Advantages of mobile crushing plants compared to stationary crushing plants

The main advantages of mobile, track-mounted crushing plants are their ability to maximise productivity and reduce operating costs – while at the same time increasing safety and reducing environmental impact. While the concept of mobile and semi mobile crushers has been around for a long time, many of these were so heavy (up to 1,500 t) and needed so much planning to move them that they were seldom relocated – making them once again effectively permanent facilities.

Mobility is no substitute for effiective crushing and tracked mobile crushers should meet the same basic criteria as stationary plants. The ability to crush the largest lumps normally received, to the desired cubicity and at the desired rate are all ‘must-have’ rather than ‘nice-to-have’ attributes. The plants should also be easy to use and maintain - and enjoy high availability and a long life cycle. The basic components of a mobile tracked crushing plant are almost the same as for a stationary one (jaw or impactor crusher, power unit, vibrating grizzly feeder, feed hopper etc) but with the added advantage of complete mobility – even up slopes as steep as 1:10 incline.

But it doesn’t have to be just the crusher that is mobile – Formats' mobile crushing plants can be built with two, three or even four different crushing and screening stages. While it is true that in terms of spares and maintenance there are more hydraulics, engine and electronic components with mobile crushers, these are generally well supported by the OEM engine manufacturer or the crusher manufacturers themselves.

But where track-mounted crushing systems really come into their own is their ability to be positioned right at the work face; and then be relocated (when blasting, for example) – under their own power - in as little as 20 minutes. It is intuitively a good solution, in terms of optimised productivity and lowest operating costs, for the crushing equipment to be sited at the rock face.

Using haulers can be very inefficient: especially when the largest haulers can expend up to 60% of their energy just propelling the vehicle’s own weight – with only 40% used for moving the blasted rock. When you also consider that by default the hauler is empty for half its operational cycle their inherent inefficiencies becomes apparent.