Whatever industry you are in, purchasing a rock crusher can be a step in the right direction to expand your business and open doors to new revenue streams. The opportunities once you have the ability to crush are tremendous. It’s not a matter of if you can keep your crusher working or if it will pay for itself, it’s where can you utilize it to make the most money the quickest in paying for your crusher.

To help you decide, we’ll touch on some scenarios in which purchasing a crusher would be beneficial, how to get the most bang for your buck and how to choose the right model.

Which Industries Rely on Rock Crushing? 

Rock crushing involves using heavy machinery to break down large rocks into smaller pieces, also known as aggregate. While this process is pretty straightforward, the businesses that rely on it belong to many different industries.

The industries depending on rock crushing include:

  • Construction: Everything ever built with a foundation requires aggregate base before the pour. Many times, there is demolition before the new build. Eliminating demo disposal and aggregate purchase costs as well as the transportation costs of both can yield staggering savings at minimal volumes for the small to mid-sized contractor. 
  • Industrial recycling: Various businesses use rock crushers to recycle cement, gravel and other materials, which can help minimize waste. The money saved repurposing can be tremendous, concrete is the most recycled material on earth. Many jobs are now being required to recycle their demolition material.
  • Concrete Washout Recycling: Aggregate is an excellent binder for cement. This material is commonly used to lay flat surfaces, such as building foundations and driveways. All Redimix producers use large amounts of aggregate in their cement. Every cement mixer truck has a yard or two left over every day. Recycling that material can result in substantial savings for the producer. A small portable crusher’s entire business model can many times thrive recycling local wet concrete producers’ washout.
  • Granite Countertop Recycling: Granite Countertop shops can turn a scrap disposal cost into positive cash flow selling their recycled scrap as decorative gravel for $200+ per single ton! A small portable crusher can do very well relieving those shops of their disposal costs and selling the material yourself for huge margins.
  • Brick and Block spoils recycling: The defects of these factories can be sold as crushed material as well, with red brick chip fetching $85-100 per single ton.
  • Glass Recycling: There are many applications for crushed glass from fill, to home furnishing decorations and decorative landscaping, and even glass powder for multiple uses such as reflective paint.
  • Landfill Contracts: Offering local landfills the ability to recycle their material on a monthly or even weekly basis can impact the landfill’s positive cashflow significantly by not having to wait a year or more before having enough material worth bringing in larger and much more costly crushers. Many times a single landfill contract can pay for a small portable crusher.
  • Agriculture: Ground limestone neutralizes soil acidity. Livestock farmers also add crushed quartzite or granite to their poultry feed to promote better digestion in their flock. Calcite is also a powerful feed additive.
  • Infrastructure: Using aggregate to build railroads, tracks, highways and walkways can help ensure this infrastructure is solid.
  • Personal care: Many products you use contain crushed stone. For example, limestone is a popular ingredient used in toothpaste as an abrasive and thickening agent.

Should You Buy a Rock Crusher?

Purchasing a rock crusher can improve your daily operations regardless of your business’s industry. Although this machinery traditionally came with a hefty price tag of ½ million and up, the emergence of small portable crushing plants are now much more affordable at a fraction of the cost. Think of it as an investment in your business and don’t let the upfront costs deter you — in almost all instances, purchasing a rock crusher can and will pay off in the long run and likely the short run with some imagination and drive. It’s crucially important to choose a well made crusher backed by strong service and parts availability. The mistake of buying inferior equipment can be very costly.

To decide whether you should buy a rock crusher, ask yourself these questions:

  • Are you spending more than you would like to on demolition disposal costs each month?
  • Are your demo disposal expenses increasing dramatically?
  • Will the rock crusher be a long-term solution for your business that can be used in many projects?
  • Are the total costs of buying aggregate each month a significant expense?
  • Would a single job even pay for the crusher? At average national market rates, 2500 tons, only 125 truckloads, pays for the cost of a small portable crusher by Senya Crushers.
  • Are your aggregate purchase expenses increasing dramatically?
  • Are local demolition disposal sites a significant distance from your work sites?
  • Are Aggregate suppliers a significant distant from your work sites?
  • Are you in an area experiencing substantial growth?  
  • Are you looking for a niche with little to no competition and greater profitability?
  • Will this purchase expand your business and boost its profitability?
  • Do you plan on using the crusher frequently?
  • Do you want to be more eco-friendly?
  • Do you have access to financing?

If you answered “yes” to one or more of the above questions, we have good news — buying a rock crusher will absolutely be worthwhile.

What Are the Benefits of Rock Crushing?

Once you have the ability to crush rocks, you will likely enjoy various benefits, such as:

  • Reduced costs: With your own crusher, you completely eliminate the costs you previously spent buying aggregate or lugging material off-site for processing or recycling. Instead, you can crush rock, process and recycle on-site to save labor, fuel and other costs.
  • Increased productivity: Rock crushers processing materials on site allowing you to get more aggregate in less time and improve your overall efficiency.
  • Enhanced sustainability: By not transporting materials to crushing facilities, you can reduce your environmental footprint and carbon emissions. Plus, when you recycle, you can prevent material from ending up in a landfill.
  • Improved quality: By crushing rocks into specific sizes, crushers can help ensure that the aggregate fulfills your exact specifications and purpose. Senya’s MICRO Crushers produce material down to even 3/8″ and utilizing the MICRO Screen Plant can give you clean material graded to specific sizes. From construction site entrances to gravelling roads or just general base to smaller fill that packs better, different sizes can be required depending on the application.
  • Dramatically Increased revenue: Besides controlling your aggregate supply and disposal costs, you can increase your revenue even offering crushing services or crushed rock materials to other businesses. The other options of additional revenue streams offer great possibilities for increased profits. The crush on site business model with a smaller and more portable crusher for those jobs under 5-10K tons can be hugely profitable.
  • Win More Bids and Increase Job Possibilities: Once you have the ability to crush for yourself, you have dramatically more opportunities to jobs that might not have made sense previously. Using “Green” recycled material gives you a tremendous advantage in the bid process, and many jobs are now requiring demolition be recycled.

How Can You Increase Rock Crushing Profitability?

The U.S. produced about 1.5 billion metric tons of aggregate in 2023 — the rock-crushing industry is highly profitable, with so many different types of businesses depending on crushed stone. Concrete is the most recycled material in the world. While rock crushing can be a great way to expand your business, generate more income and cut costs, you need to be savvy to maximize your return on investment (ROI).

Here are some tips on increasing your crushing ROI:

  • Conduct Market research: Before purchasing a crusher, ensure you understand factors such as the role of aggregate in your industry and the demand for this material in your area.
  • Market Pricing research: Explore the aggregate purchase costs and demolition disposal costs in your area. 
  • Buy the right crusher: Your success can hinge on whether you have the correct equipment. While buying a cheaper or preowned model may seem like a budget-friendly idea, your operating expenses add up over time. Choose a crusher that is energy-efficient and requires little maintenance — such a machine can allow you to make a better ROI by reducing your costs. Cutting edge technology machinery’s cost is definitely the best money you can spend. Cheap imports and inferior crushing machinery can be a large money drain, not to mention preowned crushing equipment’s operation costs. Service and parts availability offered behind the machinery should be a crucial factor.
  • Get the correct permits: Depending on your industry and location, your business may need a specific permit to crush legally. Without such permits, you may be fined a penalty. Before you get started, confirm with your local and state authorities to ensure you have the necessary clearances.

How Can You Choose the Right Crusher?

If you decide you want to buy a rock crusher, you’ll need to decide which model best suits your business. A few different factors can help guide your decision.

Types of Crushers

Traditionally, there are various machines with different crushing mechanisms intended for the three processing stages:

  • Primary: In this phase, the larger material gets crushed to a small enough size input for the secondary crusher. 
  • Secondary: This phase further processes the aggregate down to meet the requirements of the tertiary or final crusher.
  • Tertiary: Also known as the final reduction stage, this phase refines the crushed stone and transforms it into the end product.

The different types of crushers are:

  • Jaw crushers: These models are commonly used in the primary stage and break up rocks between two opposing jaw plates. Although jaw crushers are ideal for handling rebar and wire in concrete, they can also work with many materials. They are by far the most popular style of crusher due to their ability to handle most all materials. Jaw crushers produce material with more angular edges often preferred by engineers for their “gripping and setting” ability.
  • Impact crushers: These crushers can be used in all phases and use impact forces throwing the material against the outer wall of a drum to break the material. They help shape the aggregate into more rounded material and can create more fine materials. They are best for abrasive rocks as well as asphalt when needing to crush in warmer weather when asphalt can be soft and gummy. Impact crushers blow bar and wear plate replacement can contribute to significant operation and maintenance costs. They are best for when their specific advantages are required.
  • Cone crushers: These models have a large drum with a cone in the middle — the cone moves inside the drum to grind the stone into small pieces. Cone crushers can handle medium-hard and hard materials, as well as some abrasive rocks. As they produce a finer final product, they’re often used in the secondary and tertiary phases.
  • Rock crusher plants: A portable crusher plant has various types of crushers — it is an all-in-one machine. They can incorporate dual stage crushing units as well as screen plants integrated into one unit all mounted on a portable chassis. These models are the most versatile, as you can use them to crush, screen and finish the entire crushing process. 

Crushers are also available in portable, mobile and stationary options:

  • Portable: As the name indicates, these models can be moved around on wheeled chassis. Although portable crushers are compact, they may offer small- and mid-sized projects all the benefits of larger crushers but with the tremendous advantage of being able to crush on site. They are also usually more affordable.
  • Mobile: Though they are valued for their mobility once on the jobsite, these crushers are on tracks, so they don’t have as much portability as portable models. They also usually incur more operation and maintenance costs.
  • Stationary: This type of equipment always stays in one location — it can’t be moved once installed. These are traditional plants utilized by quarry and aggregate producing operations.

Deciding Factors

Along with choosing a high-efficiency model and the latest cutting-edge technologies to help get a higher ROI and lower your operation and maintenance costs, you should consider:

  • Material: Which rocks do you work with the most? Some models are more suited to stones of specific sizes and hardness — choose wisely and accordingly. Concrete, asphalt, brick and block are relatively soft and easy for most all crushers. Natural stone such as granite and river rock can be at least twice as hard. Be sure your crusher is designed to handle those harder materials for long term durability, reliability, and lower operation costs. Even on softer material, greater crushing power can be a tremendous advantage in productivity, not to mention the factors just mentioned. Many manufacturers greatly exaggerate their machinery’s capabilities, both in tons per hour, material they can handle, as well as operation and maintenance costs. Be wary of claims, research the company and machine origins well.
  • Mobility: Does your jobsite change often? If you need to move your crusher frequently, portable models offer the required mobility and flexibility. Processing on site can yield tremendous savings by eliminating transportation costs, not to mention demolition disposal and aggregate purchase costs.
  • Other machinery: Do you have a loader, skid steer, or a backhoe? Do you have breaker equipment to prepare the material for crushing? Regardless of the chosen model, you will need such equipment to prepare the material for crushing as well as feed concrete, stone or whatever material you use into the machine. You might need to buy a different model or additional equipment based on what you already have. With Senya crushers MICRO Plant utilizing the crusher screen plant and even conveyor/stacker, the entire “quarry on wheels can even be run by a single operator.

Invest in a Rock Crusher with Senya Crushers

Are you ready to purchase a crusher and get in the crushing business? You’re in luck. Senya Crushers is a pioneering leader of the small and portable crusher concept in the rock-crushing equipment industry. We have a selection of portable crushers, portable screen plants, and portable stacker conveyors with the most up to date cutting edge crushing and processing technology, finely honed to perfection from years of experience.

Crushing is a rough business with a tremendous amount of vibration and impact all day every day. It has been no small engineering feat of our owner, a nuclear engineer personally designing these machines himself working closely with our team of engineers, to master the technology of crushing on such a small and portable chassis. From our vibration mitigation technologies in jaw and motor mount design to the cutting edge triple/triple air filtration technology crucial in engine protection on such a compact crushing environment, there truly is nothing in the world even close to our MICRO Crushing Technologies. 

Built on a USA made, titled, and VIN’d trailer and powered by the on-board USA made Yanmar Powered 40KW Diesel generator, our diesel over electric technology of all electric motors powered by the generator is the ultimate in the latest technology. Traditional high maintenance and operation costs of old school direct drive engines, hydraulics, and tracks are a thing of the past with Senya Crusher technologies. Our Senya 5 runs all day on $40 of fuel and cranks out 400-600 tons per day, and still can be pulled with a pickup. Grease the jaw bearing with a few pumps of grease, fill up the fuel tank, and that’s your daily operation costs.

Our new proprietary blend of manganese and chromium jaw wear plates last 2 to 2.5 times longer than even the best quality high manganese content plates. These amazing plates are lasting 20-25K tons! When you replace a set of these you have easily paid for your crusher may times over as about 2500 tons (125 truckloads) pays for a crusher at market rates. The cost per ton is considerably less than a dollar with these wear revolutionary plates.

Our MICRO screen plants utilize the latest in screening technology of polyethylene screens which last up to 5X linger than traditional wire and steel screens. Custom sizes are available from 3″ down to even 1/8″ and the screens are easily swapped out. The screen plant plugs into your crusher so no additional power source is needed.

With the Yanmar powered 40KW generator in the Senya 5, there’s even enough power left over to run the crusher, screen plant, three stacker conveyors, and still have the upgrade option of a step-down transformer providing 20 amps of 220v or 30 amps of 110v on site power!

All of this and more is why Senya Crushers truly is the world leader in the MICRO crushing Arena.

 With a wide variety of sizes to choose from, you’ll be sure to find a machine suited to your crushing needs. Plus, all of our crushers are designed and manufactured in the U.S. Crushers, Screen Pants, and Conveyor/stackers are always in stock and ready to go, as well as all parts for the machinery.

Our Director of Operations comes to you for training on the equipment with every machine we sell. We take pride in knowing our customers personally for only the finest in service after the sale. Our Director of Operations, Sales and General Manager, and owner are always ready for any questions or service needs that arise. You simply can’t find a company more committed to the satisfaction of our customers from top to bottom than Senya Crushers!

While we pride ourselves on offering high-quality, cost-effective solutions, we also offer financing options. Take advantage of great finance rates, 100% Section 179 Tax deductions for 2024, and even deferred payments until Spring/Summer 2025!

To learn more about our products or receive a free quote, contact us today — let’s crush it with Senya Crushers!

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