In 1962, after seven years experience as an independent truck driver, Harold Walbert decided to take another route in life.
“With experience in hauling scrap and knowledge of the trucking business, I saw potential in the scrap and recycling industry,” said Walbert.
For 44 years, Walbert Contracting Service, a family-run business, has served the Breinigsville, PA, area as a scrap yard and metal recycler. Most of the material that it processes on the 15-acre facility, consists of farm products and machinery.
“We cut the materials down to size, clean out the wiring and other things that are unsuitable for the mill,” said Walbert, “and in some cases, we send products to the pipe refinery.”
Walbert rarely has a problem selling materials, but sometimes it is difficult finding material to process, “Recently we faced some tough times, with steel mills shutting down. We needed some new customers and to get new customers we needed new, more modern equipment.”
Through his own research, Walbert found what he was looking for in the Genesis GXP 500R, a 14,000-lb. (6,350 kg) rotary shear with a rotator swivel of 360 degrees, made by Genesis Equipment & Manufacturing in Superior, WI.
To find a carrier that would best accommodate the Genesis shear, Walbert turned to Plasterer Equipment Co.’s Sales Representative Jim Sagl, whom he had worked with in the past.
“I chose Plasterer Equipment Co.,” said Walbert, “because it’s local, and the sales and service are outstanding.”
Although Plasterer is not a dealer for Genesis, Sagl worked closely with Mike Condron of Genesis to coordinate the custom fit of a 50-ton (45 t) class John Deere 450C LC excavator with 6125H PowerTech engine, and the Genesis shear.
According to Sagl, “Even though it was our first time working together, the engineers and technicians from Plasterer and Genesis worked well as a team; it was a combined effort. Genesis prepared the unit and Plasterer did the plumbing, installation, and hydraulics when it was delivered.”
The collaborative effort produced a machine that Walbert said, “works well and is very user friendly — they put all of the controls on one side, making it easy to operate.”
Walbert also has enjoyed increased production rate and capability.
“The Genesis Shear cuts time in half, has increased productivity threefold, and it can rotate in the most difficult circumstances. It can turn, it can cut, it can pick. And my grandson, Lance, just loves working with it, too,” said Walbert. CEG
