Pit & Quarry, November 2009

S P E C I A L S E C T I O N C R U S H I N G Finding its niche Smith County Stone LLC a hard rock mining company owned by Terrell Pankey started business in Lindale Texas about 10 years ago During the down economy this year the company expanded operations to include a quarry in Lockesburg Ark While completing a crushing contract in the Arkansas area Pankey became aware that the lease for the Lockesburg quarry known at that time as the HMB Quarry had expired and was available for purchase The quarry had been through several previous owners that were unable to achieve and maintain a profitable business Difficulties included clay seams that affected quality control and the challenge of drilling and blasting in the sometimes 75 degree sloped stone layers Conventional wisdom suggested the quarry was at its end and no longer economical to mine Pankey with his 15 years of experience saw the quarry as an opportunity for growth After drilling several core samples to define and understand the stone reserves Pankey began to evaluate local markets Although others had failed to utilize the Lockesburg quarry to its full potential Pankey saw promise in the rock and began to develop a plan for a profitable enterprise Making tracks The Lockesburg quarry operation contains 175 acres of premium grade hard sandstone reserves Knowing the quarry contained clay seams in some areas offered a demanding platform for aggregate removal Pankey felt that using a track mounted crushing system would allow him to inexpensively work different areas of the pit to produce different specification products Telsmith dealer McCourt Sons was contacted and a QuarryTrax TI6060 was ultimately selected A Texas producer expands across state lines to create a business opportunity in a down economy EDITED BY DARREN CONSTANTINO Terrell Pankey owner and operator of Smith County Stone reopened the old HMB quarry with a new approach to mining and crushing The Telsmith QuarryTrax TI6060 a track mobile primary impact crushing plant has a highcapacity production rate in excess of 800 tph The ability to move around the quarry crushing on top or on the pit floor and crush at high tonnages to meet market demands is a definite plus for serving niche markets Whether the spec material needs to be a blend of clay and stone or a clean base material the crushing plant has the versatility to perform The plant was chosen because it features a rugged design capable of accepting 40 in feed and crushing at 800 tph while being self contained on a track mobile unit In the past jaw and cone crushers were used in the HMB quarry without success Pankeys experience told him that an impact crusher would break Take note The ability to move around the quarry is a definite plus for serving niche markets 24 PIT QUARRY November 2009 www pitandquarry com