Cat Hammer Rebuild

[pbd05]

I recently picked up a H120E S hammer, late 2019 build but without any history. Overall the hammer seems to have very little wear and appears to be in good shape. I am having to fix a couple of things on the auto-greaser, but that's all pretty strait forward. I plan on testing it out in the next few days on a 323 to see how it functions. The ultimate goal with it is to resell it after this quick job my buddy has for it.

According to Cat these things are supposed to come apart once a year for a reseal which I would think this one is due for. I contacted my local dealer and they indicated that it would be around 40 hours of shop time for your standard reseal, and more if anything inside was wrong. He also mentioned that it's a 50/50 chance that the tie rods can be reused, a set of those in nearly $10k if I need replacements. So I could be into the reseal for around $10k, and norther of $20k if things go bad.

I'm on the fence about getting the reseal done prior to sale to give myself and the prospective buyer peace of mind. The above numbers are in CAD, but does 40 hours in shop time sound right for a reseal? The price of the parts is pretty set per Cat, I might be able to get 20% or so off that.

 

[92U 3406]

40 hours sounds excessive for a basic reseal. I've done dozens of hammers from every brand you could name and I've never had a rebuild hit 40 hours. Even ones where we've had to replace tool bushings never took that long. Tie rods are typically good to be reused a couple times (check mfg specs) and its not often they break. Usually see them break if they're run loose. I bet there are shops that specialize in attachment repairs that could do it quicker (and cheaper) than the dealer.

In my experiences very few companies actually bother to reseal a hammer annually. They just give them a good inspection a couple times a year and have them repaired as needed. In my own, personal opinion I would function test it, then remove the tool bit and covers for a thorough inspection. Check/charge accumulator(s), measure toolbit and bushing diameters, check for leaks, loose tie rods, hardware etc before making the call to tear down and rebuild.

Biggest thing with hammers is getting the machine properly setup for it. Use a flowmeter and pressure gauge, the in-cab setup screens are rarely close enough to trust from my experience. Keep the tool bit lubed to prevent excessive bushing wear and operating the hammer correctly are just as important for longevity.

 

[pbd05]

Appreciate the insight @92U 3406. If it does get resealed, I'd likely take the power head out of the casing and just send that to them, reducing some disassembly/ assembly costs. I did mention the situation to a Cat Field Tech and he thought 40 hours would be excessive as well. I'll give the hammer a whirl, see how it performs and go from there.