Wear parts

When it comes to wear parts, watch for uneven wear patterns. This can occur on side liners, as well as blow bars or apron liners. These parts can often be flipped or moved to a different position to maximize utilization.

Uneven wear is often caused by poor distribution of the feed entering the crusher. Material that is concentrated in the center or feeding to one side will cause concentrated wear.  Check to be sure wire, rebar, or bridged material isn’t forcing material to one side. It may be necessary to modify chute work or the feeder to achieve the desired results.

Rotor maintenance

Some wear is expected on the external areas of the rotor. However, excessive wear in front of the blow bar may indicate that the rotor is spinning too slowly or the feed is penetrating too quickly. Good crushing requires that material penetrate onto the face of the blow bar before impact, but if material consistently impacts the rotor before the blow bar comes around, excessive wear will occur. Consult with the dealer or the factory for recommendations if this is occurring.

Some operators choose to hard face exposed areas of the rotor for added protection from wear. Whenever welding on the rotor, remember to directly ground the rotor. Any electric current arcing through the bearings will cause premature failure of the bearing.

Lubrication

It is important to use the correct grease for the bearings (not general purpose grease). Refer to the operating manual for the proper grease recommendation.

When greasing the bearings, do so at the end of the day when the bearings are warm. Combined with turning the rotor, this allows for better penetration and distribution of the grease.

To sum it all up, producers need to plan their production in order to meet their sales commitments. Unplanned downtime carries a very high cost, not only in lost production, but in broken commitments to customers. Taking the time to go through the checklists, tackling the needed maintenance issues promptly, plus selecting equipment that is safe and easy to maintain are major steps toward predictable production and greater profitability — all resulting from predictable uptime.