Screen at work since World War II

In this business, we often hear stories of equipment still working strong after decades of use. Aggregate producers and equipment manufacturers take pride in telling stories, for instance, of the primary jaw that has been crushing for 40 years or the wheel loader that has worked the quarry since grandpa first fired it up in the 1960s.

One such tale comes from Haver & Boecker about a Tyler brand vibrating screen that has played an important role at Canadian aggregates operations for more than 70 years.

The R.E. Law Crushed Stone quarry near Port Colborne, Ontario, bought the Tyler F-Class screen in 1943, and the machine, along with the quarry, was sold to Hard Rock Paving Co. in 1977. The Waterford Group bought the operation in 2008 and now uses the screen at a quarry in Uxbridge, Ontario. Its operators say it still works flawlessly.

“It’s one of the best-running machines on the site,” says Brandon Smith, Waterford Group site supervisor. “When it was put in my care last spring, it had been sitting for six years at our head office, so I was skeptical. But we did some minor repairs, started it up and it didn’t miss a beat.”

The 4-ft. x 10-ft. vibrating screen was called a Ty-Rock Screen when R.E. Law Crushed Stone purchased it and evolved with technology to the F-Class as it’s known today. The machine minimizes vibration transmission to the surrounding structure owing to its four-bearing technology.

Waterford’s machine still has the original beds, but has had a few updates, including new paint and added spray bars. There have been no refurbishments to the vibrating screen over the years and no major repairs of which Smith is aware. The F-Class spent most of its life screening crushed limestone, and now Waterford uses it to screen natural sand and gravel.