5 Ways Our General Engineering Service Solves Hydraulic Problems

In the world of heavy machinery, hydraulics and engineering are inseparable. You cannot repair a seized cylinder without a lathe, and you cannot install a new crane on an old truck without custom fabrication.

Many hydraulic shops in South Africa are just “parts swappers.” They can sell you a hose or a pump, but if the mounting bracket is broken or the pinhole is worn out, they have to send the job away. At Flex Hydraulics, we do things differently. We offer a comprehensive general engineering service under the same roof as our hydraulic workshop.

This “one-stop” approach saves you time and ensures better quality control. Here are 5 ways our engineering capabilities solve problems that standard parts suppliers simply can’t.

1. Manufacturing Obsolete Parts

A common frustration for South African plant operators is dealing with older machinery. You might have a perfectly good 20-year-old excavator, but when a cylinder gland nut cracks, the OEM tells you the part is “obsolete” and tries to sell you a new machine for millions of Rands.

Our general engineering service allows us to reverse-engineer and manufacture these obsolete components. Our turners can take the broken pieces, measure the thread pitch and dimensions, and machine a brand-new part from raw steel. We can replicate pistons, glands, and end caps that look and perform exactly like the original, keeping your legacy fleet running for years longer.

2. Hydraulic Cylinder Barrel Manufacturing (Retubing)

Sometimes, a hydraulic cylinder is too damaged to repair. If the barrel has deep scores or is bulged from over-pressure, simply honing it won’t work.

Instead of scrapping the entire unit, we use our engineering section to “retube” the cylinder.

  • We cut off the old end cap and ports.

  • We machine a new barrel from high-quality honed hydraulic tubing.

  • We weld the original mounts back onto the new tube.

This process is a core part of our general engineering service. It results in a cylinder that is effectively brand new but costs significantly less than buying a complete OEM replacement unit.

3. Line Boring for Earthmoving Equipment

Hydraulics provide the power, but the mechanical linkages provide the movement. On excavators and front-end loaders, the pivot points (where the boom connects to the bucket) take a beating. Over time, the holes become oval-shaped due to wear.

When this happens, putting in a new pin won’t help—it will just wobble. We offer line boring as part of our service. We weld up the worn hole and then re-bore it to the exact factory tolerance. This restores the tight, precise movement of your bucket or boom, preventing further damage to your hydraulic cylinders caused by “slop” in the mechanical joints.

4. Custom Modifications for Imported Trucks

South Africa imports trucks from Europe, America, and Asia. Often, the hydraulic setups on these trucks aren’t designed for local conditions or specific applications (like mounting a specific local crane brand).

Our general engineering service bridges this gap. We fabricate custom mounting plates, adaptors, and brackets to make different systems work together.

  • Need to mount a European crane on an American truck chassis? We machine the adaptors.

  • Need to move a fuel tank to fit a hydraulic reservoir? We modify the chassis layout.

  • Need a specific PTO drive shaft length? We cut and spline it to size.

5. Precision Turning and Milling

Hydraulics operate under immense pressure—often exceeding 300 Bar. This means tolerances are measured in hundredths of a millimetre. A piston that is 0.1mm too small will cause internal bypass and power loss.

Our workshop is equipped with industrial lathes and milling machines operated by qualified artisans. This allows us to control the quality of every repair. We don’t rely on outside engineering shops to get the fit right. Whether it’s machining a new rod from induction-hardened chrome bar or milling a flat face on a valve block, our general engineering service ensures that every component fits perfectly and holds pressure.

Conclusion: Engineering is the Backbone of Hydraulics

You cannot separate the two. A hydraulic shop without engineering capabilities is limited in what it can fix. By combining fluid power expertise with heavy-duty metalworking, Flex Hydraulics offers a complete solution for the mining, transport, and construction sectors.

Need a custom part manufactured or a cylinder retubed? Speak to our engineers.

WE ARE READY TO ASSIST

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