Webb City Crusher

[hvacker]

I was at a mine next to White Sands Missile range that has been shut down for a long while.
Galena and fluorite was mined there and this crusher was all that remained.
The motor was gone but the drive pulley is a seven belt and the two flywheels are 4' x 5" thick.
The crusher never ran it's last load and is still full of rock.

 

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[kcm]

Talk about a heavy duty crusher!!

 

[hvacker]

The drill holes for blasting were still in the hill and were never loaded.
It looked like orders came down to cease operations and everyone just left.
I imagine the crusher was left as getting it off the mine would probable as hard
as getting it up there. Even in pieces.
I'll always remember how incredibly gemmy the place was. Quartz, fluorite, galena
everywhere shining.
Lack of water here kept serious mining very hard.
Here's a piece of rock from a neighboring mine with blue linerite I've posted before.

 

[kcm]

....Excuse me while I roll up my tongue and stick it back in my mouth. DANG that's purdy!!

I've got a friend in the Black Hills who was born and raised on land that his Grandfather patented. He sometimes posts pics of his ore. Just blows everyone's minds. But for him, he has seen it every day of his life, so it's no longer impressive to him....at least, in an aesthetic way. ...Not sure what it is about this piece, but maybe it's how the different colored crystals have such sharply defining lines. It's almost as though the colors should be bleeding into each other. Very, VERY beautiful!!

 

[hvacker]

This rock contains along with the blue linerite is quartz, green fluorite and the black galena.
Glad I didn't work there as I might have kept shutting the crusher down for another purdy rock.

 

[Mad Machinist]

That would make for a nice recovery mission.

 

[hvacker]

That would make for a nice recovery mission.

I agree. There are a bunch of very useful parts and it was working at the time the mine shut down according to the neighboring mine.
A lot was salvaged except the crusher and part of a device that reminds me of a mercury condenser but I'm not sure.

 

[Mad Machinist]

Add a straight six engine (at least 100 horsepower) along with a trailer and your good to go.

Now the wife is going to strangle me. I'll have a 258 straight six out of the Jeep after the small block Chevy conversion.

 

[hvacker]

Add a straight six engine (at least 100 horsepower) along with a trailer and your good to go.

Now the wife is going to strangle me. I'll have a 258 straight six out of the Jeep after the small block Chevy conversion.

Your going to drop a small block in your jeep? I know why your wife is on your block.
Power is there and has always been as they paid for it.
But I know what you mean about no one needs to know as no one has been there.

Anyway there is a road of sorts. A bunch of very large boulders blocking the road. No problem. Once past those short comings, then probably some more, that's life.
Interesting. My experience is I've lifted a lot of loads but I don't remember bringing a bunch down a mountain. Curious thought.
What is it about about some people that can't resist solving a problem?

 

[Mad Machinist]

Your going to drop a small block in your jeep? I know why your wife is on your block.
Power is there and has always been as they paid for it.
But I know what you mean about no one needs to know as no one has been there.

Anyway there is a road of sorts. A bunch of very large boulders blocking the road. No problem. Once past those short comings, then probably some more, that's life.
Interesting. My experience is I've lifted a lot of loads but I don't remember bringing a bunch down a mountain. Curious thought.
What is it about about some people that can't resist solving a problem?

Yep, 350 small block Chevy. Already set up for batch fire multiport fuel injection. TH400 trans. Dana 300 transfer case. 9 inch ford rear with a full floater conversion and a heavily reworked Dana 44 front. The JK Dana 44 opinion is just as strong as a Dana 60 and will fit in a Chevy Dana 44 with a different set of bearings.

After that, the white 95 GMC in my journal gets a solid Dana 60 front with a 14 bolt rear.

Both of these are my exploration vehicles and will be built to survive. Wait until you see the trailer I drew up.

That crusher wouldn't be the biggest thing I've recovered. Most of that stuff was just straight up scrap though. Nice thing about jaw crushers is that due to the way they were built back then, they are easily rebuilt and put back in service even after sitting for 50+ years.

No need to solve a problem, I just hate seeing solid equipment sitting and slowly rotting away.

 

[SaltwaterServr]

I agree. There are a bunch of very useful parts and it was working at the time the mine shut down according to the neighboring mine.
A lot was salvaged except the crusher and part of a device that reminds me of a mercury condenser but I'm not sure.


View attachment 1390199

Looks like a small bucket elevator.

 

[hvacker]

Looks like a small bucket elevator.

Could be. There was a small track used to haul crushed ore to a lower level maybe used for that.

 

[russau]

In your research of this mine / property ,is it currently owned or a patented location ? my wife would shoot me dead if I were to bring 1 more piece of equipment home!

 

[supZman]

That's from Webb City and Carterville MO, where I live! There was Huge Lead & Zinc Mines located there during the late 1800's all the way up to 1950. Nice find!

 

[hvacker]

In your research of this mine / property ,is it currently owned or a patented location ? my wife would shoot me dead if I were to bring 1 more piece of equipment home!

Not sure. The last operation ended in or around 1979 from my understanding.The mine is old enough to have been patented. The equipment was salvaged and this crusher was left probably due to the size and weight.
Just the way the mine was left raises questions. Like the crusher's hopper was full and the drill holes in the rock were never loaded.
Left in a hurry it seems.
The disassembly would be a chore. Huge nuts badly corroded, 400 pound flywheels etc. But there is value there more than scrap IMO.

 

[hvacker]

That's from Webb City and Carterville MO, where I live! There was Huge Lead & Zinc Mines located there during the late 1800's all the way up to 1950. Nice find!

Yup, you got it. I researched the machine but while I did locate the place of manufacture I haven't found much on the crusher. Like when the company was in business and other stuff. I was really curious on how much horse power was required as the motor was missing.
There is interesting information on your town and it's mining past on the net..

 

[Mad Machinist]

Not sure. The last operation ended in or around 1979 from my understanding.The mine is old enough to have been patented. The equipment was salvaged and this crusher was left probably due to the size and weight.
Just the way the mine was left raises questions. Like the crusher's hopper was full and the drill holes in the rock were never loaded.
Left in a hurry it seems.
The disassembly would be a chore. Huge nuts badly corroded, 400 pound flywheels etc. But there is value there more than scrap IMO.

I'm damn near a surgeon with a gas axe. And a little heat from a rosebud usually helps rusted parts separate rather easily. I have a 2000 pound hitch mount crane around here somewhere to.

 

[hvacker]

I'm damn near a surgeon with a gas axe. And a little heat from a rosebud usually helps rusted parts separate rather easily. I have a 2000 pound hitch mount crane around here somewhere to.

I've swung a torch quite a bit myself. Mostly copper refer pipe.
But this is the hill that crusher has to come off of.

 

[kcm]

Work it to the top, balance it very carefully, then give it a slight push. Simple!

 

[Mad Machinist]

I've swung a torch quite a bit myself. Mostly copper refer pipe.
But this is the hill that crusher has to come off of.


View attachment 1392973

Looks like it could get interesting. I'm game.