"Switching to a Powerscreen tracked crushing and screening system revolutionized quarry and recycling operations"

"Switching to a Powerscreen tracked crushing and screening system revolutionized quarry and recycling operations"

Switching from a wheel-mounted to a tracked crushing and screening system revolutionized The Dutra Group quarry and recycling operations. A Powerscreen of California customer, The Dutra Group, say that changing to a Powerscreen tracked crushing and screen

Switching from a wheel-mounted to a tracked crushing and screening system revolutionized The Dutra Group quarry and recycling operations. A Powerscreen of California customer, The Dutra Group, say that changing to a Powerscreen tracked crushing and screening system has revolutionised their quarry and recycling operations.

For the past 12 years, The Dutra Group, of Richmond, CA had been using a portable, wheel-mounted, electric-powered crushing/screening/conveying system that they transported about four times a year between their 300-acre basalt (blue rock) quarry at San Rafael and their concrete recycling yards at Richmond as well as two former sites.  All are located in the San Francisco Bay Area and range from 15 to 35 miles apart.

When sufficient material stockpiles were built up at the quarry, the equipment was moved to one of the recycling yards to crush anywhere from 60,000 to 80,000 tons of rubble; then on to another yard or back to the quarry.  Each move required four or more men and 11 truckloads, including towing two crushers and a screen, and took 11 days.

In February 2010, Dutra switched to a diesel-powered, track-mounted Powerscreen^®crushing and screening system that requires only two men, four trucks and two days for each move.  In addition, the new system has substantially increased material production at all sites and has dramatically reduced costs overall.

“The old system was too complicated, cumbersome, and was costing us too much in lost production time, maintenance time and expense, and moving costs,” said Quarry Manager Jon Guglielmini  “Each move cost about $25,000 one way, or $100,000 for four annual moves.  In addition, we lost a total of 44 production days for four moves.  With the new Powerscreen system, each move costs about $10,000, or $40,000 total for four moves, and we lose only eight production days total.

“Sometimes we want to move the crushing and screening system from place to place within the quarry, to follow the face or put the equipment down in the pit.  Moving the old wheeled system took two days.  Moving the new tracked system takes two men about three hours.”

The old system included a jaw crusher, apron feeder, cone crusher, a side conveyor, a return conveyor to the cone, a screen-feed conveyor, a screening plant, two 60’ land conveyors, a 125′ radial stacker, several chutes, and a generator. 

The new Powerscreen system includes an 1180 Premiertrak jaw crusher, two 1300 Maxtrak Automax^® cone crushers, a Chieftain 2100X double-deck dry screen, a Chieftain 2100X triple-deck dry screen, and a track conveyor.  The 1180 Premiertrak jaw is designed for high output in quarrying and recycling applications.  It features excellent reduction, low fuel consumption, high mobility, plus simplified setup, operation and maintenance.  The 1300 cone excels in production of sub-base and aggregates, with excellent cubicity, throughput and reduction ratios.  The Chieftain 2100 is designed for large volumes of high specification products.  The three-deck version has a patented hydraulically folding re-circulating conveyor, eliminating the need for a crane on site.