MB BF90.3 crusher bucket - Operator Review
MB’s crusher buckets’ versatility, portability and robust construction have thoroughly impressed operators everywhere. Howard Shanks visits a happy contractor in the quarries of Tasmania.
[Construction Sales, Novembre 2018]
Deep in the quarry near a pile of large rocks, the boom of a JCB JS200SC excavator fitted with a MB BF90.3 crusher bucket extended outwards, gently lowered and in one smooth motion, dug deep into a large mound of rocks.
The excavator’s arm then lifted and the machine began a 180-degree clockwise slew towards a fresh stack of crushed rock.
As the JS200SC completed its swing, operator Courtney of Otta Exacavations smiled and nodded to acknowledge my presence on the site. Then, in a seamless motion, the MB BF90.3 bucket commenced its crushing with a steady thump thump thump, before crushed rock started streaming from the underside of the bucket.
Portable
The BF90.3 is a medium-size model in MB’s mobile crusher bucket range, which covers machines from four tonnes through to 70 tonnes.
However, what makes this crusher bucket a popular choice for operations like Otta Excavations is its ability to be transported to and from job sites attached to machines like this 20-tonne JCB excavator, which only requires a standard tri-axle float for transportation. If the machines are larger, they will require specialised quad axle low-loaders with escorts and transport permits.
Productivity
In terms of productivity, the BF90.3 is industry leading with a reported crushing output of 42 cubic meters per hour. It boasts a reasonable bucket opening of 910 x 540mm (36 x 21 inches) which makes it capable of grabbing larger rocks.
The material output size can be adjusted from 15mm to 140mm (0.6 to 5.5 inches) to suit customer requirements.
The BF90.3 requires an oil flow of 180l/min at 220bar to operate at peak efficiency. Its dimensions are 2185 x 1340 x 1390mm (7.1 x 4.39 x 4.5 feet) and has a total weight of 3.5 tonnes.
Versatile unit
The portability and flexibility of the BF90.3 crusher bucket has not only expanded the services that Otta Excavations can provide customers, but is also delivering environmental advantages as well.
“When we have a small crushing job for a client, the MB crushing bucket is the ideal choice,” said Otta Excavations Managing Director, Graeme Viney.
“We can bring the excavator with a traditional bucket and the crusher bucket to a quarry site like this one here today and process the material to the customer’s specifications then load it on the trucks for transportation all with the one machine.”
In addition to Otta Excavations’ civil construction operations, its demolition arm also makes good use of the MB crusher bucket.
“The main benefit of crushing hard-core material such as concrete from sites is that it saves on disposal and ensures materials are recycled and reused,” Viney explained.
“This provides us with an additional source of income as well as promoting environmentally friendly resources to our customers.”
Adjustable
“The final crushed size of the product is adjustable depending on customers' needs,” Viney added.
“It is a simple process of releasing the tension on the spring, and either adding or subtracting shins to adjust the crush size. Also, the crushing action is very good and produces a uniform size, which is ideal for our needs.
“Furthermore, the operation of the buckets is quiet which is important for us,” he said.
“Because often we are required to work in environments which are sensitive to noise, and the quiet operation of both the crusher bucket and JCB JS200SC mean we can operate in these sensitive areas.
“In a nutshell – it works and works well. Basically, it does what it says on the box. It is very reliable and comes with excellent back up service.”
With the MB BF90.3 crusher bucket, Otta Excavations can produce up to 500 tonnes of product per week with an average of 100-120 tonnes a day, which also includes loading the product on trucks.
“By increasing the volume of material that Otta Excavations recycle, the amount of waste that ends up in Tasmanian landfill sites have been reduced,” Viney said.
“Recycling for us is a key consideration. With landfill dumping costs rising annually, we have been able to pass on the savings we make on disposal to the customers.”
Girl power
Operating the JS200SC excavator was not operator Courtney’s original career choice, but after a bit of encouragement from the family, she agreed to give it a go.
Courtney cited the comfort and quietness in the JCB cabin as features which make working a full shift in the machine a pleasant task. She said the controls are also effortless to use and provide precise control for all actions.
Courtney said she enjoys the work, even if her friends are not quite so sure.
“Most of them just laugh at me,” she said with a smile.
Being a female doesn’t get her any favours on sites either. “If there is a problem, we just deal with it and move on … unless I break a nail,” she laughed.
According to Viney, having females working on construction sites is not a common occurrence, and certainly has its advantages.
"Their attention to detail is really good,” Viney said. “They are probably neater than us guys too."
Courtney agreed. “They tell me off for being too fussy, but I like to be good at what I do,” she said.
She added she started working in the business out of a desire to operate machines like her partner, and can see herself sticking at it for a while yet.
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