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Mobile Crusher vs Portable Crusher

Understand the differences between a mobile and a portable crusher. There is no better or worse type machine but the right tool for your application.

When it comes to crushing, flexibility and efficiency are key. Mobile crushers are designed with those priorities in mind, giving contractors, recyclers, and aggregate producers the ability to crush material exactly where and when it’s needed. Unlike traditional setups that stay in one place, mobile crushers are track-mounted and self-propelled, making them easy to move across jobsites or even reposition onsite with minimal effort. This adaptability translates into faster setup times, less downtime, and more opportunities to take on diverse projects.

 

Mobile vs. Portable Crushers: What’s the Difference?

  • Portable crushers are mounted on a chassis with wheels and are designed to be hauled from site to site with a truck or tractor. They typically require multiple loads to move and often need additional components such as conveyors and screening plants. Once set up, they usually stay in one spot and material must be brought to the crusher.
  • Mobile crushers are track-mounted and self-propelled. They can be moved around a jobsite under their own power and transported on a lowboy trailer between sites. Compact models can be moved with a single load, making them ideal for projects that require frequent relocation.

Both types of crushers are valuable in the right setting, but mobile crushers bring an added level of flexibility and efficiency that can transform your crushing operation.

 

 

Mobility That Works for You

With mobile crushers, relocation is straightforward. A unit can be delivered on a lowboy trailer and is ready to work with minimal setup. Even during a project, the crusher can track closer to the material pile, reducing loader travel time and keeping production flowing.

Portable crushers, while movable, take more planning. They may require multiple loads for transport and additional setup time, making them ideal for projects where the equipment stays in one place for extended periods. In comparison, mobile crushers provide the freedom to react quickly as jobsite conditions change (e.g. back up closer to the material or move to a different material pile).

Without mobility, you...

  • lose money on machine setup time
  • limit yourself on the range of jobs you can accomplish
  • are required to haul material to the crusher

Productivity on Any Scale

Mobile crushers excel at handling both large and small jobs. Their compact footprint makes them a natural fit for tight urban projects or short-term work, but they’re also capable of tackling demanding aggregate production. This versatility allows contractors to expand their range of services and capture more opportunities.

Portable crushers thrive in high-volume, consistent environments such as quarries. Their larger designs often feature wide feeders and multi-deck screening plants, making them powerful tools for steady, long-term production. The burden associated with moving portable equipment results in higher indirect spending associated with trucking, labor, and setup. These additional costs must be absorbed before profits are generated. Therefore, you need more tonnage to compensate for additional costs. 

Without the ability to do also smaller jobs, you ...

  • are competing on big jobs on a cost per ton basis whereas on smaller jobs you might be able to charge higher per ton rates or even daily rates
  • can't benefit from onsite crushing smaller volumes
  • lose out on ad-hoc business

Setup and Space Efficiency

A mobile crusher is a self-contained system, requiring little extra equipment to get started. Because everything is built into a single track-mounted unit, the setup is faster and the overall footprint smaller—an important advantage on crowded or space-limited jobsites.

Some portable crushers require additional portable screening plants and transfer and discharge conveyors. This takes up more space on the job and makes it difficult to setup on certain jobsites. While this doesn't matter in a wide-open quarry it can be a burden on a tight jobsite. 

Without a compact operation you...

  • limit yourself on the range of jobs you can tackle
  • struggle to setup your crushing spread
  • paths around the crushing operation become longer

 

Real-World Usability

Today’s mobile crushers are designed for easy access and straightforward maintenance, even with their compact layouts. That means everything fits in between 2 tracks that fit onto a lowboy trailer. Hydraulic folding, swing-out components, and ground-level service points reduce downtime and make daily upkeep safer and faster. Learn how a maintence routine looks like on a Rubble Master Mobile Impact Crusher.

Portable crushers, with their larger, more open structures, offer generous access to components and space to work. However, operators often deal with longer climbs and bigger travel distances around the plant. For many contractors, the efficiency of mobile crusher design brings significant day-to-day benefits. Often featuring larger feeders, wider conveyors, and large on-board screening plants with 2 or 3 screen decks, they allow operators to produce multiple products simultaneously. This translates to a large throughput capacity.

 

Without a open design and short paths, you...

  • create bottle necks and limit production
  • struggle with accessing components
  • risk running empty when material is not there
  • waste time running around

Mobile Impact Crusher Maintenance Guide

Granular B Crushed Concrete - Ontario

No room for a big portable crusher?

Nathan Henrich with Flatrate Inc runs a concrete pumping and crushing business out of Big Stone, SD. He initially started with a large portable crushing plant. He realized that he was held back crushing concrete because the piles were not stockpiled in convenient places such as a large open pit. Therefore, he switched to the RM 120X Mobile Impactor to gain the freedom to do more jobs and bring the crusher to the material vs. the material to the crusher.

"The problem with a large portable crusher is that often there is not enough room. Those concrete piles are not stockpiled in the most convenient places and then you have to move the piles before you can actually start to crush."

Nathan Henrich, Flatrate Inc.

Mobile Crushers RUBBLE MASTER offers a range of mobile track-mounted jaw and impact crusher for the processing of concrete, asphalt, and rock.
 
Capacity
Inlet opening
Transport dimension
Weight (no options)
RM J110X Mobile Jaw Crusher RM J110X
Jaw Crusher
up to 450 tph up to 496 TPH
1,100 x 700 mm 44" x 28"
14.7 m x 2.85 m x 3.4 m 48‘3“ x 9‘5“ x 11‘2“
52,000 kg 114,640 lbs
learn more
RM 120X Mobile Impactor RM 120X
Impact Crusher
up to 350 tph up to 385 TPH
1,160 x 820 mm 46" x 32"
16,180 x 2,990 x 3,600 mm 52‘10” x 9‘11” x 10‘6“
44,000 kg 95,000 lbs
learn more
RM 100GO! Tracked Impact Crusher RM 100GO!
Impact Crusher
up to 250 tph up to 275 TPH
950 x 700 mm 38" x 28"
14,700 x 2,860 x 3,155 mm 48'3" x 9'5" x 10'5"
30,000 kg 66,140 lbs
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RM 90GO! Compact Crusher RM 90GO!
Impact Crusher
up to 200 tph up to 220 TPH
860 x 650 mm 34" x 25"
13,470 x 2,550 x 3,050 mm 44'2" x 8'5" x 10'
28,400 kg 62,500 lbs
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RM 70GO! Compact Crusher RM 70GO! 2.0
Impact Crusher
up to 150 tph up to 165 TPH
760 x 600 mm 30" x 23"
13,300 x 2,360 x 3,100 43'8" x 7'9" x 10'2"
24,200 kg 53,400 lbs
learn more
RM V550GO! Hard Rock Crusher RM V550GO!
Impact Crusher
up to 200 tph up to 200 TPH
950 X 480 mm 3 x 1.5 ft
11,500 x 2,500 x 3,170 mm 37'9" x 8'3" x 10'5"
33,000 kg 75,000 lbs
learn more