Crawfish Boat Hydraulic Repair
A crawfish boat is a hydraulic machine with a hull around it. The wheel, the drive and the lift all run off hydraulics, which means one failed motor or one blown hose ends the day. Southern Industrial Hydraulics is in Eunice, in the heart of crawfish farming country, and repairing those hydraulic motors is one of the things we do most.
What fails on a crawfish boat
- Wheel and drive motors. The hardest worked component on the boat and our stated specialty.
- Hydraulic pumps. Loss of power to the wheel usually starts at the pump long before it stops.
- Hoses. Constant flex, mud and water. We build replacements on our own equipment and will come to you.
- Cylinders. Lift and steering cylinders, rebuilt to manufacturer specification.
- Control valves, couplings and fittings.
My crawfish boat has lost power to the wheel. What is wrong?
Most often the hydraulic motor or the pump driving it. A boat that has slowly got weaker over several weeks is usually losing pump efficiency. A boat that stopped suddenly is more often a motor, a hose or a coupling. Heat in the fluid, a whining noise under load, or the wheel turning fine with no load but stalling in the mud all point at the same place. Bring it in or call and we will work out which it is.
Can you work on it during the season?
Call first. The season is short and the shop gets busy exactly when every boat is working, so availability is the thing to check rather than capability. It is always a good idea to call to discuss what you need and when we can take it.
Should I rebuild before the season or wait until it fails?
Before. A motor or pump that was weak at the end of last season will not get better sitting in a shed, and a rebuild booked in the off season is a scheduled job rather than an emergency in the middle of the run. The boats that lose the most days are the ones that waited.
Marine and farm hydraulics beyond crawfish boats
We work on a wide range of marine hydraulic services, and on the rest of what the farm runs: tractors, log splitters, power steering cylinders and the hydraulics on whatever else is in the shed.
Call before the season, not during it.
143 Eastpark Drive, Eunice. Monday through Friday, 7:30am to 4:00pm.