Electrical panels also need to be properly sealed to prevent water or moist air from entering. “Moisture absorbing packets can be used to reduce the moisture level within the panel,” Kennedy explains.

Spare crusher parts and assemblies are also often forgotten about when it comes to seasonal storage. If the components are going to be stored outdoors, they also need to be protected from the elements, he says. Without proper winterization, an unprotected crusher’s locking collar could become rusted (like the one pictured here).

To reduce the production cost of finished aggregates, an operation’s staff needs to understand exactly how their rock crushers are supposed to be maintained and exactly how they should be prepared for seasonal storage, Kennedy says.

“If rock crusher operator personnel do not have a thorough and complete understanding of their rock crusher maintenance requirements,” he adds, “frequent periods of downtime along with subsequent lost production due to unexpected crusher failures are inevitable.”

To protect against inevitable failures and to help you prepare your equipment to keep it at its best during a winter shutdown, implement the following guidelines. (It is always a good idea to refer to your specific equipment instruction manual for exact “winterization” details.)

12 tips to equipment storage and preparations

Mark Kennedy, senior after sales training instructor for Metso Mining and Construction Technologies, offers “protective measures” for cone crusher seasonal storage. By adhering to the following recommendations, a crusher stored outdoors should have six to 12 months of rust protection.  

1. Remove the bowl, feed plate, head, socket, and eccentric assemblies. Disconnect the oil drain line at the bottom of the crusher and the oil pressure inlet at the bottom of the main shaft. Make sure that all piping and the hole in the bottom of the main shaft are sealed with pipe plugs.
2. Use a wide paint brush to paint all inside surfaces of the main frame with a rust preventative lubricating oil.
3. Use a lubricant which has a rust preventative blend designed for the protection of internal parts of enclosed assemblies. The rust preventatives function by displacing water from the metal surfaces, by forming strong water-resistant films on the surfaces. These products provide as much as 30 to 40 times the protection against rust as high-quality lubricating oils that have not been specially formulated to prevent rust. In most applications, the residual rust preventative film need not be flushed away or otherwise removed when the crusher is to be filled with lubricating oil and put back into service. The viscosity of the oil should be in the 150 to 300 SSU at 100 degrees Fahrenheit range. Fifty-five gallons should be sufficient to coat the entire crusher.
4. Using a paint brush, coat the lower thrust bearing, the outer surface of the main shaft, and all exposed surfaces of the pinion with the rust preventative oil. Remove the countershaft box oil feed hose from the top of the countershaft box. Place a funnel in the hole and pour oil into the countershaft box while rotating the countershaft. About 5 gallons will be required. When complete, reattach the oil feed hose to the countershaft box.  
5. Fill the lubricating hole in the main shaft until the hole is filled with oil, and then drain it.
6. Coat the outer surface of the eccentric, the eccentric bushing bore, the gear, and the upper thrust bearing with rust preventative oil.
7. Brush oil over the head ball, the bore of the upper and lower head bushings, and all areas of the head adjacent to the “T” seal.
8. Reinstall the eccentric assembly and the socket assembly. Apply a coat of the rust preventative oil to the bearing surface of the socket liner and the exposed surfaces of the socket. Reinstall the head assembly and then the feed plate.
9. Brush or spray a light-bodied petroleum solvent containing a substantial amount of polar rust-preventative additive having strong attraction for metal surfaces, on the bowl threads, adjustment ring threads, and the clamping ring threads. The solvent should evaporate quickly and leave a thin, transparent greasy film. The film need not be removed when the crusher is placed back in service. At that time, the threads will be liberally coated with lithium-based grease NLGI No. 1 with 5 percent to 10 percent molybdenum disulfide.
10. Reinstall the bowl assembly into the crusher.
11. Cover the entire adjustment cap and bowl hopper with a sheet of 8-mil black polyethylene to prevent water from seeping into the crusher and corroding the threads. Black is recommended as transparent sheeting will deteriorate four times faster than black. The end of the countershaft should also be covered. Steel strapping or banding is an ideal method of holding the polyethylene sheeting in place.
12. Reconnect the oil inlet and oil drain lines. The oil adhering to the metal surfaces is all that is needed for proper rust protection. When seasonal shutdown results in months of equipment inactivity, not weeks, the aforementioned steps will result in a more reliable crusher come springtime. At the same time that the “winterization” takes place, a complete yearly crusher inspection should take place.