Simply Welding

08/03/2026

EPSILON E125 WORN DROP LINK BORE REPAIR.

Got worn bores on your grab crane? Did you know we provide engineering repairs to all makes of grab crane - Epsilon, Terex, Hiab and HMF.

Epsilon E125 Crane Extension Oval Bore Repair.

Job Description: Repair worn and damaged crane extension bores on an Epsilon E125 grab loading crane.

Material / Parts: OEM bushings and consumables.

Assessing The Works: Firstly, we thoroughly clean the crane extension. Once clean and free of grease, we start to take measurements and create a list of datums from specific fixtures on the crane arm.

Welding: Before we commence welding, we grind the area to be welded and also remove material via pre-boring to ensure when re-machining we are not in the weld fusion zone. Once prepared for welding, the crane bore is pre-heated to a pre-defined temperature, and overlay bore welding commences. Once welded, the crane extension is wrapped in heat blankets and allowed to cool slowly over several hours (this is done to enable the welded area to cool slowly) so the weld area doesn’t change metallographic structure and become brittle and crack at a later date.

Machining The Bore: Once at ambient temperature, we can commence machining the bore back to factory dimensions. This machining is critical, as the bushings are an “interference fit” (this means the bore is of a smaller diameter than the bushing). The bushings need to be either shrunk via liquid nitrogen or pushed into the bore via mechanical means (jacking). The bores, once machined, not only have to be dimensionally accurate, they also have to run concentric and be perfectly parallel; otherwise, the main bearing pins will be “loaded up” and cause premature wear and damage.

Inserting New Bushes: New OEM bronze bushes are inserted (jacked in) to the bore via the means of a hydraulic press and held firmly by means of an interference fit.

Final Prep: Assemble the drop link onto the end of the crane extension, and job done.

https://simply-welding.co.uk/case-study-epsilon-e125-grab-crane-bore-repair/

18/02/2026

Big or small—same attention to all.

Repairing Worn & Damaged Pin Bores - Kubota KX61-3.

Job Description: Repair worn and damaged bucket pin bore on a Kubota KX61-3 dipper arm.

Material: EN19 - case hardened to a minimum of 50HRc producing a high-strength, tough, and fatigue-resistant boss that has excellent wear properties but still retains its strength.

Removing The Worn Boss / Bore: The old boss was arc-gouged free of the dipper arm by means of plasma arc gouging. The dipper arm was then cleaned up and prepared for welding with all welding contact points chamfered to enable a full pe*******on welded joint.

Machining New Boss / Bore: Face off both ends of the steel slug, break edges (chamfer sharp corners) and bring to finished length. Drill and bore the centre hole to accommodate the new hardened bushes (this dimension is critical as the hardened bushes need to be an interference fit), leaving a landing ledge inside the bore for the new hardened bushes to butt up to.

Inserting New Bushes: New hardened bushes are inserted (jacked in) to the bore via the means of a hydraulic press and held firmly by means of an interference fit.

Lining Up The New Boss: The dipper arm and new boss are lined up to exact factory dimensions (we have specs for most of the Kubota mini / midi digger line-up). Once we have lined up the components, we tack-weld the dipper arm and boss together and re-check alignment before fully welding.

Fully welding: The dipper arm and new boss are preheated to a predefined temperature and fully welded in accordance with specific welding procedures using dual-shield welding wire. The welded assembly is wrapped in welding blankets and allowed to cool slowly over several hours (this is done to enable the welded area to cool slowly) so the weld area doesn’t change metallographic structure and become brittle and crack at a later date.

Final Prep: Three coats of etched primer and 3-4 coats of Kubota orange topcoat; refit, test and deliver back to the customer.

https://simply-welding.co.uk/case-study-kubota-digger-excavator-worn-bore-repair/

08/02/2026

Depot based and mobile line boring services, from 25mm - 400mm diameter and 3 meters in length.

08/02/2026

Excavator fl**ge facing: Precision, in-situ machining operation used to repair, resurface and restore damaged surfaces on booms and dipper arms. Normally used in conjunction with our line boring services.

08/02/2026

Forklift cardboard bail clamp repairs - ram and structural repairs.

08/02/2026

NEED pins, bushes, sleeves or hydraulic ram components inc rods, pistons, glands and tubes etc?

Contact us today to see if we are able to help you keep your equipment out onsite earning.

08/02/2026

LOLER Inspections for all types of heavy plant and lifting equipment throughout the Midlands.

08/02/2026

Machining Hydraulic Tube to Valve Block Adapter.

Job Description: Machine a stem adapter to bridge between the hydraulic tube and the load-holding / flow-control valve block.

Material: 24mm EN3 hexagonal solid bar.

Machining - Operation One: Cut to approximate length and face off both ends.

Operation Two: Reduce outside diameter to nominal dimensions, leaving a landing fl**ge for face sealing via the use of a Dowty washer. Machine in thread relief and through drill a hole through the centre for oil flow and break edges (chamfer sharp corners).

Operation Three: Rotate the part in the lathe chuck and index via the use of a DTI (dial test indicator) to confirm runout is within tolerance. Once the part has been indicated, we turn the part down to a pre-defined diameter and length and chamfer the port outlet / inlet.

Operation Four: The part is rotated once again and indicated for runout. Once we are happy the runout is within acceptable parameters, we proceed to cut a BSP thread into the part via the single-point method.

Final Prep: Check all dimensions and polish the port outlet / inlet to ensure good sealing occurs between the port and lip seal in the valve block.

https://simply-welding.co.uk/case-study-machining-hydraulic-valve-stem-adapter/

12/01/2026

Changing pin centres on a 3t quick hitch.

Job Description: Change pin centres on a 3t mini digger quick hitch.

Material: Re-used existing pins.

Removing pin: Remove the weld around the existing pin; we removed the majority of the weld by means of an annular cutter mounted via an adapter in our milling machine. The remainder of the weld was removed using a die grinder and carbide burr. We heated the quick hitch around the pin to expand the metal around the pin and knocked the pin free with a hammer.

Closing existing pin hole: The quick hitch was cleaned up using a grinder, and paint was removed from around the weld area. The quick hitch was moderately preheated, and the existing pin hole was fully welded closed and ground back to a flat surface.

Drilling new location holes: The quick hitch was marked out with the new pin centre dimensions and was securely mounted on our milling machine. Utilising the DRO (Digital Read Out) we were able to precisely drill the new pin centres in exactly the correct locations so both holes were running concentric and parallel.

Cleaning up the old pin: The old pin was to be reused; the pin was mounted in our lathe, and any residue weld left on the pin from the previous weld was removed. Once the old weld residue had been removed, the pin was cleaned up using a Scotch-Brite pad while rotating in the lathe.

Fully welding: The pin was tack-welded into the quick hitch, and a final check to confirm all was dimensionally accurate. The quick hitch and pin were preheated to a predefined temperature and fully welded with duel-shield welding wire.

Final Prep: Three coats of etched primer and 2 coats of black engine enamel were applied.

https://simply-welding.co.uk/case-study-quick-hitch-saddle-pin-centre-change/

07/01/2026

07/01/2026

Oxy-fuel cutting stubborn wear plate bolts saves time, sweat and tears; it's perfect when it's -4°C outside.

06/01/2026

Christmas break over and back to the daily grind it is.