Hydraulic cylinders can be found in almost every industry, ranging from the sterile, clean environment of food and beverage to the rough and rugged world of construction. When these cylinders lose performance or outright fail, the word “Hydraulic Parts” leaps to mind. Replacing Hydraulic Parts may seem like a great option to prevent the failure from occurring again. However, the cost to replace a hydraulic is no small amount. When the time comes to make that a choice, should you replace a damaged hydraulics or opt for a repair instead?
In some cases, a hydraulic cylinder may be so badly damaged that replacement is the only course of action that makes sense. However, in most cases, that is not true. Most cylinder damage can be repaired by skilled professionals back to the condition, or near the condition, it was in when it was new. Additionally, the upfront monetary costs of repairs are often less than replacements. But, those aren’t the only costs you should consider.
What is the cost of downtime associated with this cylinder’s failure? Even if it does not fail very often, there can still be a substantial loss associated with waiting for a replacement cylinder to be shipped or manufactured and installed. And if there are repeated failures, the downtime cost can accumulate rather quickly.
This can have a significant impact on your decision if the same cylinder has to be replaced over and over. In situations such as these, there is often an underlying issue causing repeated damage, so a replacement won’t be enough to solve the problem.
As any type of hydraulic equipment experiences natural wear from regular use, there will be a reduction in its efficiency. And that efficiency can affect other components in the hydraulic system, leading to energy losses and slightly higher costs related to power. A repair can solve these inefficiencies at a lower cost.
If the hydraulic cylinder is not functioning correctly, it can put stress on other system components. Broken pins, accelerated wear in bearings, and abnormal stresses can cause other components to be damaged or, in a worst-case scenario, fail. That can also drive the costs of the overall system higher.
When making the decision to repair or replace, there are issues other than cost that may be involved and are just as important. Questions such as these should be answered before a final decision is made, and the raw data for many of these answers will come from your hydraulic repair service or from your own hydraulic maintenance team.
Everything in a hydraulic system has an expected life because everything eventually wears out. This is especially true in the case of OEM hydraulic cylinders which are usually made in bulk and not “over-engineered.”
If you do not establish exactly what caused the cylinder to fail, then you could replace it with a brand new OEM cylinder and see the exact same issue. Before a cylinder is replaced or repaired, it is important to address what caused or contributed to the failure so that the replacement does not fall prey to the same weakness. On the other hand, if a bearing or a seal simply wore out, a simple repair involving the replacement of those components should suffice. If their failure was not due to routine wear and tear, then the cause needs to be tracked down.
In some instances, you may have a hydraulic cylinder that is no longer made by the original manufacturer. In these cases, new fabrication may be an option. Do not forget to account for the lead time. This is especially true if a non-standard cylinder is involved that may require extensive customization or fabrication. A repair will be a much quicker option with a similar result.
There are many benefits to repairing a hydraulic cylinder. In most cases of failure, a specific component fails rather than the entire system, leaving other parts in excellent condition as long as the failure is caught relatively quickly. In such cases, only the damaged part needs to be replaced as is common with bearing and seal problems. Repairs may also be more economical than replacements, and, in the case of customized cylinders, may involve far less lead time.