Heavy Equipment Line Boring & Bore Repair

Iron Ax provides in-house heavy equipment line boring, bore restoration, welding, machining, and replacement pin and bushing manufacturing for worn or damaged equipment components. We repair bores in loader arms, booms, buckets, grapples, attachments, linkage assemblies, frames, clevises, and other heavy equipment components.

As pins and bushings wear, the original round bores can become oversized, elongated, misaligned, cracked, or otherwise damaged. Installing another pin or bushing without correcting the damaged bore may leave excessive movement in the assembly and can contribute to repeated wear, misalignment, structural damage, and hydraulic cylinder problems.

Iron Ax can evaluate the entire assembly, repair damaged steel when necessary, restore the bore area, align related bores, line bore the component to the required dimensions, and manufacture the replacement pins and bushings needed to complete the repair.

Main Office: 478-252-0022 | Augusta Area: 762-529-0070

What Heavy Equipment Line Boring Corrects

Heavy equipment pivot points are designed so that pins, bushings, and bores remain properly aligned while carrying substantial loads. As components wear, the clearance between the pin, bushing, and bore increases. Continued operation can cause the bore to wear unevenly and lose its original round shape.

Line boring restores the relationship between connected bores and creates a properly aligned, round machined surface for the repaired assembly. Depending on the condition of the component, the repair may also require welding, steel replacement, bore buildup, custom bushings, or new pins.

Our Bore Repair Process

Loader Arm and Boom Bore Repair

Wheel loaders, excavators, backhoes, log loaders, material handlers, and other heavy equipment depend on properly aligned pivot points throughout their loader arms, booms, sticks, lift frames, and linkage assemblies.

Worn pins and bushings can allow these components to move beyond their intended clearances. Over time, that movement may damage the bores, brackets, mounts, surrounding steel, hydraulic cylinder connections, and other parts of the assembly.

Iron Ax can repair the damaged steel, restore the bore locations, align the pivot points, line bore the assembly, and manufacture the pins and bushings required to complete the job.

For wheel loaders requiring loader-arm, bucket-linkage, pivot-bore, pin, bushing, or related structural repairs, learn more about our Wheel Loader Boom, Linkage & Pin Repair capabilities.

Bucket, Grapple, and Attachment Bore Repair

Buckets, grapples, rakes, thumbs, shears, forks, blades, and other heavy equipment attachments are exposed to impact, twisting forces, shock loading, dirt, debris, and constant movement. Worn attachment bores can create excessive looseness, poor alignment, uneven loading, and accelerated wear throughout the linkage.

Attachment repairs may require a combination of welding, fabrication, steel replacement, bore restoration, line boring, new pins, and custom bushings. Iron Ax can complete these related operations under one roof.

Multiple-Bore Alignment

Many heavy equipment components use two or more bores that must remain aligned with one another. Repairing each bore independently without maintaining that relationship can create binding, uneven loading, installation problems, or premature wear.

Line boring allows related pivot points to be machined in alignment. This is especially important on loader arms, boom assemblies, bucket linkage, cylinder mounts, frame sections, and attachments where a pin passes through multiple connected components.

Welding and Structural Repair Before Line Boring

Some bore problems cannot be corrected by machining alone. The steel surrounding the bore may be cracked, stretched, thin, distorted, poorly patched, or damaged from years of movement. In those cases, the supporting structure must be repaired before the bore can be accurately restored.

Iron Ax has heavy fabrication and welding capabilities in addition to machining. We can remove unsuitable material, fabricate replacement steel, rebuild mounting areas, repair structural damage, and prepare the assembly for final line boring.

When the damaged bore is surrounded by cracked, distorted, worn, or previously patched steel, learn more about our heavy equipment structural repair and welding services.

Replacement Pins and Bushings Manufactured In-House

Completing a bore repair may require new pins, bushings, sleeves, spacers, retainers, or other machined components. Standard replacements may be expensive, backordered, discontinued, or unavailable for older, imported, modified, or custom equipment.

Iron Ax can manufacture replacement pins and bushings from the original components, repaired assembly, measurements, drawings, equipment information, or available specifications.

Our machine shop can produce shoulders, threads, grooves, cross holes, grease passages, retaining features, and other details required for the application. Manufacturing these components in-house allows the bore repair, pin, bushing, and final fit to be handled as one complete project.

Learn more about our complete heavy equipment pin and bushing manufacturing services.

When the repair requires a new one-off pin, Iron Ax also manufactures custom replacement equipment pins.

Iron Ax can also fabricate replacement mounts, brackets, attachment components, and other custom heavy equipment components that require final machining or line boring.

Hydraulic Cylinder Mounting Bore Repair

Worn cylinder pins, bushings, clevises, rod eyes, and mounting bores can allow a hydraulic cylinder to move out of alignment. That movement may side-load the rod, damage seals, wear the gland, bend the rod, or contribute to repeated cylinder failure.

Iron Ax can evaluate the cylinder mounting points along with the cylinder itself. When required, we can repair the mounting bores, manufacture new pins and bushings, rebuild clevises or rod eyes, and repair or manufacture the hydraulic cylinder under the same roof.

Previously Patched or Improperly Repaired Bores

Iron Ax regularly receives equipment components that have been repaired before. Some previous repairs may have addressed the visible damage without correcting worn bores, misalignment, weak surrounding steel, damaged pins, or other underlying problems.

A prior repair does not automatically mean the component cannot be restored. We can inspect the existing work, determine what material is suitable to remain, remove failed or unsuitable repairs when necessary, and develop a professional repair approach for the complete assembly.

Common Signs of Worn or Damaged Equipment Bores

Equipment and Components We Line Bore

You May Not Need to Bring the Entire Machine

Depending on the equipment and repair, the complete machine may not be necessary. Customers may be able to remove and bring the damaged loader arm, boom, stick, bucket, grapple, attachment, linkage assembly, frame section, cylinder mount, or other affected component.

Call Iron Ax before disassembling or transporting the equipment. Photographs and a description of the damaged area can help us determine what portion of the machine or assembly should be brought to our facility.

What to Bring or Tell Us

Bring the Complete Problem to Iron Ax

A worn equipment bore may be only one part of the problem. The repair may also involve cracked steel, failed welds, bent pins, worn bushings, damaged linkage, broken mounts, misalignment, or hydraulic cylinder damage.

Iron Ax has welding, fabrication, machining, line boring, pin and bushing manufacturing, and hydraulic cylinder capabilities under one roof. We can inspect the complete assembly, explain what we find, and develop a professional repair approach for returning the equipment to service.