Answering the Call: Jersey Firm Responds in Times of Crisis

Tue September 30, 2008
Agricultural Equipment Guide

Mount Construction, one of New Jersey’s largest emergency response contractors, recently acquired four new John Deere 310SJ and four 310SJ total machine control (TMC) tool carrier (TC) backhoes, all equipped with pilot controls to handle statewide site work, road construction and 24-hour emergency utility repair services.

Mount Construction has consistently grown over the past few years by providing services such as site prep, demolition, recycling, milling, paving, water and sewer installation and light bridge work to name a few. They also are one of the leading emergency response contractors in the state of New Jersey handling more than 200 response calls a year and have had open contracts with the NJDOT, NJDEP, New Jersey Turnpike Authority, Army Corps of Engineers and the Delaware River Port Authority.

“We have the capability to handle a variety of projects throughout the state. In most cases we control the entire project without having to sub out specific tasks,” said David Smith, CEO and founder of Mount Construction and vice president of the New Jersey UTCA.

Currently, Mount Construction is working on a number of projects throughout the state of New Jersey, including the Logan Township Dream Park, located in Gloucester County. The Dream Park will consist of 70 of the 300 acres acquired for the project and will include an indoor arena, two outdoor show rings, 250 stalls, 48 permanent stables, a schooling ring, two smaller warm up/cool down rings and an area for overnight camping with 50 to 60 camper hookups. The Dream Park will be a part of the county’s 1,540-acre park system. To date, Mount Construction has performed site prep services by stripping 60,000 cu. yd. (45,873 cu m) of soil, 40,000 cu. yd. (30,582 cu m) of DGA and has completed underground utility work and paving of the parking lots and access roads.

In addition to the Dream Park, Mount Construction has numerous contracts with counties and townships providing them with emergency response services and utility and pipe work services. Just recently, Willingboro MUA contacted Mount Construction regarding a sinkhole created by a collapsed main line sewer interceptor that ran under Beverly Rancocas Road, a four-lane highway. Mount Construction was onsite within one hour to setup traffic control devices and begin installing approximately 1 mi. (1.6 km) of bypass piping to handle the 10 million gal. of sewage per day. Along with the bypass pipeline, Mount Construction also relocated water mains and fiber optic lines and had to suspend and support a gas line.

Once the underground utilities were taken care of, it shifted its focus to the removal of the bridge approach decks over the sewer pipeline. Mount Construction removed 6- by 8-ft. (1.8 by 2.4 m) bridge slabs and recycled them at its yard. It then removed 2,700 cu. yd. (2,064 cu m) of material during the excavation process, replaced 700 linear ft. (213 m) of pipe with 36-in. (91.4 cm) diameter SDR 35 PVC pipe, and constructed four new manholes.

Mount’s construction crews worked 24-hours-a-day and seven-days-a-week to complete the project in just two short months.

With these types of projects, Mount was in need of a backhoe that could handle a large amount of work, increase its productivity and give it consistent uptime. Mount’s current equipment fleet consists of more than 200 pieces, 16 of which are backhoes.

“Backhoes are the perfect tool for utility work and are consistently used by our milling and paving crews,” said Smith.

Mount Construction began its backhoe demo process with a few construction equipment dealerships in the area, one of them being JESCO, a New Jersey John Deere Construction dealership.

“JESCO brought a John Deere 310SJ tool carrier backhoe to one of our projects in the city of Camden for a demo,” said Smith. “We wanted to test out the backhoe in an urban work environment since we use most of our backhoes in those types of locations.”

The John Deere stacked up well against the competition and Mount went to JESCO for another demo of the John Deere 310SJ tool carrier.

“Our entire team of operators, management and service personnel are very involved when considering new equipment,” said Smith. “These are company-wide decisions and we wanted the entire team to see the machine.

“At the first demo, we felt that the Deere had too many features that we would never use. After working closely with JESCO and grasping the technical specs, we had a better understanding of what these features could do for us. Our JESCO salesman, Robert Gamber, did a great job explaining the features of the backhoe to our staff during the demo process. After the two demos with JESCO, it was obvious that we would go with John Deere.

“Comfort was one of the key features we looked at during the demo process,” said Smith.

The John Deere backhoe’s ride-control option smoothes the operator’s movements over rough terrain, which reduces operator fatigue.

“A few of our projects are located about a mile apart in urban areas. We love to drive the Deere backhoe to the next project instead of having to put it on a trailer. The excellent ride control makes for a smooth trip and saves us both time and money,” continued Smith.

The four John Deere 310SJ tool carrier backhoes are equipped with total machine control (TMC), which allows for maximum operator productivity with minimal effort.

“Everything is at your fingertips,” said Smith.

The backhoe’s controls are conveniently located in the armrests and the joysticks respond easily to an operator’s touch, for quick, smooth control of the loader and backhoe functions. The main joystick switch also provides fingertip controls for hydraulically powered attachments. In addition, John Deere added a mini-joystick that lets the operator run both the loader and backhoe simultaneously without removing his or her hands from the controls.

“We require a backhoe that will increase productivity, while remaining operator friendly. The new J Series meets all of our needs,” continued Smith.

Like most construction companies, Mount Construction depends on its equipment to help meet project deadlines, especially for emergency service projects.

“It’s all about uptime,” said Smith.

Unlike traditional designs, John Deere’s tool carrier model eliminates the Z-Bar linkage, self-leveling rod, and numerous grease zerks. John Deere also has added a single, self-adjusting serpentine belt, which reduces maintenance time. The backhoe offers on-board diagnostics with a multi-language digital monitor, allowing for quick troubleshooting solutions for maximum uptime.

“Every piece of equipment needs servicing at some point, regardless of the brand. Our service department works with JESCO, who has a large parts inventory to help eliminate downtime,” said Smith.

Mount’s new John Deere backhoes are working at various locations around the state.

“We have one in Wildwood working on sewer improvements, one in Medford Township installing storm sewers, one working with the milling and paving crew on the Route 295 project, one at the Logan Dream Park and another dedicated to our emergency response team,” said Smith. “We use these backhoes everywhere from emergency work to landscape work.”

For more information on Mount Construction, call 856/768-8493 or visit www.mountconstruction.com.

For more information on Jesco, call 800/241-7070 or visit www.jesco.us.

This story also appears on Construction Equipment Guide.