Residents and patients of the Homestead Rehabilitation and Homecare Center in rural Sussex County, N.J., enjoy 14-acres with magnificent country views, including two tranquil ponds, gardens and several buildings. Long a part of the county’s history, the 102-bed facility was recently in need of some grounds maintenance. One of the projects to be completed was the removal and remediation of an old oil tank. With underground tanks raising concerns over environmental safety, the property owners felt it was time to remove and replace it.

As with most construction projects, this one came with a few challenges. The underground tank was very close to the side wall of one of the buildings in the complex, further complicated by the fact that high voltage electrical wires were run through the tank to the building. The complexity of the job due to the tight working quarters required a specialized remediation contractor along with a small and nimble machine that could operate with finesse.

GWS Contractors of South Brunswick, N.J., a company specializing in environmental remediation and structural support, was hired to complete the work after another company abandoned the job upon discovery of the high voltage wires. At that point, only half of the oil tank had been removed. With the help of a Kobelco SK35SR, 8,200 lb., 30.2 hp. cab model excavator from Harter Equipment, GWS carefully dug out the area around the tank, safely removing it, while keeping the wires intact. Once the tank was removed, they ran the wires to the building through new conduit with minimal disruption to the building’s critical power supply.

Once removed, the company remediated the soil surrounding the tank, then backfilled the area with clean soil, taking advantage of the SK35’s bucket and blade combination. According to Vinny Leone, GWS site supervisor on the project, “This wasn’t a big job, but it was a tricky one. The electrical wires called for a very precise machine. We found that in the Kobelco SK35, which operated very smoothly. Its short rear swing and small footprint were ideal for operating next to the building. Its precision controls gave the operator the ability to scrape around the tank and building foundation slowly, yet steadily to ensure there were no other surprise wires or other underground obstacles that would need to be dealt with.”

Leone and GWS have long been loyal Harter Equipment customers.

“We get all our compact equipment rentals through Harter Equipment. They provide some of the best equipment in the area and are easy to work with. We really appreciated the Kobelco SK35 on this job. It’s a really nice machine and our operator was comfortable throughout the entire project,” Leone said.

Harter Equipment is an authorized Kobelco dealer located in Millstone Township, N.J.

For more information on KOBELCO, call 281/888-8430 or visit www.KOBELCO-USA.com.

For more information on Harter Equipment, call 732/46-7600 or visit www.harterequipment.com.

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