D&S Hydraulics and Attachment Service Centers enjoyed yet another trip to the Oregon Logging Conference in 2026! The conference is a great way to share info on the newest and best equipment and products in the forestry and construction industries.

Tariffs are a big reason prices have gone up in the hydraulic breaker industry.

A lot of breakers, wear parts, and seal kits come from places like Japan, Italy,  Germany, and other parts of Europe, so when tariffs hit, the cost goes up right away, and that usually gets passed along. Even small percentages can add up fast on high-dollar equipment or large orders.

At Attachment Service Centers, we keep a close eye on those costs and work directly with suppliers to avoid unnecessary markups wherever we can.

It’s not just finished products either.

Tariffs also impact raw materials like steel and hydraulic components, which pushes costs even higher. With things like Section 232 steel tariffs (a  50% derivative tariff!), figuring out exactly how much of a product is affected can get complicated, and that’s where costs can get inconsistent. Our experience helps us break that down accurately and find the most cost-effective option for each customer. Knowing exactly what you need—and how to handle the details on a commercial invoice can save a lot of money. Larger companies don’t always have the time or product-level knowledge to catch those details.

There’s also some uncertainty built into the process.

Freight carriers and brokers handle duty collection, but with regulations constantly changing, mistakes do happen. That’s why we stay hands-on with incoming shipments—checking classifications, verifying costs, and making sure everything lines up. It helps avoid surprises and keeps pricing as consistent and transparent as possible.

Tariffs can also limit where products can be sourced.

When certain suppliers get more expensive, options shrink, which can mean longer lead times and higher prices. We work hard to maintain strong supplier relationships and find alternative options when needed, so our customers aren’t stuck waiting or overpaying.

Bottom line: prices and lead times are up, and tariffs are a big part of it.

At Attachment Service Centers, we only apply tariffs to products we directly import, and not as a blanket charge. You won’t see a flat percentage added to domestic items, just the actual import cost, applied fairly to the specific product. As a family-run business, we stay closely involved every step of the way, so you get clear pricing, fewer surprises, and solutions that keep your operation moving.

Are you searching for parts for your Stanley or Labounty hydraulic hammer?

Attachment Service Centers can get you the hydraulic breaker parts you need for Stanley and Labounty breakers. We can help you with parts for the following model numbers, and more:

LMB1308

LMB2015

LMB2620

LMB3025

LMB4035

LMB5545

LMB8055

LMB9580

With all of the changes in ownership and names by the companies that produce hydraulic hammer breakers, it can be very hard to keep up and be able to find the correct parts for your equipment!

Attachment Service Centers can help you navigate the challenges of finding the right part the first time. Call us and let us help you find the hydraulic parts you need for your Labounty or Stanley breaker!

541-678-5679

We hear this every spring and fall, and regularly in between. The most likely culprit is that the nitrogen head charge on your breaker has been affected by a large swing in temperature.

Many operators have no idea there is nitrgogen inside their hydraulic hammer. Almost all breakers are gas-fired, though there are several brands of European breakers that are oil-fired. 

A gas-fired breaker will have a chamber at the top (opposite of the striking end) of the piston. This chamber is filled with compressed nitrogen to cause the piston to strike with the force it does. There are special seals on the upper end of the piston to seal the gas in the chamber. Once the piston has struck the tool, it is hydraulically driven upward which compresses the nitrogen yet more. When reaching what the engineers have determined to be the optimum peak of its stroke, oil will then quit pushing up and instead begin to drive the piston down. Once the piston direction shifts, the compressed nitrogen sharply drives the piston downward, striking the tool and helping compromise the integrity of the rock/concrete. 

The amount of nitrogen in the chamber is critical to the proper function of the breaker. To visualize why, imagine your kid’s soccer ball. If it’s overinflated, you can jump on it and your knees take a beating but nothing else happens. Underinflation will result in no rebound or at best weak rebound. Once properly inflated, you jump on the ball and it launches you upward. 

Now that we understand what nitrogen’s function is, the explanation of why your hammer is doing what it does is simple. If the temperature made a significant change, the head charge becomes too high or low because nitrogen is a gas that expands or contracts with the temperature. Summertime temperatures will increase the nitrogen’s pressure in the head as the gas has expanded, and winter will make the breaker want more nitrogen due to contraction. A tool specific to your hammer is required to measure the charge and fill or reduce nitrogen. 

Dramatic temperature change will most likely be the cause of improper head charge, but not the only cause. A faulty charge valve, or if the special gas seals on the piston are beginning to fail, can cause nitrogen to be lost. The charge valve can be removed (after making sure ALL nitrogen is bled out of the head) and replaced with a new valve when determined it is faulty (simply spritz it with glass cleaner and watch for bubbles). It is also easy to determine if the piston gas seal is bad. Charge the head. If gas begins to gurgle into the breaker, the seals have failed and the breaker has to come apart and be resealed. A failed charge valve is the most common of the two. 

Finally, don’t be that guy the feels he has outsmarted the system by charging the head with air from his air compressor. Air has moisture in it that will cause the seals to deteriorate and the inside of the head to rust and THE OXYGEN IN THE AIR CAN EXPLODE.

Atlas Copco announced in January 2017 that the Atlas Copco Group will split into two companies in 2018: Atlas Copco, focusing on industrial customers, and Epiroc, focusing on mining, infrastructure and natural resources customers. The split remained subject to approval by Atlas Copco shareholders in April 2018. On April 5, 2018, it was announced a new company named Epiroc was born of the Mining and Rock Excavation Technique business area and Hydraulic Attachment Tool division of Atlas Copco. The spinoff company took on all hydraulic attachments previously marketed as Atlas Copco or Chicago Pneumatic. 

All those attachments will be supported by the Epiroc manufacturer representative agencies and the new Epiroc Hydraulic Attachment Competency Center in Independence, OH. The facility combines a customer center, repair shop and configuration center, and parts and supplies warehouse with a team focused solely on hydraulic attachments. 

“The biggest change customers will experience is more support. The R&D is the same, and so are the manufacturing facilities. But as Epiroc we’re able to offer the support of a group completely dedicated to increasing customer productivity with hydraulic attachments.”

Matt Cadnum, Epiroc Vice President –Hydraulic Attachment Tools, U.S. and Canada

What does this mean to you? Attachment Service Centers was originally an Atlas Copco and Chicago Pneumatic sales, service and parts supplier and continues to be. If you have a Chicago Pneumatic breaker, we are still able to supply parts for your breaker. Better yet, while the Chicago Pneumatic name has gone away, Epiroc is using the old C-P breakers in their EC-series breakers- ensuring a steady parts supply for your breaker for years to come. Same day shipping is the rule, rather than the exception. Give us a call and see how the above changes can make maintaining your attachment simpler than ever before. 

Press release from Epiroc USA LLC
For further information please contact:
Matt Cadnum, Vice President – Hydraulic Attachment Tools, U.S. and Canada.
(216) 643-6811
Troy Johnson, Media Communications, Performance Marketing
(515) 224-7408

Buy an Indeco Mulching Head during the month of May,

and get a spare set of teeth!

There’s an Indeco Mulching Head that’s right for your next landscaping, land-clearing, or forestry project. These mulching heads are designed for carriers from mini-excavators to skid steers, backhoes up to the largest tracked and wheeled excavators. 

ASC can provide you with the perfect mulching head that will work best for your next job – whether it’s site prep, clean up, or storm damage removal. These mulchers have applications in agriculture, forestry, and construction.

With features like HARDOX bodies and components, single-piece shafts, extra-heavy-duty drums, and severe duty bearings, these heads are built to keep working.

For current availability, best price, and details on the May special, call us today at 541-678-5679!