2025 - Volume #49, Issue #4, Page #31
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Repower Kits Available For Skid Loaders And More
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“We took a time-consuming, thought-intensive, only-in-your-dreams idea and made it almost as easy to accomplish as installing a factory engine,” says company founder Ira Huber. “In short, we make it possible for almost anyone to replace a broken skid loader engine with a better option. Even one from a totally different manufacturer.”
Huber’s business began when he started selling used Kubota engines to upgrade older, factory-installed Kubota power units in Bobcat, older Gehl and New Holland skid loaders.
“New Holland owners with failed Shibaura motors started asking to get Kubota engines in their machines. I had installed my first Cummins engine in a Chevy pickup back in 2000, so the idea of a repower was nothing new.”
Huber first bought a New Holland LS170 skid loader from a customer who had blown numerous Shibaura engines.
“I had access to as many Kubota engines from Carrier reefer units as I could wish for. In 2017, I teamed up with a local machinist, and we built a couple of special parts for repairing farm equipment. Word spread slowly.”
By 2019, a farmer from Missouri sent in his Gehl 5240 for an engine transplant, sick of sinking money into engine parts he could hardly find.
“It opened my eyes to the fact that some of the simple parts we’d engineered would work for repowering skid loaders, mini excavators, man lifts and trenchers, or anything else with a hydrostatic drive system.”
He took the professional leap in 2024 by signing with a business consultant.
“Now we advertise nationwide and have customers from Pennsylvania to California and Manitoba. Many customers can install it right on the farm, although independent repair shops and even OEM dealerships will handle the install, too.”
The parts within each kit are tailored to the specific machine application but usually include the following: flywheel to hydrostatic pump connection kit, motor mounts, turbo kit (lube lines, boost hose, manifolds), muffler and hardware-per application, engine oil cooler kit, water pump, fan belt, alternator, rear crank seal, block heater, oil pan kit, remote oil filter kit, dipstick adapter to reuse OEM dipstick, fan spacer to use OEM fan, hardware-bolts, most hoses and hose clamps, and an installation manual.
“Our goal is to make a repower so painless and such an upgrade that it’s a no-brainer,” he says. “We want to meet or exceed factory function and appearance as well as serviceability. Our steel parts are laser cut as much as possible. It’s a cost-effective way to produce a very nice product.”
He shares that the process is like playing with Lego blocks.
“It’s fun to observe patterns. I’ve found simple things that can be reused from the original machine to cut costs and make it easier to get replacement parts. A simple dipstick can cost close to $300, so why not reuse it for free?”
Huber believes that many factors drive demand for his repower kits, including fail-prone engine models, skyrocketing replacement costs, and increasing demand for engines that are time-proven and have an abundance of replacement parts available.
“There’s a growing appreciation for older, simpler machines. I think this is a great way to give them new life.”
Shipping for the rebuild kits is available across North America.
“We also love to do installations at our shop. In fact, we’ve expanded and have an Amish shop subcontracted in the Cashton, Wis., area that builds our remanufactured engines as well as some installation parts for the repower kit.”
In the long term, his vision is to build a national and even international installer dealership network.
“I love networking. It’s a real pleasure to support small businesses.”
Individual parts are also available for purchase, and the company can customize them according to request. Someday, Huber hopes to develop a website where clients can select parts and build their own kits.
“I get lots of requests for more machines for repower kits, but we only work so fast. If there are investors for capital or brains that would like logistic or development challenges, we have opportunities to harness their gifts. Feel free to connect.”
Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, North County Ag Repair, 236486 Hatchery Rd., Birnamwood, Wis. 54414 (ph 715-610-4621; ncagrepair@gmail.com; northcountryagrepair.com).
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