Starting anew
December 1, 2006 By: Pit & Quarry Editorial Staff Pit & QuarryStoneco of Michigan ups the ante at its Ottawa Lake, Mich., quarry with a new crushing and screening plant.
When Stoneco of Michigan, an Oldcastle Materials company, decided to move the location of the crushing and screening plant at its Ottawa Lake Quarry, the decision was not taken lightly. But the old configuration – in which material was blasted on one side of a road, then conveyed over the road to a plant on the other side – just wasn't working anymore.
So management made the decision to not only change the operation so that everything was consolidated on one side of the road, but also to invest in new equipment. The result is an efficient 800-tph-capacity plant, with a 550-tph secondary plant, and a much-needed facelift.
"The previous crushing equipment was about 30 years old," said Larry Hertzfeld, plant manager. "It only gave us about 350 tph of production, so we were due for an upgrade. Plus, the reserves were just about depleted over there."
The quarry turned to one of its main distributors, Michigan Cat, to head up a plant overhaul. But some things at the quarry did not change. Operations still begin at the quarry face. The company does its own drilling, with a Driltech D25 rig, but contracts out its blasting. Drilling and blasting operations are "heavily monitored using seismographs," Hertzfeld said. The company tries to shoot once per week, but sometimes more often.
 A wheel loader fills one haul truck while another waits to back into place. Blastholes are seen in the foreground. |
The quarry's rural location also benefits its blasting program, as community complaints are few and far between.
On a roll
Ottawa Lake utilizes Caterpillar loaders and haul trucks — supplied by Michigan Cat — to move material from the muckpile to the primary crusher. The company's fleet of rolling stock includes two Cat 980 loaders, three Cat 988G loaders and two Cat 773 haul trucks.
"We like Cat equipment," Hertzfeld said. "We find it is reliable and we get excellent dealer support."
The big changes at the quarry begin with the new primary crusher. The company decided to go with Telsmith crushing equipment to kick off its enhanced production process. "We installed a Telsmith 38 x 58 jaw crusher with a 5 x 30 grizzly," Hertzfeld said. "We wanted something that was big enough to handle fairly large rock, and was efficient and durable. The Telsmith crusher fits the bill."
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To keep material moving through the primary, a BTI secondary breaking hammer is used to split up some of the larger rock pieces.
From the primary, material is conveyed to two Telsmith Standard 57 short heads for secondary reduction. Again, Hertzfeld noted that they have been pleased with the production gains that have occurred since installing the Telsmith equipment.
"We've been happy with our choice," he said. "After the initial tweaking and break-in period, the crushers have been workhorses."
Material-handling equipment at the plant was built and installed by American Bin and Conveyor. "They fabricated all the conveyors, using Superior idlers," Hertzfeld said.
 Larry Hertzfeld, plant manager at Stoneco of Michigan's Ottawa Lake Quarry, demonstrates the automation system. |
Dust at transfer points is kept to a minimum through the use of Nesco dust-control systems. The Nesco system utilizes high-pressure spray nozzles, which emit a powerful mist to suppress dust while conserving water. Remote electronic control allows the operator to switch on spray nozzles when and where they are needed.
When it comes to screening, the company also went with Telsmith screen media, although they do operate two Astec PEP screens.
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