If there is one thing that Rapid Crushing & Screening Contractors is very familiar with it is heavy machinery and the challenges that go with moving these types of jaw crushers around the country.
The list of challenges posed by the task of moving the jaw crushers owned by Rapid Crushing and Screening Contractors is not a small one, but one that the company has not shied away from.
A long-time service contractor to the mining industry, Rapid Crushing & Screening Contractors owns two Jonsson L160 mobile tracked jaw crushers, the largest of their type available for hire in Australia, with one on each side of the country.
The machines weigh in at nearly 200 tonnes each and are regarded as industry-leading equipment, to the contracting of crushing and screening services in Australia.
In purchasing the first of the machines, Rapid became the only private contractor in the world to own one of these units, as business development manager for the Rapid Crushing Group Bernard O’Sullivan told Quarry.
“The first of the Jonsson jaw crushers was brought to Australia from the manufacturers in Sweden by Rapid back in 2020,” O’Sullivan said.
“The first contract for the machine, that we have nicknamed the ‘Jumbo’ and fittingly assigned our asset number of E747 to, was for Ravenswood Gold Mining Operations in Queensland. Quite a distance from our headquarters over in Maddington, WA but with operations in Mackay, Queensland, we were able to accommodate.”
Despite the large weight and size of the machines, O’Sullivan explained that the crushers are not as difficult to transport as you may think, largely due to the ability for the machines to break down into modules to fit on two flat deck floats and two in-gauge trailer loads.
“The portion with the jaw crusher has the ability to jack itself up so the trailer can simply be driven out from under it. Thanks to clever design, an all site-based assembly can be done in days rather than weeks and with little more involved than a Franna crane,” O’Sullivan said.
“The performance of the first to be purchased was so impressive it prompted us to obtain a second one, which arrived in Fremantle in late February 2022. This unit has been referred to as ‘Jumbo2’ and has the internal asset number E777, to follow on with the Boeing Jumbo naming theme.”
The machines are powered by Cat 455kVA dual power generators, perform their work with a Metso Nordberg C160 jaw crusher and have a feed opening of 1,600mm x 1,200mm.
The high-capacity machines are ideal where a large amount of work is needed in a tight timeline, giving a high level of output with cost efficient productivity.
Rapid Crushing & Screening Contractors, a West Australian privately-owned company, began operations in 1978 as Irvine Engineering – initially servicing and repairing mining equipment before taking on the role as a crushing and screening service contractor.
One of the key motivations for the principal, Neil Irvine, to enter the contracting area of the business was that he found he was able to substantially modify imported machinery to make it better suited to the hot and dusty conditions of remote Australian mine sites where so much of the crushing and screening activity takes place.
Furthermore, Rapid has developed a unique capacity of being able to configure its plant specifically to the layout of an operational site – a major benefit compared to the lack of flexibility that had previously existed at that point.
Rapid Group works in the crushing and screening of all types of mineral ores. This is in addition to concrete and road aggregates, road base, rail ballast and armour rock.
“Not only do we operate with the mighty Jonsson L160s, but we also have an extremely wide range of high-production crushing, screening and conveying plants,” O’Sullivan said.
“These range from mobile plants handling up to 1,000 tonnes per hour, through to modular plants operating at well over 1,000 tonnes per hour.
“Our clients have included Woodside, Rio Tinto, BHP, Chevron, Moly Metals, Karara Mining Limited, Fortescue Metals Group, Hanson Construction Materials, Talison Lithiun, Ravenswood Gold, Fitzroy Oz Mining, Saracen, Goldfield, Galaxy Resources and many more.”
The company has highly specialised workshops in Maddington Western Australia and Mackay, Queensland.
The Rapid Group of companies has expanded its operations and now also services mining companies with the building and raising of wet and dry lift tailings storage facilities, site road construction, drainage and the rehabilitation of mine sites all done under the helm of Rapid Dam Contractors.
For more information visit: https://rapidcrushing.com.au