Chinese made pump components

[Cappybye]

Does anyone have experience with made in China hydraulic pump parts? I have a couple of Rexroth A4VG125 pumps that need rebuilding. An OEM cylinder block is pushing $2500 and Chinese manufacturers have them for under $200. I assume the heat-treating isn't the same, so one can't expect the same longevity, but I'm curious about the quality in general.

 

[PNachtwey]

I know the Chinese bitch and moan about the quality of their own domestic valves. The Chinese are very good at copying dimensions of different components and copying them. They are not that good at copying composition or heat treatment of the metals or even the finish of their products.
You should probably try once in a non-critical application but if you don't get good results then stick with the manufacturers replacements.




Peter Nachtwey
Delta Computer Systems

http://www.deltamotion.com

 

[romke]

sure it will be cheaper to manufacture the part in China then in Germany. but if they were of equal quality the price on the market would not be that different - the cheaper housing could also be sold for say $1000 just as well to be very attractive to a potential buyer. thus, i guess quality will not be the same and perhaps require replacement far more often then the original. given the very low price i certainly would be very reluctant to use it in a critical application. you should be aware that replacing it is only part of the cost of repair, usually when a pump goes the whole system needs to be cleaned up because wear debris have spread everywhere causing a lot of harm when not attended to.

 

[Cappybye]

My pumps have not failed, there is normal wear at 6500 hours. There's nothing to clean up and no extra cost except the labour. A full rebuild means $10000-12000 of OEM parts, or more. I figure I can get away with $9000 in OEM parts, or less. The other option is $1300 in Chinese parts, or maybe just the cylinder block and leave the original pistons. I only need to get another 1500 hours out of this Pisten Bully. I still have 375lbs of charge pressure (hot) compared to the new spec of 500lbs.

I'm wondering if anyone has direct experience with Chinese components in a high end pump. How tight it was right after installation, and how did it last.

BTW, we all know the price of $3000 for a 6-7 inch diameter cylinder block has nothing to do with cost of manufacture. It's about monopoly.