With long lead times for hard-to-find replacement pumps, a reliable repair service that takes a few weeks at most is an alternative that many farmers will find attractive. The economic rationale of a repair versus a new pump, and getting the machine back to work quickly, is clear, and as the unit is refurbished rather than scrapped, the environment also benefits.

Agritechnica exhibitor Moller International, which has its headquarters in Denmark, will premiere its hydraulic pump repair service at Agritechnica 2019, which takes place at Hanover's Exhibition Grounds, in Germany, from 10th to 16th November. Exhibiting in the trade fair's Systems & Components area on Stand D33 in Hall 17, the company will present a solution developed by fellow Danish business AVN Hydraulic, which has more than 40 years' experience building, servicing and repairing specialist hydraulic installations.

Pump repairs are highly complex

Hydraulic pump repair is a highly complex task that requires investment in extensive test and diagnostics equipment, as well as specially trained technicians, many of them on call 24 hours a day.

“This repair service is rare,” says Ole Krabbe, Managing Director of AVN Group. “There is a lot of specialist knowledge involved, but the fact we receive damaged hydraulic pumps sent to us from places like China illustrates the demand for the service. Our customers know that a new pump is not only very costly, but the delivery time can be anything up to six months.

“We have joined up with Moller International at Agritechnica as we identified a market need in the agricultural sector for our repair service,” he adds. “The disruption when a pump breaks down on a farm can be similar to other areas where we operate, like the marine and offshore sectors, so we decided farmers needed to be able to benefit from the service.

“And the good news is we can tackle any brand of hydraulic pump," added Krabbe

Poor servicing leads to pump failure

Krabbe says a common reason for hydraulic pumps breaking down is contaminated oil due to poor servicing, particularly in machines that work close to the ground and are exposed to harsh environments with particles or chemicals that can get into the system.

“You cannot underestimate the need to regularly change hydraulic oil and oil filters,” he adds. “We have an oil lab that can test the quality of the oil and advise the customer as to the cause of damage. Often particles like copper are detected in the oil which can destroy the pump, and this is an important lesson to farmers.”

The hydraulic pump repair service to be shown on the Moller International stand can handle pumps with a footprint of up to displacement of 800cm3 and outputs up to 1,200 litres per minute.

“We can cope with high-capacity pumps as we serve industries that use them,” says Krabbe. “A good example are the pumps used in the system we developed for closing the roof on Denmark's largest football stadium, which seats 40,000 people.

“It is the Danish mentality that is really behind the development of the new hydraulic pump repair service,” he adds. “We are a small country which means we have a long history of relying on ourselves and teamwork plays a major role.

“Danish people are curious and do not give up. We even have an untranslatable phrase we use every day that says roughly ‘give some extra effort and attempt to make it work'.”

Repair and maintenance has long been recognised

The project manager of Systems & Components, Raffaele Talarico, says the concept of repair and maintenance has been recognised at Agritechnica for more than a decade now.

“The complexity of modern farm machinery means that technicians need diagnostic tools and specialist knowledge to carry out repairs,” he adds. “Often solutions can be found in other areas, like the marine sector and wind power stations, as we see with this hydraulic pump repair service.

“We welcome these developments at Systems & Components. Anything that can help the farmer save time and money is of benefit, and it is especially appreciated when a product or service can help reduce stress on the environment. When a product can be repaired rather than discarded, as the case here, we as farmers contribute to sustainability.

Talarico adds that visitors interested in machinery repairs should also visit the Workshop Live special feature in Hall 2.

“This year there will be teams of technicians demonstrating repairs on a Valtra tractor; a telescopic handler from New Holland; a disc mower from Krone; a Claas baler; a Kubota wheeled loader; a chainsaw from Stihl; and tyre-fitting equipment from Bohnenkamp,” he says.

The hydraulic pump repair solution can be seen on Stand D33 in Hall 17.

More information for visitors can be found online at: www.systemsandcomponents.com