Control valve rebuilds
The valve bank is where a boom gets its manners. We rebuild the banks, reseal the sections, and set every relief against a gauge, not by feel.
Call (504) 385-9868Valve problems announce themselves as personality problems: a boom that jerks when it used to feather, a function that drifts when the lever is centered, two circuits that move when you asked for one. Behind each symptom is a spool, seal, or relief cartridge that Boomworks Hydraulics can put back to spec, and most banks rebuild for $1,200 to $3,000 depending on section count and corrosion.
The relief valves deserve their own mention. Years of working at capacity hammers relief springs and seats out of spec, and a relief creeping upward quietly overloads everything downstream of it. Every valve job here ends with reliefs set against a calibrated gauge to the machine’s spec, which protects the pump and cylinders you did not pay us to touch. What moves the price is in the cost guide.
On the older cranes working the Harvey Canal and the port, valve work is also sourcing work. Patterns go obsolete, and we spend real hours matching sections and adapting current production parts. We would rather tell you that up front than pad a quote to hide it.
Valve questions
One function is weak but the rest work fine. Valve or cylinder?
Could be either, and the test is cheap: we swap circuit connections or gauge the work ports to see where the pressure dies. A weak single function is often one valve section bypassing or one relief cartridge hammered out of spec. Isolating it first means you do not buy a cylinder rebuild for a $200 cartridge.
Why does my crane jerk instead of feathering?
Scored spools and worn metering notches. Sign trucks feel this worst because setting a face takes finesse. A valve rebuild restores the metering, and if the spool bore itself is worn we tell you before you spend, because a worn body sometimes means a replacement section.
Can you find valve sections for older cranes?
Usually. Obsolete banks are half hunting and half adapting: we source new old stock, adapt current production sections, or reseal what exists when the bores still measure true. It takes hours instead of clicks, which the quote reflects honestly.