From the blog
Skid Steer & Heavy-Equipment Field Repair — What's Actually Fixable On-Site
What a mobile welder can actually fix in your yard: cracked skid steer buckets, worn cutting edges, broken attachments, equipment frame cracks, hardfacing — and when it's time for a new part.
Skid steer & heavy-equipment field repair — what's actually fixable on-site
A cracked bucket or a broken attachment doesn't have to mean the machine's down for a week waiting on a shop slot. A lot of heavy-equipment damage gets field-welded right where the machine sits — your jobsite, your yard, the place. Here's what's actually fixable on-site, what isn't, and how to get it handled fast.
Why field repair beats hauling it in
A skid steer that's making money is a skid steer that's working. Pull it off a job, load it on a trailer, haul it to a repair shop, wait in their queue, haul it back — that's days, sometimes more, and a rental to cover the gap. A mobile welder comes to the machine, fixes it there, and you're running again the same day on most repairs. The math is rarely close.
What's fixable on-site
Cracked buckets
The most common one. A cracked skid steer or loader bucket gets the crack found (it's usually longer than it looks), stop-drilled at the ends so it doesn't run, ground out to a V so the weld penetrates full-depth, cleaned to bright metal, welded out, and — where the crack's in a high-stress spot — reinforced with a doubler plate. Done right, the repaired bucket is as strong as it was, or stronger. Done wrong (a bead slapped over the crack), it cracks again in a week — so it matters who does it.
Worn cutting edges and wear surfaces — hardfacing
A bucket edge worn round, a blade going thin, an auger flighting wearing down — instead of replacing the part, the wear surface gets built back up with hardfacing rod, which is harder than the base steel and lasts longer. Cheaper than a new edge, and I can do it the same visit I fix a crack. Same for grader blades, dozer cutting edges, mixer paddles, ag implement wear points.
Broken attachments and mounting plates
Forks, grapples, brooms, augers, the quick-attach plate itself — cracked or broken attachment hardware is usually a straightforward field repair. The attachment doesn't even need to be on the machine.
Frame, arm, and boom cracks
Cracks in equipment frames, loader arms, excavator booms, lift arms — often repairable in the field, depending on where the crack is and how the steel around it looks. These I'll always want to see in person before committing to a price; position welding and access vary too much.
Hydraulic pin and bushing work
Frozen pins burned out, worn bushings cut out and new ones welded in — common on loaders and attachments. {{CHRIS: confirm you do pin/bushing work}}
Ag equipment
Implements, plows, planters, augers, grain handling, livestock equipment, gates, corral panels, working chutes, feed bunks — all of it field-welded out at the place. The farther out you are, mileage applies past about 30 miles from base, but I'll drive to you.
What isn't fixable on-site (or isn't worth it)
- Steel that's rusted through. You can't weld rust. If the bucket or the frame's been eaten thin, there's nothing solid to weld to — that's a new part.
- Multiple cracks radiating from a stress point. That's the machine telling you it's been overloaded. Patching one crack just moves the next one over. Sometimes it's a re-engineer-and-reinforce job, sometimes it's a replacement.
- Damage that needs the part on a bench, square, in a fixture. Some repairs need a flat floor and a steady setup — that comes to the shop.
- Anything where the repair costs more than the replacement. When a worn-out attachment needs more welding than a new one costs, fix the cheaper problem. I'll tell you when that's the case.
A good mobile welder gives you the honest read — fix it, fix it and reinforce it, or replace it — not just the biggest invoice.
What does it cost in the KC area?
Heavy and farm equipment repair in the Kansas City metro typically runs $300–$1,500, quoted after a look — because access, position welding, material thickness, and how bad the damage is swing it wildly. Could be a quick crack repair inside the $225 service call hour; could be a half-day rebuild. Hardfacing is quoted on surface area and how much buildup it needs. Out past about 30 miles from base, mileage applies. Down-machine emergencies I push to the front of the line — emergency/after-hours work runs 1.5×. Full ranges on the pricing page.
Got a machine down? Send photos.
Send a close-up of the crack or the worn spot, a wide shot of the machine or attachment, the make/model if it matters, and where it's parked. I'll tell you whether it's a field fix or a bigger conversation — and what it'll cost. Heavy equipment & ag repair details here.