HSI on the move

By Edited by Darren Constantino| March 23, 2015

A Texas company uses a track-mounted impactor to process virgin aggregates, as well as recycled building materials.

Producers crushing on the run know there are two key ingredients to running any successful contracting business: versatility and reliability. For Mesa Equipment Co., a family-owned and operated construction company in San Antonio, an investment in a new horizontal shaft impactor (HSI) provided the capability to tackle any crushing job that came their way.

The company first began renting the HSI when it was hired to excavate a site and process material for the erection of a new Sam’s Club warehouse, says James Murry, son of company founder D.A. Murry, who runs the business with James and his two other sons, Paul and Kevin. Mesa Equipment has served the San Antonio area since the early 1980s, and has been crushing and screening for the past 15 years.

“In the past, we’ve used other crushers where you’ve had to have a screen behind it to produce a finished product,” James Murry says. “We like to use this track-mounted [Fast Trax] FT4250 because it allows us to move around on the site and it’s already got the screen built into it. That means a lot to our operation.”

Andreas-style impact crusher

The self-contained FT4250 track-mounted impactor plant is engineered for maximum versatility and features an Andreas-style impact crusher with a three- or four-bar MPR rotor that will produce up to 500 tph, depending on material characteristics. The manufacturer says aggregate producers and recyclers alike benefit from the closed-circuit configuration, which is equipped with the largest screen in its class. The 6-ft. x 12-ft. double-deck screen is designed to provide more capacity than comparable models and adds versatility for the end user, allowing for two products to be made simultaneously.

The track-mounted frame allowed Mesa Equipment to easily move the unit around the jobsite using a remote control, saving downtime, increasing production and eliminating the need for extra personnel to move the crusher into position. The FT4250 is the only continuous crushing and tracking impactor in the market, according to KPI-JCI and Astec Mobile Screens.

“With the FT4250, I am able to haul it anywhere I need to, and, once I get it on the jobsite, I can run it with just one person,” Murry says. “This machine allows us to get in and get out, and get the job done a lot faster and more efficiently. That kind of mobility is extremely important to us.”

During the Sam’s Club building project, the company used the FT4250 to process the native Texas limestone to 1.75-in. base material, which was then used for constructing building pads, parking lots and the Sam’s Club building. A KPI-JCI and Astec Mobile Screens 30-in. x 80-ft. portable radial stacker was also used alongside the track-mounted impactor to stockpile base material.

The company was able to crush approximately 2,500 cu. yd. of material per day, and crushed more than 100,000 cu. yd. of material by the completion of the project, Murry says. Excess material was processed and used on other jobsites in the area.

Versatility

Although the material on site for the Sam’s Club construction consisted primarily of soft limestone, the company continues to use the HSI in a variety of applications, including crushing asphalt and concrete millings, and crushed concrete with rebar for base material. The company says extended life on the blow bars has led to reduced downtime and cost of parts. Mesa Equipment uses the optional cross-belt magnet system to remove rebar before screening into a finished product.

“At one point, we had run about 125,000 cu. yd. of material through the impactor and we hadn’t had to touch the blow bars,” Murry says. “In fact, they still looked almost brand new.”

“At every jobsite, we always come across concrete, rock and dirt, and we take the FT4250 everywhere and crush everything,” he says. “The machine allows us to be incredibly versatile in what kind of jobs we can take on. You can’t make extra land, so we will take any concrete and make our pit-run material with that.”

Ease of maintenance was also a crucial element for the company when it came to investing in new equipment, Murry says. He points to the accessible grease points and the crusher housing, which hydraulically opens over the center for safe and easy access for maintenance.

But ultimately, Murry says, it was the confidence he felt through the support of local dealer T-K-O Equipment that made the difference when it came to renting, and ultimately purchasing, the HSI and radial stacker.