The Situation

One of the nation’s largest construction aggregate producers runs a busy facility in North Carolina, specializing in crushed stone and gravel. Their operation relies on five Metso® crushers to break down raw material, turning massive 12-inch rocks into manageable 3-inch pieces suited for further processing.

The crushed stone is used as a base material to aid in erosion control for:

  • Housing and commercial building foundations
  • Roadways
  • Sewer systems
  • Airports

It’s no surprise that the crushing process produces massive amounts of dust, leading to endless equipment wear and premature component failures.

The Challenge

Working in such a dust-filled environment, the crushers faced two major problems:

  • High gearbox oil and lubrication system contamination
  • Shortened ring, pinion gear, brass bushings and steel shaft service life

While fully functional in optimal operating conditions, the original filtration setup:

  • Could not maintain proper oil cleanliness.
  • Allowed highly escalated wear metal levels to remain in the oil.

Each unplanned oil change:

  • Directly cost the company $2,000 USD.
  • Added unexpected downtime impacting production.

The Solution

To tackle the issue, the company partnered with Donaldson’s Clean Solutions team.

Here’s what they did:

  • Analysed the gearbox oil and found ISO cleanliness levels at 23/22/19, more than 125x dirtier than the target ISO level of 16/14/11.
  • Installed a Donaldson manifold at the outlet of the gearbox oil tank featuring four DBB8665 filters:
    • 7-micron (Beta 2000 rating)
    • 99.95% efficient @ 7-micron
  • Oil was filtered before it entered the gearbox, protecting the most critical components from harmful particles.
Donaldson solution shown in the front with a Mini Mess Sample Port attached to allow proper ISO code readings. The original filters in the back are disconnected, and fluid flows through the Donaldson filters. Donaldson solution shown in the front with a Mini Mess Sample Port attached to allow proper ISO code readings. The original filters in the back are disconnected, and fluid flows through the Donaldson filters.

Oil Journey in the Crusher

The Result

The improvement was immediate and significant:

  • First set of filters blocked after two weeks, oil cleanliness improved to ISO 18/16/13.
  • The second set of filters established a predictable 4-month service cycle while maintaining oil cleanliness.

Other key results included:

  • 8 ISO code reduction in contaminant levels
  • Gearbox oil 125x cleaner
  • Gearbox life extended by 3.5x*
  • Fewer oil changes and reduced downtime, driving significant cost savings
*By reducing the ISO cleanliness codes of the crusher oil by 8 ISO codes, the average expected life extension of the gearbox and components is 3.5x - based on Noria Corporation’s Life Extension Table *By reducing the ISO cleanliness codes of the crusher oil by 8 ISO codes, the average expected life extension of the gearbox and components is 3.5x - based on Noria Corporation’s Life Extension Table

Conclusion

By filtering oil before it reaches critical components, companies like this aggregate producer:

  • Extend equipment life
  • Reduce maintenance costs
  • Maximize production

Keeping crushers running longer is now a rock-solid reality.