What was once an important site for the manufacture of nerve gases is being given back to nature. The U.S. Army’s 27-sq.-mi. (43.5 sq km) Rocky Flats Arsenal in Colorado is now a wildlife preserve…home to deer, eagles, rattlesnakes, and prairie dogs.

But there is still a great deal of cleanup to be done. Environmental Chemical Corporation of Burlingame, CA has been at this location since May, and its work won’t be finished until the end of September at the earliest. Environmental Chemical brought with it its expertise in removing hazardous materials, its highly-trained, licensed personnel, and two Tramac PBH crusher/pulverizers — a 625 owned by the company and a rented 800M.

They have contracted to take down the gas manufacturing plant, warehouse facility, and storage bunkers — 124 structures in all. According to Gary Dotson, job superintendent, his people go inside to remove asbestos, old PCBs and any other hazardous material before the demolition can begin. There is an approved Superfund landfill on the Arsenal grounds for proper disposal.

Environmental Chemical’s PBH625 is mounted on a John Deere 230LC. Its 800M, rented from Colorado Machinery, Colorado Springs, CO, is mounted on a John Deere 330. Dotson said the equipment has been working great, with the 800M providing the increased production they were looking for. “It’s doing a fantastic job,” said Dotson.

The foundations are 10 ft. (3.05 m) deep and the slabs are 2 ft. (.6 m) thick. They are broken first with a hammer and then the PBH munches them down for removal. The separated rebar is washed and sent out for recycling and the concrete trucked to the landfill.

Tramac’s PBHs are designed to pulverize concrete ranging in thickness from 24 to 36 in. (60.9 to 91.4 cm) in a single action. These are high-production units which owe their efficiency to a fin-shaped tooth design, requiring far less power to crack material than traditional pyramidal or pointed teeth. Tramac’s front tooth splits material lengthwise instead of only chipping away at the edges.

Reprinted from “Tramac’s Breaking News,” September 2000.

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