up the clay seams to yield
a cleaner, higher-quality
stone product. He also
felt the impactor would
generate more manufactured fines, injecting
the clay with sand and
lowering the PI (
plasticity index) in the final
base product. He felt
the improvement in the
quality of the products
would be worth the increased wear-parts cost
associated with using an
impact crusher in abrasive sandstone.
To help control wear
costs, the Quarry Trax TI6060 incorporates a hydraulic variable speed drive
and push-button apron adjustment so it
is easy for operators to dial-in and maintain optimum performance.
Smith County Stone
is also supplying aggregates to the Haynesville
Shelf, a natural gas reserve in Louisiana. Each
drilling site requires the
creation of a 600-ft. x
600-ft. flat pad around
each drill. Materials for
the gas reserve drill pads
include 1.5-minus and
an assortment of riprap:
3 to 6 in., 6 to 12 in., and
12 to 24 in.
“Being the closest
quarry to the gas reserve
made economic sense for
both parties involved,”
Pankey said. “Reducing truck transportation costs is a big savings to the
end user.”
Utility companies also use stone
products, but the material specifications are more lenient than state specifications, allowing Smith County Stone
to maximize output. With the growing
need for utility rock in the surrounding
areas, being able to truck product from
local sources versus using rail or other
delivery means has increased sales for
the quarry and saved customers money.
Capable of producing in excess of 800 tph, Smith County Stone can
quickly respond to customer demand.
Niche market
One of the unique advantages of the
Lockesburg quarry is its location. Local
markets may have to reach as far as 100
miles to obtain quality stone. One of the
challenges for Smith County Stone was
balancing sales with the different products the Lockesburg quarry could pro-
duce, some of which contain clay. Pankey felt there were three niche markets
he could tap into to provide the balance
he needed.
The state agencies of Louisiana, Arkansas and Texas named Smith County
Stone as a preferred supplier of aggregate
to the surrounding areas, and the company has been providing dense grade or
flexible base for road repair. The combination of good compaction (from
the small amount of clay), low PI (from
sand), and the durability from hard and
angular stone has shown to work well.
Maximizing the quarry
A number of factors play a role in the
success of Smith County Stone. A prime
location is certainly a key element.
Other factors include the utilization of
track-plant technology for flexibility in
mining, impact crushing technology to
generate higher-quality products, and
reducing costs with a rugged, high-production plant.
“We are supplying base rock in the
area where the stimulus money is coming into Louisiana and I’m looking forward to begin work on the I-49 project.
We also do a lot of work for the Corps
of Engineers,” Pankey said, “and, with
the QuarryTrax crushing plant, I’m
now more flexible to work projects in a
150-mile radius of Texarkana.” ;
Relocating within the pit to economically generate different products from different
sources is a part of the mining strategy at Smith County Stone.
