The 450 SC slide-in vacuum tank, made by Robinson Vacuum Tanks Inc., offers portable san-itation contractors a longer sill-to-tank weld that increases strength
and durability.

"Our tank is welded along the full length of the sill, not just at the front and back," says Zach Robbins, general manager. "That's one thing that makes our tanks different from most."

The 450 SC – which is 7 feet long, 4 feet wide and 61 inches tall – is designed to fit in a full-size pickup truck bed; Robbins recommends nothing smaller than a 3/4-ton vehicle. It's also suitable for mounting on a flatbed truck or trailer. For mounting, the unit features four pre-drilled holes that accommodate 3/8-inch-diameter bolts.
The unit is aimed primarily at smaller startup businesses that don't need a full-size vacuum truck to clean portable restrooms and grease traps. "But some bigger companies also like to use it for large special events where there's not enough room to get around the site with a large vacuum truck," Robbins says. "It's easier to maneuver with a slide-in tank."

The unit features a 300-gallon waste/150-gallon freshwater tank made of 1/4-inch-thick aluminum. It also can be built in a 200-gallon waste/100-gallon freshwater or 400-gallon waste/200-gallon freshwater configuration. The tank is designed with flat heads that are welded along the horizontally placed water tank for rigidity under pressure. The horizontal tank split results in a more balanced load than with a vertically partitioned tank, Robbins says.

Other standard features include a 2-inch hose fitting and 3-inch camlock on the top load; a 3-inch fitting for the discharge valve; a 1 1/2-inch fitting for the bucket fill; 50 feet of washdown hose; and 30 feet of 2-inch-diameter Tiger Tail hose with a stinger, made by Flexaust Inc. The hose mounts are located halfway up the tank so they're at around shoulder height, providing better ergonomics for the operator.

In addition, the 450 SC comes with a primary shut-off; an easily accessible secondary moisture trap; a 5-1/2 hp Honda electric-start motor; a Conde Super 6 vacuum/pressure pump, made by Westmoor Ltd., that can move 70 cfm; two 2-inch-diameter sight glasses for the waste tank; and one 1/2-inch-diameter sight tube for the freshwater tank. An optional deodorizing scent box for the muffler is available.

The 450 SC weighs about 750 pounds empty and about 3,000 pounds with a full waste tank (assuming the water tank isn't full at the same time). Contractors would need a forklift to load and unload the unit, Robbins says. 800/252-3848; www.robinsontanks.com.