



Grapple trucks have hydraulic knucklebooms, tipped with a clamshell bucket, and usually include a dump body or trailer.The first Heil ® Half/Pack ® front load garbage truck rolled out of the factory in 1984, and never looked back. These items (furniture, large appliances, branches, logs) are called bulky waste or “oversized.” The preferred method for collecting these items is with a grapple truck. A large percentage of items in the solid waste stream are too large or too heavy to be safely lifted by hand into traditional garbage trucks. Grapple trucks enable the collection of bulk waste.
FRONT LOAD GARBAGE TRUCK DRIVER
The system usually allows the driver to “pick up” the waste, even if the access is blocked by cars, snow or other barriers. From here it will suck up waste from an underground installation. Pneumatic collection trucks have a crane with a tube and a mouthpiece that fits in a hole, usually hidden under a plate under the street. The waste will then slide into the hopper of the truck. The truck will have a chain or cable system for upending the container. Often in many areas they have a lifting mechanism to automatically empty large carts without the operator having to lift the waste by hand.Īnother popular system for the rear loader is a rear load container specially built to fit a groove in the truck. Rear Loaders have an opening at the rear that a waste collector can throw waste bags or empty the contents of bins into. Typically an Automated Side Loader uses specialized wheeled carts compatible with the truck’s automated lift. An Automated Side Loader only needs one operator, where a traditional rear load garbage truck may require two or three people, and has the additional advantage of reducing on the job injuries due to repetitive heavy lifting. Using a continuously reciprocating wall within the loading hopper, the waste is forced through an aperture into the main body and therefore compacted towards the rear of the truck. Lift-equipped trucks are referred to as automated side loaders. Side Loaders are loaded from the side, either manually, or with the assistance of an automated lift. When the body is full, the compaction wall moves all the way to the rear of the body, ejecting it via an open tailgate. Most of the newer packing trucks have “pack-on-the-go hydraulics” which lets the driver pack loads while driving, allowing faster route times. Once the waste is dumped, it is compacted by a hydraulically powered moving wall that oscillates backwards and forwards to push the waste to the rear of the vehicle. Once it gets to the top the container is then flipped upside down and the waste or recyclable material is emptied into the vehicle’s hopper. The waste container is then lifted over the truck.

The truck is equipped with automated forks on the front which the driver carefully aligns with sleeves on the waste container using a joystick or a set of levers. If you were starting a garbage company, what kind of truck is best to own? Would it be a Front Loader, Side Loader, Rear Loader or Grapple Truck? The answer depends on a lot of factors.įront Loaders are generally service commercial and industrial businesses using large waste containers with lids known as front load dumpsters.
