Should you rebuild or replace?

Deciding whether to rebuild or replace a machine can be a difficult choice for heavy equipment owners. Questions about potential costs and what a rebuild will include are common, and the Western States team is here to help you through every step of the process.

A rebuild timeline is based on a machine’s targeted lifecycle, which is calculated off of hours of operation. When the machine hits its targeted lifecycle it is evaluated for rebuild. Condition monitoring, physical machine condition & performance and application profile are all taken into consideration. Opting to rebuild a machine can lower the overall total cost of ownership and can be a solution to grow your fleet. Western States offers a wide range of options that enable tailored solutions to align with each individual customer’s needs.

Why rebuild versus replace?

If your machine has not yet reached the end of its useful life and still meets your organization’s performance and productivity needs, rebuilding your equipment is a great option. 

Benefits to rebuilding your machine include:

1. Lower cost – Rebuilding a machine can cost 50-65% of the price of a new machine, and gives your existing equipment a whole new life cycle. 
2. Sustainability – Roughly 70% less raw materials are used in the rebuild process as opposed to manufacturing a new machine. 
3. Lead time – A rebuild can often be completed in a shorter timeframe than ordering and receiving a new machine.
4. Warranty – Rebuilt machines are eligible for the same extended warranties as new machines, offering customers the same peace of mind.
5. Finance terms – Very low interest rates have been created specific to rebuilds to make both planned and unplanned rebuilds easier on operating budgets.
6. Safety & Performance upgrades – customers can select some of the enhancements that come on new machines, to be included into the rebuild scope of work.

 How does the rebuild process work?

A typical rebuild process starts with a discussion with your Product Support Rep, or one of our qualified Service Representatives, about 6 months prior to the machine arriving at our facility. This discussion will allow adequate time to build out the scope of work, quotation, scheduling of the rebuild, and pre-ordering parts. This helps to ensure a seamless process leading up to your machine’s arrival at our service location. Upon arrival, the average rebuild process takes approximately 8 – 10 weeks depending on condition of the machine and scope of the project.

There are five steps in the rebuild process: identification of the opportunity, pricing the rebuild, procuring the parts, executing the rebuild in the service department, and measuring results/making adjustments moving forward.

 At the beginning of the rebuild, Western States works with the customer to find the best way to communicate information and updates. Throughout the process our service team sends weekly photos to give customers peace of mind and to provide a visual progress update. When the machine is finished, it’s delivered to the customer and a Western States rep will be on site for its first day back on the job to help provide on-site training for any new features and to ensure everything operates properly. 

Hydraulic Excavator Life Extension Program

If you’re still on the fence about rebuilding your excavator, Western States Cat is currently offering the Hydraulic Excavator Life Extension Program. This is an opportunity to extend the life of your excavator with a Cat certified machine component rebuild (CMCR) that returns your key components to like-new condition, helping you get maximum return on your original machine investment.

 If your hydraulic system isn’t performing at peak efficiency, it’s robbing your excavator of performance. Efficiency losses can reach up to 20% before anyone notices there is a problem. In a five-day work week this can translate to an entire day of lost productivity. The CMCR for hydraulic pumps is a repair-before-failure option that can help you save money and extend the life of your excavator. This cost-effective alternative to buying new is available for certain excavators:

• 313-395 Hydraulic Excavators
• 538-568 Forestry Hydraulic Excavators
• 3250 and 3260 Material Handlers

The certified hydraulic rebuild includes the restoration of the complete hydraulic system – pumps, motors, valves, accumulators, hoses, lines, tanks, coolers, and cylinders – to like new. Click here to learn more about the program and offers that are available. 

Still have questions? Contact Western States Cat to get in touch with our team and get them answered. 

Want to see a Western States Rebuild in action?

Check out our YouTube Video of rebuilding a D8T Dozer: