E&C’s interview with MB Crusher, a family-owned, international company known for its innovative line of patented crusher buckets and accessories for excavators, skid loaders, and backhoes.
E&C: How did MB Crusher get started?
MB: The Azzolin family founded MB Crusher. They were first consumers of heavy equipment working in various sectors – including excavation and road work. After decades of dealing with the logistical nightmares surrounding waste processing and disposal, they knew there was a better way. They believed a crusher bucket attached to a larger machine would provide both power and mobility.
E&C: So the first crushing bucket was born.
MB: That’s right – the BF90.3 crusher bucket. MB Crusher produced and patented the first crusher bucket in the world. We’ve been designing crusher buckets and accessories for excavators, skid loaders, and backhoes since we started manufacturing the BF90.3 in 2002. In fact, we have the best-selling crusher bucket in the world. We’ve captured over 90% of the crusher bucket market in just a couple of decades, which is pretty amazing.
E&C: I understand it’s still MB Crusher’s most popular crusher bucket. Tell us more about the BF90.3.
MB: It is still our most popular model for medium- to large-sized excavators. There are several reasons it’s still our biggest seller for these companies — one being it’s very compact. We’ve tweaked it over the years to handle extremely harsh operating environments. It maintains a high level of performance working with any kind of inert material. It’s for excavators over 46,300 pounds and has a load capacity of 1.17 cubic yards. And depending on the output size, you can achieve a production rate ranging from 16 to 55 cubic yards per hour.
E&C: What else can you tell us about your crusher buckets?
MB: For starters, MB Crusher buckets have the widest mouth opening per weight of equipment available on the market. They have control devices that eliminate vibration on the equipment’s arm. And our crusher buckets have a hydraulic cooling system. This extends the life of the machine it’s attached to.
E&C: Where is MB Crusher headquartered?
MB: We have a huge facility in Italy. Over 180,000 square feet. MB Crusher is unique in that we manage the entire operation and supply chain. We do our own R&D, manufacturing, and sales. It’s important to control the supply chain from manufacturing to product delivery to ensure every tool and accessory meets our “Made in Italy” standard of quality.
E&C: You also have locations around the world.
MB: We have a huge facility in Italy. Over 180,000 square feet. MB Crusher is unique in that we manage the entire operation and supply chain. We do our own R&D, manufacturing, and sales. It’s important to us control the supply chain from manufacturing to product delivery to ensure every tool and accessory meets our “Made in Italy” standard of quality.
E&C: MB Crusher also has an impressive line of grapples.
MB: We really do. Our MB-G series has four models. What’s special about our grapples is their ability to handle large loads and odd forms. This is accomplished with interchangeable claws and 360° hydraulic rotation. The MB-G1200 sorting grapple is our second to largest model. It weighs 3,637 pounds and has a load capacity with the claws closed of 25 cubic feet. Pressure is 4,351 to 5,802 PSI. We also have a rotation power extender kit that works on all our grapple models. You install it on top of the grapple. It makes lifting heavy material even easier.
E&C: We understand that MB Crusher uses a very hard material for its products.
MB: Hardox® sells a line of extremely hard, abrasion-resistant steel. It’s what makes MB Crusher products so durable. Well, that and a very exacting manufacturing process. In fact, the “Hardox® In My Body” logo can only be displayed by members who the company deems as meeting the highest manufacturing standards. So, it’s more than just a high-quality material.
E&C: MB Crusher had a booth this year at the World of Concrete (WOC) in Vegas.
MB: It was awesome. After over a year of COVID, we were finally able to interact with the public again. This past June was our 9th year at WOC. We had a booth at the Las Vegas Convention Center where we demonstrated some of our products – including the BF90.3 crusher bucket and the MB-G1200 sorting grapple.
E&C: What are some of MB Crusher’s other products?
MB: In addition to superior crusher buckets and grapples, we sell screening buckets, drum cutters, and shafts screeners. We also have an extensive line of accessories. For example, we have rock and asphalt pick kits for our drum cutters. Our dust suppression kit works on all crusher attachments. It’s useful in many environments, but particularly in densely populated areas.
See the dust suppression kit in action:
E&C: What else do you want our readers to know about MB Crusher?
MB: We are always working to develop new tools for our customers. There are so many different ways our customers use our equipment – and in so many different types of environments. Our mission is to listen, learn, and innovate to improve our customers’ operations.
