The new Lokotrack LT220D in Norway: Production up by 25%, fuel costs down by 40%

The revolutionary two-in-one Lokotrack LT220D crushing and screening plant has enjoyed worldwide sales success since its Las Vegas launch in early 2014. After logging more than 2500 equipment operating hours, the Norwegian contractor Finsveen Maskin AS knows with certainty that the unit really does boost production and significantly lowers fuel costs – to the tune of more than 100,000 euros per year.

“The figures verified by us are very convincing. The LT220D cone crushing plant with a full-sized screen increases capacity by 25% and consumes only 34 liters per hour, resulting in a 40% fuel savings compared to its predecessor, the LT1100 cone plant,” comments Runar Finsveen, Manager of Finsveen Maskin AS, Norway. 

“And, as a big added bonus, the LT220D, weighing only 48 metric tons, can be transported easily as one piece – no dismantling necessary. Metso has succeeded in reducing the weight of the new unit by about 10 tons compared to the old model.”

According to Runar Finsveen, better transportability is a big advantage in crushing contracting:

“We move our LT220D between sites about 25 times per year. Thanks to the hydraulically lowered screen, feeder and conveyors, getting the machine ready for transport goes quickly and it can be transported on an ordinary trailer. Upon arrival to a new site, the unit is ready to work in 20 minutes,” Runar Finsveen says.

Fuel savings of over 100,000 euros per year

Finsveen Maskin was among the very first companies worldwide to start operating the Lokotrack LT220D in August 2014. In ten months, more than 2500 hours have been clocked and some quarter of a million tons of aggregates crushed and screened.

Rune Finsveen expects to save 60,000–70,000 liters of fuel per year with the new LT220D. With the average price of diesel about 1 EUR/liter in Norway, the total fuel savings will range between 60,000–70,000 euros per year. At the same time, he will get 25-30 tons more production per hour compared to the LT1100.

Finsveen Maskin concentrates on the contracting of secondary and fine crushing jobs. It operates in a manner commonly practiced in Norway: a dump truck feeds a static hopper silo, from which a conveyor moves the material up to the LT220D’s vibrating feeder.

The GP220 cone crusher on board the LT220D is operated at a 16-mm closed side setting, providing capacity of about 130 metric tons per hour. The patented, centrifugal lifting conveyor takes crushed materials back to the screen, saving a lot of space.

Normally, the LT220D produces end products of 0–4 mm, 4-8 mm, 8–16 (16-22) mm, 8–11 mm and 11–16 mm, with an additional mobile screen further producing 0–2 mm, 2–5 mm and 5–8 mm grades.

Screening jobs from the age of 14

Runar Finsveen’s career in the crushing and screening business has already spanned more than 25 years. He actually started his first screening job at the age of 14 and was running a crushing plant just one year later.

Runar founded his first company at the age of 19, working with an excavator and a truck. Finsveen Maskin was established after a company merger in 2007. Today, the company has 22 employees and executes contracts around the village of Bø, south of Norway’s capital city of Oslo. 

Before the LT220D, Finsveen Maskin operated Lokotrack LT105 and LT110 jaw plant models for primary crushing and an LT1100 for fine crushing. This year, the company’s secondary and tertiary crushing will produce 270,000 metric tons, and it has plans to increase it to 300,000 – 350,000 tons by 2016.

Daily service breaks ensure smooth operation

Normal working days at Finsveen Maskin tend to run about 12 hours long and usually include a one-hour service break. This way, the company ensures smooth, efficient operation and avoids unexpected breakdowns. The fact that the diesel engine on the LT1100 was operated more than 16,000 hours without opening is a good indication of the effectiveness of the company’s service culture.

“The service requirement for the LT220D seems to be rather minimal. We try to handle it on our own, but we do use Metso experts when necessary. We also get all our crusher wear parts and screening media from Metso,” Runar Finsveen says.

The trust in Metso was seen already when signing the purchase deal for the new Lokotrack LT220D:

“At that point, the machine was still just a drawing, but we trusted Metso Norway. Since delivery, the machine has performed well and without major problems. In the future, we are expecting Metso to react quickly to even the smallest concerns we encounter,” Runar Finsveen adds.