at once) get bundled pricing. Turnaround is typically 5-10 business days for a standard rebuild, longer if rod re-chroming is required. Priority scheduling available for downed working equipment in the Des Moines area — call and we’ll be honest about the timeline.

Independent Scope

We are not a Bobcat, Cat, Kubota, Deere, or Case dealer. We do not do warranty work. If your machine is under warranty, use the dealer network for warranty items. Out-of-warranty skid steer cylinder rebuild is what we do every week — faster and less expensive than dealer service, and we know these machines inside and out.

Common Questions From Des Moines Customers

Should I pull the cylinder or bring the whole machine? Either works. Most customers pull the cylinder in the field and bring or ship it. If pulling is a hassle or you don’t have the equipment to remove a heavy cylinder safely, bring the machine in and we’ll pull, rebuild, and reinstall.

Can you match dealer warranty terms? We warranty every skid steer cylinder rebuild for 6 months against seal defects and workmanship. Dealer warranty terms vary by manufacturer and machine.

How long has skid steer cylinder rebuild work been part of your specialty? Cylinder rebuild is what we’ve been doing for years — it’s the biggest single category of work in the shop. Owner Josiah Ragsdale has worked on hydraulic and heavy equipment since he was 18.

Do you warranty rod work? Yes. Polish and re-chrome work is warranted along with the seal rebuild for 6 months.

Getting Started — Des Moines Area Customers

Call or text 515-292-2599. Tell us the machine make and model, cylinder location, and what’s failing. Text a photo of the cylinder and the leak if you can. We’ll ballpark skid steer cylinder rebuild cost over the phone and arrange pickup from the Des Moines area if you need it. Most contractors and operators within 60 miles get the full pickup-and-deliver service at no additional cost.