Garbage Truck

Overview

A rear-loader garbage truck is a Class 8 diesel chassis married to a hydraulic Refuse Body. The Diesel Engine drives the wheels through an automatic Automatic Transmission, but it also feeds a power take-off that runs the body. That dual role, moving the truck and powering the compaction gear, is what separates a refuse truck from an ordinary chassis cab.

The crew works at the rear hopper. Waste is tossed in or tipped from wheeled carts by the Cart Lifter, then a packer blade sweeps and crushes it forward into the body. A 25 yd³ body holds several tons of compacted waste before the truck heads to the transfer station, where an ejector panel pushes the whole load out the open tailgate.

The low-entry Cab seats a driver and a crew member, with frequent stop-start operation handled by the automatic transmission and full air brakes.

How it works

Power starts at the engine. A PTO on the transmission turns the PTO Hydraulic Pump, a gear pump that pressurizes oil from the reservoir. That oil flows through a directional valve bank to the cylinders that do the work.

Three motions run the collection cycle. The cart lifter rotates a cart up and over the rear hopper, dumping its contents. The packer blade, driven by its cylinders inside the body, sweeps the waste in, compacts it against the load already there, and retracts for the next throw. Each cycle squeezes loose trash to roughly a third of its volume.

At the transfer station the tailgate cylinders raise the hinged rear gate, and the telescopic ejector cylinder pushes the ejector panel the full length of the body, sweeping the compacted load out in one stroke. The whole sequence is commanded through the Body Control System, with controls at both the rear station and inside the cab.