Cracked Crusher Frame? On-Site Jaw and Gyratory Crusher Repair That Keeps Your Quarry Running
KEEP YOUR CRUSHER RUNNING WITH ON-SITE REPAIR
When the primary crusher stops, the whole plant stops. Every conveyor, screen, and secondary crusher downstream sits idle, and every hour costs you money you can't make back.
Replacing a cracked jaw crusher frame, pitman, or gyratory mainshell can mean months of lead time and a six-figure freight bill. In most cases, you don't have to. Since 1986, J.R. Smith Welding Service, Inc. has repaired these castings on site with AWS D1.1-certified structural welding and mobile line boring services, so the machine never leaves your aggregate crushing or coal preparation plant.
Where Primary Crushers Crack
Millions of tons of cyclic impact load will find every weak point in a casting. Small fatigue cracks start at stress transitions, then grow fast if no one catches them. The most common failures we repair:
- Jaw crusher frames: Cracks across the main frame, side plates, and toggle seats.
- Pitmans: Fatigue cracks in the body, upper bearing housing, and lower-jaw area.
- Gyratory crushers: Worn, elongated, or out-of-round bores in the spider and bottom shell.
- Pivot points: Seized pins, damaged bushing fits, and worn toggle seats (see our pin joint and bushing repair work).
- Wear areas: Eroded feed hoppers, rock boxes, and discharge chutes.
Beyond Crushers: Complete Aggregate and Recycling Plant Processing Support
Primary crushing is only one part of the plant circuit. Heavy shock loads and aggressive abrasive wear degrade machinery throughout the material-processing stream—including coal preparation plants, cement mills, asphalt plants, and Class B recycling facilities. Our mobile crews deliver comprehensive structural and mechanical reconditioning across all related plant equipment:
- Impact Crusher Components: Wear buildup, hardfacing, and structural rebuilding of rotors, impact curtains, and breaker plates.
- Vibratory and Chain Feeders: Infield welding, structural reinforcement, pan relining, and mechanical repair to eliminate vibration fatigue.
- Screen Decks and Conveyors: Structural crack repair on side plates, cross-member reinforcement, bearing seat reconditioning, and overland conveyor modifications.
- Shaft Keyway Restoration: Precision infield machining of wallowed or worn shaft keyways, cutting true new key slots on-site without removing the drive shaft.
- Frozen Hardware and Stud Extraction: Precision extraction of broken studs and sheared frame bolts from crusher castings, bearing mounts, and baseplates without damaging parent threads.
- Plant Support Steel and Safety Infrastructure: On-site fabrication, modification, and structural repair of crusher support framing, feeder bins, vibrating screen pedestals, catwalks, platforms, handrails, and MSHA/OSHA-compliant caged safety ladders and machine guards.
Why a Crusher Casting Needs an Engineered Repair, Not a Patch
Welding on heavy cast steel is not general fabrication work. Without controlled preheat, interpass temperature, and slow cooling, the weld zone turns brittle and cracks again, often worse than before. A quick patch can cost you a second breakdown and a frame that can no longer be saved.
Our On-Site Crusher Repair Process
- Find the whole crack: Our ASNT Level 2-trained technicians use magnetic particle inspection to map the crack to its true ends, well past what you can see.
- Remove it completely: We air-carbon arc gouge down to sound metal and shape a proper U- or V-groove for full-depth welding.
- Preheat evenly: Calibrated heating brings the casting up to temperature to prevent stress cracking during the weld.
- Weld to AWS D1.1: Certified welders lay multi-pass, low-hydrogen welds with high-strength electrodes from E7018 to E11018, plus gas-shielded flux core where the job calls for it. See our full welding certifications and standards.
- Cool it slowly: Insulated blankets control cooldown to prevent quench cracking and reduce residual stress.
- Machine it back to spec: Our portable boring, facing and milling equipment re-machine bearing bores, pin bores, and spider seats to OEM tolerances right on the machine. Learn more about our infield machining and line boring services.
For complex structural repairs, we provide professional engineering support for design and verification. All completed
certified structural welding repairs are warranted for durability, fit, and proper operation for the service life of the machine.
Emergency Breakdown or Planned Shutdown, We Come to You
Hauling a 60-ton crusher frame to a machine shop means cranes, heavy-haul permits, and weeks of lost production. Our self-contained mobile units bring the welding and machine shop to your site instead.
Our crews hold MSHA Part-46 (surface metal and non-metal) and Part-48 (surface coal) training plus OSHA 10, so they arrive ready to work on active quarry, mill, recycling, and mine sites. Read more about our safety program and site credentials.
We proudly serve quarries, mines, industrial facilities, and recycling yards across our primary service area—Pennsylvania, New Jersey, New York, Delaware, and Maryland—and travel farther for specialized, certified projects. Whether it's an emergency fracture in peak production or scheduled winter maintenance, we work around your plant schedule.
Crushers are only part of what we do. Explore our full range of mining maintenance and repair contracting services, from scrap metal shear overhauls to heavy equipment line boring right at your facility.
Crusher and Processing Plant Repair FAQ
Can a cracked jaw crusher frame or casting be welded?
In most cases, yes. With full defect excavation, controlled thermal preheating, certified AWS D1.1 welding, and slow cooling, a cracked frame can return to full service for a fraction of the cost and lead time of a new casting.
Do you have to remove the crusher or feeder for repair?
No. We bring portable line boring, milling, drilling and welding equipment directly to your site, so the machinery stays in place.
Can you repair worn shaft keyways and broken studs in the field?
Yes. We perform precision on-site keyway machining on drive shafts and utilize specialized extraction tooling to remove broken studs and bolts from heavy castings without ruining internal parent threads.
Are your crews cleared for quarry, mine, and recycling sites?
Yes. Our technicians hold active MSHA Part 46 and Part 48 certifications, OSHA 10 credentials, and TWIC cards.
Crusher or Plant Machinery Down? Call Us Now.
- 24/7 Emergency Service Line: 570-620-6447
- Planning Maintenance or Repairs? Request a quote online or email us directly at info@jrsmithwelding.com.
Tell us the machine type, the damage, and your site location, and we will get back to you with a comprehensive repair plan.
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