Washington aggregates producer optimizes efficiency, output, and uptime with new Lokotrack® LT120™ jaw plant

Northwest Rock, Inc., based in Aberdeen, Washington, USA, operates nine active crushing sites, three of which are hard rock, and the others are sand and gravel pits. All of Northwest Rock’s operations are located within Grays Harbor County, in Washington’s Olympic Peninsula. Historically, the area’s economy has relied heavily on natural resources, including the fishing and timber industries. The company provides aggregate materials for county, state, and federal road projects, as well as serving local customers such as concrete plants, log yards, and road building for the logging industry. Northwest Rock stocks an assortment of crushed, washed, and landscape rock, sand, and rip rap, as well as providing contract crushing and trucking services.

Replacing existing equipment

Until recently, Northwest Rock relied on a Nordberg^® C110™ jaw crusher, and two Lokotrack LT105™ mobile jaw plants, for their primary crushing needs. Northwest Rock was able to move the C110, mounted on a wheeled chassis, and the two LT105 tracked plants between multiple crushing sites. However, transporting and setting up the C110 portable plant was labor-intensive, and time-consuming. Additionally, the company wanted to increase production above the capacity provided by either the C110 or the two LT105 plants.

To meet their goals, Northwest Rock turned to Modern Machinery, Inc., their Metso crushing and screening distributor in the state of Washington. Following consultation with Jim Stevens, Territory Manager, and Sam Braithwaite, Aggregate Sales Specialist, as well as Metso’s Dave Laird, Distributor Manager, Northwest USA and Canada, Northwest Rock decided to acquire the Lokotrack LT120. This new LT120 mobile jaw offered Northwest Rock more mobility and higher capacity than their existing fleet of primary crushers. Sam Braithwaite noted that “The C110 at Northwest Rock was not highly portable, and the LT105’s weren’t quite big enough for some of what they were doing. That’s why we recommended the LT120, to replace multiple machines with one unit, and fit more of their applications.”

The LT120 was delivered to Northwest Rock in February of 2015. According to Operations Manager Kevin Noffsinger, “The LT120 has been performing excellently, no complaints.” He added that “Production has increased over the C110, as well as what we were accomplishing using two LT105’s at one of the other sites.”

Good fit

At the heart of the Lokotrack LT120 is the Nordberg^® C120™ jaw crusher, with hydraulic drive that ensures reliable operation, and enables crusher direction to be changed in case of a blockage. The plant is powered by a Caterpillar^® C13, 415 hp diesel engine. The crusher’s high-inertia flywheels and optimal rpm help to minimize fuel consumption.

Also important to the team at Northwest Rock are a number of factors that make the LT120 a good fit for their operation. The LT120 features a large 9-cubic-yd. feed hopper and vibrating grizzly feeder that accepts larger feed, and can be fed using either a wheel loader or large excavator. The vibrating feeder is combined with a generous 47-inch x 34-inch feed opening, which allows for the handling of oversized material.

The LT120 is both highly mobile and versatile, allowing Northwest Rock to use the primary crusher in a variety of different crushing configurations. According to Sam Braithwaite, “Northwest Rock uses the LT120 for all of their primary crushing needs, whether they are feeding secondary, tertiary, and quaternary crushers behind it, or doing an open circuit jaw run, this machine has filled a big void for them.” Braithwaite adds that because the LT120 produces a more desirable end product size, it has significantly increased output production in multiple crushing stages, because the feed size it produces is in a better range.

Day-to-day reliability and ease of operation are also key benefits with Northwest Rock’s LT120 jaw plant. “It has required very little maintenance,” says Kevin Noffsinger, “and our experience with Modern Machinery has been great. Any time we call, they come out immediately and get right on it.”

To operate efficiently between multiple operations and crushing processes, Northwest Rock requires top capacity production, maximum uptime and highly mobile equipment that will keep the company on track.  “That’s what it’s all about,” says Metso’s Dave Laird, “We deliver value that goes far beyond the machines themselves, to meet each customer’s unique and specific needs.”