Time for a change!

From the beginning when Clive had the crusher built it has always required an operator. This is to keep an eye on the running of the machine and control the flow of material, but also because we are crushing surface limestone there are a lot of foreign objects in amongst the rock.

The limestone rock that we collect and process has been picked by farmers off of cleared land where sticks and stumps have also been collected with the rock and then was quite often stockpiled in and around scrubs and fence lines where the trees have grown through and over the pile. Also we find horse shoes, fencing materials, tools and anything that as fallen into a paddock or been tossed into a stone heap.

These objects have always been picked out by hand on our Primary Crusher. The operators station (picking station) was positioned over our vibrating scalper screen were the dirt is being sifted out and then the larger rocks fall into the Jaw crusher.

This has never been ideal as we were exposed to the elements, dust and the rock constantly moving. There has always been lots of discussions over time between ourselves and operators on how to improve it. However, time, money and never coming up with a suitable solution meant we kept it running, putting up with the challenges.

📷​​ During 2015 it was really bothering me and I was constantly searching for a solution and determined to make a change. Together we agreed that the solution was a picking station, we decided that after the dirt was sifted from the rock, we needed it to end up on a flat conveyor belt so it could run through a sealed, air conditioned shed where an operator could remove any foreign objects before the rock continues to the crusher.

It was decided that we would construct a picking station however we didn't know exactly how, all we knew that it would be a costly and time consuming exercise. We concentrated on stockpiling throughout 2015 to keep our gravel supplies up while the construction took place.

Our next challenge was to come up with a way of fitting it into our existing mobile crusher.

We consulted with Rick Hasting from Hasting Engineering as we wanted him to undertake the modification. After many different ideas and configurations it was decided that the most effective way we could see was to cut our existing primary crusher in half making two trailers. A screening and picking trailer and a primary crushing trailer.

In Early 2016 construction took place.

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​​Hastings started by setting up two second hand truck steer axles under our primary crushing trailer. Once firmly in place they then cut the main chassis in half leaving only the rock hopper with existing trailer axles behind. It was decided to leave the existing vibrating scalper screen with the jaw crusher, as we felt it would be beneficial for the rock to be fed into the jaw by vibration. We would then build a larger primary scalping screen to assist with cleaning the dirt from the rock before processing.

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​Once the crushing trailer was finished off work then begun on our new picking station. Firstly a new chassis from the axles to the front of the trailer was required to give the new scalper, picking belt and shed a base to sit on.

We were lucky enough to acquire a second hand screen box of the right width and twice the length of our old scalper which was adapted perfectly as a new scalper.

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​The shed was lined with insulation, glazed with laminated windscreen glass and then cladded with corrugated iron giving us some protection from the elements and providing some noise reduction from the working equipment.

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In mid 2016 construction was complete and we brought the two trailers home to our own workshop to have a complete over haul of the electrical wiring which provides the power to drive the conveyor belts, vibrating screens and crushers.

We experienced further delays with the electrical wiring as we had to wait for circuit breaker and connection boxes to be built. We took advantage of this time by going through our existing equipment, fixing and modifying any areas that we thought needed attention. Also we took some time to re spray paint any areas that were looking a little aged.

​Finally in later October everything was complete and ready for action. It was a very nervous test run as we did not not how well our modifications were going to work together. However we were soon relieved of any doubts as everything worked surprising well. With just a few minor modifications we were back in business.

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After construction was completed at Hasting Engineering they set out to find a solution to air condition and pressurize our picking station. This is to improve operator comfort but also by forcing filtered air into the shed it would then stop dust from entering.

A second hand evaporate air conditioner out of an old warehouse was found and mounted on a trailer. With an extra tank of water, dust filtering cloth draped over the entire trailer and then ducted into our picking station we now have a very comfortable work station to improve operator comfort and safety therefore improving productivity.

After all of the challenges and down time with this project the results exceeded our expectations. Crushing is no longer the chore it had become. We are still looking at our equipment for ways to improve and make ourselves more efficient. One way we have done this is by installing two security cameras and monitors to be able to monitor areas of the crusher that cannot be seen from the operators station.

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