Railmover Repair
A railmover can start, drive across the yard and still fall on its face when it is time to move cars.
It Runs. That Doesn't Mean It's Doing Its Job.
Maybe it has lost tractive effort. The transmission acts differently under load. The weight-transfer system is not working correctly. A coupler will not operate. The brakes will not release. Or an electrical problem comes and goes.
You already know what the machine is doing.
Mondak's job is to figure out why.
Railmover Brands We Work On
Mondak works on both current and older railcar movers including:
- Trackmobile
- RailKing
- Shuttlewagon and more
A large part of this work involves machines that have already been in service for decades.
Trackmobile Repair
We still regularly see older Trackmobile machines such as:
- Trackmobile 9TM
- Trackmobile 95TM
- Trackmobile 4250TM
- 4150TM
- 4350TM
- 4650TM
- 4750TM
- 4850TM
- Hercules
- Titan
- Viking
- Spartan
- Boss-series machines
- Atlas
- Vulcan
The 9TM, 95TM and 4250TM are especially important because there are still machines out there working even though supporting them has become considerably harder.
Being old does not mean they are done.
It does mean the repair may require more than looking up a part number.
RailKing Repair
Mondak also works on current and older RailKing railcar movers, including RK-series and earlier-generation machines.
That can include equipment such as:
- RK297
- RK307
- RK327
- RK330
- RK467
- Older G-series machines
Depending on the machine, the problem may involve the engine, drivetrain, hydraulics, weight-transfer system, controls or the components that tie those systems together.
Shuttlewagon Repair
We also work on current and older Shuttlewagon machines, including:
- Commander
- Commander NXT
- Navigator
- Earlier Shuttlewagon models
- Electric railcar movers
Shuttlewagon machines use their own combination of traction, rail guidance, couplers, hydraulics and controls.
We troubleshoot the system that is actually causing the problem rather than stopping at the name on the machine.
Pulling Power Is More Than Engine Horsepower
When a railmover loses pulling ability, the engine is only one possibility.
The problem may involve:
- Engine power or derate
- Transmission
- Torque converter
- Drivetrain
- Weight-transfer system
- Traction
- Rail gear
- Road wheels or tires
- Hydraulic pressure
- Brakes dragging
- Coupler systems
- Electronic controls
A weak railmover does not automatically need an engine.
We follow the power through the machine and find where it is being lost.
Diesel, Drivetrain & Hydraulic Repair
Mondak can troubleshoot and repair systems involving:
- Diesel engines
- Fuel and cooling systems
- Electronic engine controls
- Transmissions
- Torque converters
- Axles and differentials
- Drivelines
- Hydraulic pumps
- Hydraulic motors
- Valves and manifolds
- Cylinders
- Hoses and hard lines
- Reservoirs and filtration
If a hydraulic function is slow, we can test pressure, flow and the controls before deciding the pump is bad.
Weight Transfer, Rail Gear & Couplers
The systems that make a railmover different from ordinary heavy equipment matter too.
We work with problems involving:
- Weight-transfer systems
- Rail wheels and rail gear
- Road-to-rail operation
- Traction systems
- Couplers
- Coupler hydraulics
- Train air
- Braking systems
- Mechanical wear and adjustment
A machine can have plenty of engine power and still struggle to move cars if it cannot properly transfer that power to the rail.
Electrical & Electronic Diagnostics
Newer railmovers use sophisticated electronics.
Older machines may have been updated, repowered or rewired several times over their lives.
Mondak can troubleshoot:
- Engine electronics
- Transmission controls
- Sensors
- Solenoids
- Controllers
- Wiring and connectors
- CAN/J1939 communication
- Instrumentation
- Interlocks
- Starting and charging
Our diagnostic equipment includes:
- OEM diagnostic software
- NEXIQ communication equipment
- ECM programming equipment
- Multi-pin diagnostic equipment
- Dimsport New Genius
- Dimsport New Trasdata
- Direct and bench ECU communication equipment
When the normal connector is unusual, damaged or no longer usable, our multi-pin setup can give us another way to communicate with supported systems using the correct wiring information and pinout.
An old or unusual connector does not automatically stop the diagnostic process.
Older Railmovers Can Be Extremely Hard to Support
A Trackmobile 9TM, 95TM, 4250TM or other older railmover may still be doing useful work even though parts support has become difficult, or disappeared completely.
Some components are:
- Extremely hard to find
- No longer manufactured
- Unsupported by the original supplier
- Superseded without a direct replacement
- Available only used
- Completely obsolete
That means the repair cannot always start with ordering the original part number.
Mondak may need to look at other options, including:
- Repairing the original component
- Rebuilding hydraulic components
- Cross-referencing modern replacements
- Adapting hydraulic fittings or plumbing
- Repairing or rebuilding wiring and controls
- Programming or replacing controllers
- Machining replacement components
- Making pins, bushings or shafts
- Fabricating brackets and mounts
- Modifying the system to accept a serviceable replacement
These machines may also have been repowered, rewired or modified several times over their lives.
The machine in front of us today may no longer match the original manual.
On older rail equipment, finding the failed part is sometimes only half the problem. The other half is figuring out how to repair the machine when that part no longer exists.
That is exactly the kind of problem Mondak is set up to work through.
Field Service Where the Railmover Works
A railmover usually makes more sense to diagnose in the yard than haul somewhere else.
Mondak provides mobile mechanical, hydraulic and electrical diagnostics and repair.
When an engine, transmission, pump, cylinder, valve or other component needs more extensive work, we can bring the component back to the shop.
The whole machine does not always need to come with it.
Get It Back to Moving Cars
Whether it is a Trackmobile 9TM, 95TM, 4250TM, RailKing or Shuttlewagon, you do not need to diagnose it before calling.
If you know when the problem happens, cold, hot, under load, coupled to cars or during a particular function, that information helps.
Give us the manufacturer, model, serial number if available, location and what the machine is doing. We'll start there.