When it comes to buying replacement parts for your equipment, the best price might not always be the best deal. “Will-fit” parts might fit, but may not perform to the OEM (original equipment manufacturer) specifications. If the part fits, but does not perform or last, then you probably spent much more than you “saved.”
Factory or OEM parts are designed to allow your machine to perform at its best. There are many replacement parts out there that are “will-fit” or “not exactly” parts. They do just what the name implies … they fit, or almost fit but you can’t be sure how well they will perform or last. These kinds of parts are usually cheaper. Producers of these parts usually try to identify machines with high field populations and then try to duplicate parts that are sold on these machines. The cheaper price generally comes from the fact that the producer of the part has eliminated a crucial process, such as a heat treat or hardening process. Or in some cases, the process may not be to the specifications required by the engineers of the machine manufacturer. Eliminating these processes means the parts can be produced more cheaply and thus savings are passed on to the buyer.
These kinds of parts may be cheaper, but often lack backup support if something goes wrong. Generally, when a part fails, it causes other parts to fail and in some cases, damages can be catastrophic. If you had a warranty on your “will-fit” part, you can just about guarantee the warranty will be on the part only. However, most manufactures will stand behind their product if OEM parts are used. There are parts that may require some modification before they can be installed. Once modified, they usually void the warranty of the part, and if the machine is still in warranty, may void the warranty on the machine as well. Filters may look the same and may fit the housing, but may be totally inadequate to do the job. They may look the same but the difference between a 10-micron rating and a three-micron rating can easily translate into an expensive hydraulic repair bill. Hydraulic hoses are another area where you can’t go by looks, or just consider whether they are two wire, four wire or six wire. Hoses must be matched to the required system pressure (plus a safety margin), the system temperature range, as well as abrasion resistance requirements.
Even parts that appear to be the same because they seem to match or have the same part number can lead you down the wrong path. Many times the manufacturer will modify parts like hydraulic pumps, motors and bearings. The part number stamped in the housing or on the data plate may not reflect the modification. Such modifications include adding additional orifices, changing the size of existing orifices, adding check valves and changing displacement or output of the pump or motor. Bearings are sometimes required that have special softer or harder outer race material for shock absorption or to reduce stress on pins. They may also have special relieves ground in them to allow for locking the outer race in its bore for better radial load performance. The manufacturer has modified these parts to fine tune your machine for maximum performance. At the same time, the engineers identify these changes, and replacement parts carry the same modifications. Parts produced by “will fitters” will in most cases not have these modifications, and buyers are baffled as to why the part does not perform or why it failed so quickly.
Manufacturers are constantly making upgrades to their machines to improve performance and reliability. Consequently, running parts changes are made on machines and communicated to the dealer network. Parts supplied by “will-fitters” may not be the most current design, and consequently any performance or reliability improvements will not be passed on to those buying imitation parts.
Pioneer Machinery is a 32-year-old equipment distribution company headquartered in West Columbia, SC, operating 27 sales, parts and service locations in West Virginia, Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia and Florida.
For more information, call 888/ 983-9990.
(Terry Mashburn is vice president,
product support, Pioneer Machinery Inc.)
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