Project Overview / 25 - 26

Atherton Material Handling was commissioned to design and deliver a major quarry extension conveyor system at Weeford Quarry.

The system was engineered to handle sand and gravel at 300 tonnes per hour across the full process, delivered as a complete turnkey contract.design, manufacture, delivery, installation, and final commissioning of the entire system.

As part of this project, Amber, General Manager at Atherton Material Handling, visited site to walk the system end to end and review the installation first-hand.

Rather than a desk-based overview, this visit focused on walking the conveyor lines, inspecting key interfaces, and understanding how the system operates in real quarry conditions.

Spending time on site, speaking with the team, and seeing the equipment in operation is a critical part of how AMH approaches project delivery. This video captures that site visit, alongside a full overview of the system, its scale, and the engineering behind it.

Atherton Material Handling was commissioned to design and deliver a major quarry extension conveyor system at Weeford Quarry. The system was engineered to handle sand and gravel at 300 tonnes per hour across the full process, delivered as a complete turnkey contract. AMH completed all structural calculations in-house and was responsible for design, manufacture, delivery, installation, and final commissioning of the entire system.

Long Field Conveyors

The three field conveyors were engineered to deliver 400 tonnes per hour across the system, with each conveyor designed to suit its duty, length, and elevation.All field conveyors were supplied with tail and drive stations, galvanised support structures, belt tracking systems, and integrated safety protection throughout.

CV1
CV1 measured 124 metres in length and was 750 millimetres wide, operating at a belt speed of 1.75 metres per second. The conveyor lifted material 12.7 metres and was fitted with a single-drum drive unit, loop take-up unit, and tail unit. The structure comprised 3-metre galvanised bays, complete with wind hoops, return belt tracking and steering rollers, and full-length emergency pull-wire protection.

CV2
CV2 extended 514 metres in length, again 750 millimetres wide, lifting material 8.6 metres at a belt speed of 1.75 metres per second.
The conveyor was driven by a double-drum drive unit, with a 10-metre loop take-up unit to suit the increased power and belt length.
CV2 was installed on fully galvanised ground structures, complete with sleepers, multiple tracking and steering rollers, a belt turning unit, and full-length safety pull-wire systems on both sides.

CV3
CV3 measured 234 metres in length, with a 3-metre decline, operating at 1.75 metres per second and handling 400 tonnes per hour. The drive unit was engineered to ultimately power up to 700 metres of conveyor, allowing the system to be extended as the quarry face advanced.
A clay picker was positioned at the loop take-up, removing oversized material before it entered the remainder of the conveying system.

Dozer Belt Feeder

At the tail end of the system, AMH designed and built a bespoke dozer belt feeder, capable of handling up to 400 tonnes per hour. The feeder measured approximately 6 metres long by 1200 millimetres wide and featured a fully bespoke drive-over hopper system with a reinforced front wall. The hopper wall was collapsible for transport, and the feeder was fully encased in 10 millimetre plate, allowing a dozer to drive directly over the unit and stockpile material onto the feeder itself.

Material from the feeder discharged onto three long field conveyors, feeding the existing static stockpile conveyor.

Refurbished Static Stockpile Conveyor

An existing static stockpile conveyor was fully refurbished as part of the project. The conveyor was stripped back to its core structure, including removal of rollers, drums, bearings, deck plates, and scrapers. All structural steelwork was inspected, repaired, and made good before the conveyor was rebuilt with new rollers, drums, belting, drive components, and fully galvanised guarding. The refurbishment restored full operational performance while significantly extending the conveyor’s service life.

Tunnel Conveyor & Feed System

The project also included the installation of a new tunnel conveyor, measuring 100 metres long by 750 millimetres wide, feeding directly into the existing processing plant.The ground-level conveyor discharged onto a bespoke raised-edge section, complete with tower and rakers, and driven by an 18.5 kilowatt shaft-mounted gear motor. Within the tunnel, two bespoke Skako vibrating feeders were installed and bolted directly to the tunnel ceiling. Each feeder was rated at 300 tonnes per hour, fully galvanised, and fully stainless-steel lined to suit abrasive sand and gravel handling.