Portable HSI Crusher Masters an Unproven Sandstone Deposit
The Challenge: Toughening Deposit
At a frac sand mine site near Poteet, Texas, Stout Excavating Group (SEG) has served as the contract mining provider since the late 2010s. As mining advanced through the deposit, sandstone content climbed, and the mine owner needed the material reduced to a half-inch-minus spec without losing production. A large stationary plant was one option, but committing to permanent infrastructure for a deposit condition that might not last wasn't an attractive bet.
Equipment- Sentry® HSI
- Portable Plants
The Solution: Rent First
SEG turned to Superior's dealer McCourt Equipment, which recommended a portable Sentry® HSI Closed-Circuit Plant built around a 42-in x 50-in horizontal shaft impactor. As a rental, it let SEG take on the work immediately, without committing to permanent infrastructure.
Features that mattered once it was running day to day included hydraulic curtain adjustments, easy chamber access, high ground clearance for waste, and simplified maintenance access.
"One of the great things about the plant is the amount of ground clearance for waste that it naturally has," says Jordan Schaaf, SEG's general superintendent. "That's always one of the biggest struggles when you're crushing fines, but we don't have to worry about buildup with this unit."
The task of training our crew on the plant was extremely simplified. From startup to shutdown, operation was seamless and super easy.
The Results: Buildup Battle is Beaten
With little historical data on how the sandstone would behave, the plant went straight into 24-hour operation feeding the wash plant. Running at roughly 70% capacity while recirculating oversized material, it settled in at 285–300 TPH of half-inch-minus product.
"From startup to shutdown, operation was seamless and super easy," Schaaf says. "The turnaround time for support from McCourt and Superior is better than any other brands and units that we've utilized."
Starting as a rental gave SEG a way to validate the whole approach before deciding whether to buy. That validation is now paying off, as SEG uses the same playbook to pursue more contract crushing work while frac sand producers push into tougher parts of their deposits.
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