IF YOUR SHOP SAID NO,
CALL MERCURY.
Boom cylinders that require full boom removal. Oversized marine winches. Seized assemblies from decades of neglect. We take on the heavy-duty, complex, and unusual jobs that most shops turn away.
WHY MOST SHOPS SAY NO
The hydraulic repair industry is full of shops that handle the easy jobs — standard cylinder seal replacements, common hose fittings, off-the-shelf components. Those jobs are profitable, predictable, and safe.
The hard jobs are different. They require overhead lifting capacity, large-bore machining equipment, specialized knowledge, and the willingness to spend hours on a job that might not go smoothly. Most shops don't have the equipment. Others have the equipment but not the experience. Some just don't want the liability.
Mercury Hydraulics was built on hard jobs. Our roots are in Department of Defense contracts — work where "good enough" isn't acceptable and "we can't do that" isn't an option. That standard carries through everything we do.
"If it fits through our door, we can rebuild it."
JOBS WE TAKE ON EVERY DAY
These are the repairs that fill our shop — the ones that other shops pass on and their customers bring to us.
Bucket Truck & Aerial Lift Boom Cylinders
Leaking boom cylinders on aerial work platforms and bucket trucks are one of the most avoided repairs in the industry. The boom must be fully removed before the cylinder can be accessed — a labor-intensive process that requires specialized lifting equipment, precise disassembly knowledge, and the ability to handle cylinders that can be 6–10 feet long and weigh hundreds of pounds.
Why us: Most shops don't have the overhead crane capacity, the floor space, or the experience to safely handle boom removal and reassembly. We do.
Examples
Marine & Offshore Hydraulic Systems
Marine hydraulic cylinders and winches operate in one of the harshest environments on earth — constant saltwater exposure, extreme loads, and zero tolerance for failure at sea. Rebuilding these systems requires corrosion-resistant materials, marine-grade seals, and an understanding of the unique demands of offshore equipment.
Why us: Most inland shops have never seen a marine hydraulic system. We've repaired winches, steering cylinders, hatch actuators, and stabilizer systems for vessels operating from the Gulf Coast to the Bahamas.
Examples
Oversized & Non-Standard Bore Cylinders
When a cylinder is too large, too old, or too unusual for a standard shop to handle, it ends up at Mercury Hydraulics. We regularly rebuild cylinders with bores exceeding 8 inches and strokes over 10 feet — equipment that most shops simply don't have the tooling or space to work on.
Why us: Our facility is equipped with heavy-duty overhead lifting, large-capacity lathes, and a honing machine capable of handling oversized bores. If it fits through our door, we can rebuild it.
Examples
Defense & Aerospace Hydraulic Systems
Military and aerospace hydraulic systems are built to specifications that commercial shops are not equipped to meet. Tight tolerances, exotic materials, classified component handling, and documentation requirements make these repairs off-limits for most shops.
Why us: Mercury Hydraulics was founded on DoD contracts. We understand mil-spec requirements, documentation chains, and the zero-defect standard that defense and aerospace customers demand.
Examples
Seized, Corroded & Frozen Assemblies
Years of neglect, saltwater exposure, or extreme heat can weld hydraulic components together as effectively as any welder. Disassembling a cylinder that hasn't moved in decades — without destroying the barrel or rod — requires patience, specialized tooling, and sometimes thermal lancing.
Why us: We have thermal lancing capability in-house. When conventional methods fail, we can apply extreme localized heat to break the most stubborn seized assemblies without damaging the surrounding structure.
Examples
Emergency Field Failures
Equipment doesn't fail on a schedule. When a critical hydraulic failure brings your operation to a halt — whether it's a utility crew that can't raise their boom, a vessel that can't lift anchor, or a construction site with a dead excavator — you need a shop that answers the phone and moves fast.
Why us: We offer same-day emergency service for customers who can get equipment to us. We've turned around full cylinder rebuilds and winch overhauls in a single business day when the job demanded it.
Examples
WE'VE REBUILT CYLINDERS OVER 10 FEET LONG.
Bores up to 12". Rods up to 6". Weight measured in tons.
THE CAPABILITY BEHIND THE CLAIM
Saying "we take the hard jobs" is easy. Having the equipment and expertise to back it up is another matter. Here's what makes Mercury Hydraulics capable of handling work that other shops can't.
Every capability listed below was built or acquired because a customer needed something that didn't exist at any other shop in the region. We didn't build this capability speculatively — we built it because the jobs demanded it.
Overhead Crane Capacity
Handle cylinders and assemblies that weigh hundreds to thousands of pounds
Large-Bore Honing Machine
Bore restoration up to 12" diameter — far beyond standard shop capability
Thermal Lancing In-House
Break seized assemblies that no other tool can touch
SolidWorks CAD Capability
Reverse engineer obsolete parts when OEM replacements don't exist
Custom Seal Manufacturing
Non-standard seals machined to exact specifications — no waiting on suppliers
DoD Heritage
Built to military standards from day one — zero-defect culture is in our DNA
HOW WE HANDLE THE HARD JOBS
Difficult repairs require more than technical skill — they require a structured process that accounts for unknowns and communicates clearly at every step.
Honest Assessment
We evaluate every job before committing. If we can fix it, we'll tell you exactly what it takes. If we can't, we'll tell you that too — no wasted time or money.
Disassembly & Diagnosis
Hard jobs often reveal surprises once disassembled. We document everything, photograph the condition, and communicate any changes to scope before proceeding.
Repair or Manufacture
We repair what can be repaired. When parts are beyond saving or no longer available, we machine replacements in-house using our SolidWorks CAD capability.
Test & Return
Every rebuilt component is pressure-tested before it leaves our shop. No exceptions. You get a component that works — not one that we hope works.
NOT LOCAL? SHIP IT TO US.
Customers ship equipment to us from across the country when they can't find a local shop capable of handling the job. We've received boom cylinders from utility companies in the Midwest, marine winches from the Gulf Coast, and defense components from facilities across the Southeast.
Call us before you ship and we'll walk you through the best way to package and freight your component. We'll give you a realistic timeline and a firm quote before we start any work.
24/7 EMERGENCY SERVICE AVAILABLE
Same-day turnaround for critical failures