How to Select the Right Crusher for Your Application

Crusher Type Primary Application / Stage Crushing Action Key Murrysville Advantage
Jaw Crusher Primary Stage: Breaking down very large, abrasive rock (e.g., granite). Compression: Squeezes rock between a fixed and a moving jaw. We stock heavy-duty Jaw Crushers from Astec, Screen Machine, and Powerscreen known for their reliability and ability to handle the largest feed sizes at the quarry face.
Cone Crusher Secondary & Tertiary Stages: Sizing and shaping pre-crushed abrasive materials. Compression & Grinding: Grinds material between an oscillating cone and a fixed bowl. Our KPI-JCI Cone Crushers are the industry standard for producing precisely graded, cubical aggregate for road base and concrete.
HSI Crusher (Horizontal) All Stages: Versatile for softer rock and recycling (asphalt, concrete). Impact: A high-speed horizontal rotor with hammer bars pulverizes the material. Ideal for recycling. We offer track-mounted HSI crushers that provide excellent portability for on-site processing. Featuring Astec, Metso, and Screen Machine.
VSI Crusher (Vertical) Final Stage / Shaping: Creating premium, highly cubical fine aggregate ("sand"). High-Speed Attrition: Centrifugal force slings rock against an outer wall. When your project demands the highest quality sand or chip, a VSI is the ultimate solution. Our experts can help integrate one into your finishing circuit.

Full-Service Support for Your Crushing Operations

OEM Crusher Parts & Wears

A down crusher means a stalled operation. We help you minimize costly downtime with our extensive in-stock inventory of genuine OEM parts and wears, including jaw dies, cone liners, and impactor bars for all the brands we carry. If you need it to keep your plant running, our team can get it for you.

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On-Site Service & Maintenance

Our factory-trained technicians are your partners in the field. We offer comprehensive on-site support to keep your equipment running at peak performance, including scheduled maintenance, screen repair and replacement, specialized welding, and complex electrical & hydraulic diagnostics.

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Flexible Rental Solutions

Whether you're facing a short-term project, a sudden increase in demand, or an unexpected equipment breakdown, our rental fleet offers a fast and flexible solution. We provide the right crusher for the job, delivered to your site, so you can keep your project on schedule without the long-term capital investment.

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Frequently Asked Questions

Application & Selection Questions

  1. What's the main difference between a jaw, cone, and impact crusher?

    A: Think of it in stages. Jaw crushers are typically used for the primary stagebreaking down very large, hard rock. Cone crushers are for the secondary and tertiary stages, taking the smaller rock from a jaw crusher and creating a more uniform, cubical product. Impact crushers (HSIs & VSIs) use velocity instead of compression and are excellent for softer materials and recycling applications where product shape is critical.

  2. How do I know if I need a track-mounted or stationary plant?

    A: The choice depends on your operation. Track-mounted plants offer incredible flexibility, allowing you to move the equipment around a job site or between different locations, which is ideal for contractors. Stationary plants are built for long-term, high-volume production in a fixed location like a large quarry and generally offer a lower cost-per-ton over time.

  3. What does "reduction ratio" mean and why is it important?

    A: The reduction ratio is simply the ratio of the feed size to the output size. A crusher with a 6:1 reduction ratio can take a 6-inch rock and reduce it to 1 inch. Understanding this helps determine how many crushing stages you'll need. A high-ratio primary crusher can sometimes reduce the need for an additional secondary stage, saving on equipment costs.

Operational & Maintenance Questions

  1. What kind of routine maintenance does a crusher require?

    A: Daily checks are key to a long machine life. This includes checking lubrication levels, monitoring belt tension, and ensuring the crushing chamber is clear of obstructions. We provide a detailed maintenance schedule with every machine and our on-site service team can help create a custom preventative maintenance plan for your specific operation.

  2. How often do wear parts (like jaw dies or liners) need to be replaced?

    A: This depends entirely on the abrasiveness of the material you're crushing. Hard, abrasive rock like granite will wear parts faster than softer limestone. We monitor wear during our routine service checks and can help you forecast your needs to ensure you have replacement OEM parts on hand, minimizing any potential downtime.

Financial & Logistical Questions

  1. What are the main benefits of renting vs. buying a crusher?

    A: Renting is an excellent solution for short-term projects, handling a temporary surge in demand, or quickly replacing a machine that's down for repair. It's a great way to avoid a large capital expense. Buying is a better long-term investment for continuous, high-volume operations where you can maximize the machine's value over its entire lifespan. We offer flexible options for both.

  2. What information do you need from me to provide an accurate quote?

    A: To give you the most accurate quote, our specialists will typically ask about: 1) The type of material you're crushing, 2) Your desired tons-per-hour output, and 3) The target size of your final product. With this information, we can configure the perfect machine or complete circuit for your needs.


Aggregate Rock Crushers & Stone Crushing Equipment

The mining, aggregate and mineral processing industries often have raw materials that are larger than what they can directly use or sell to other companies. Once raw materials are collected, harvested or mined, they need to be reduced in size in order to make them more marketable. A rock crusher offers efficient size reduction of these materials. Their crushing action can handle large rocks and medium-sized rocks for more efficient and easier handling.

What Crushers Are

Crushing equipment reduces large materials into a smaller size. A typical impact crusher or other type of rock crusher uses a great deal of force to reduce the size of rocks. They operate on mechanical force for breaking apart the large rocks as opposed to chemical or laser methods of breaking rocks. In many cases, primary crushers are a part of a large materials handling system. They work along with sorters, conveyors and screening machines. Some rock crushers are portable, while others are set up in stationary systems.

What Crushers Do

Industrial crushers have chambers with heavy, durable jaws or plates. Those plates or jaws come together in order to crush materials. Raw materials are fed into the crusher. The plates or jaws move up and down in order to efficiently reduce the size of materials. Many sites have multiple types of crushers. This is because heavy duty crushers, such as jaw crushers, are designed to handle the largest pieces of rock. A secondary crusher, such as a cone crusher, reduces those pieces into even finer materials. After the tertiary crushing stages, the smaller pieces are fed into a screener or sorter for additional processing.

Where Crushers Are Used

Many industries make use of industrial crushers. Quarrying, mining operations, construction, demolition, and recycling are the primary industries that use this heavy equipment. Some of the end products made by large industrial crushers include certified coarse aggregates for road construction, site construction, and pipelaying projects, as well as rock salt for use on icy or snowy roads, and glass for re-melting and recycling into new products.