What is the ideal Refuse Collector?
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QIMPLIC1TY and economy in operation are two of the most important factors in the design of public-cleansing vehicles, said Mr. T. W. Tillson, A.M.I.A.E., of the municipal depart-. 'meat of Dennis Bros., Ltd., in a paper read an his behalf by Mr. A. Pepys Squire, when the London Centre of the Insiittite of Public Cleansing visited the company's works last Friday.
Mr. Tillson's paper was prophetically entitled "Cleansing Vehicle Design— What of the Future?" Vehicle design requiring later expert attention should be avoided, he said. Intricate mechanism should not be included, and accessibility should be easy. Economy, he said, applied not-only to running costs, but to ease of maintenance.
It was vital to reduce the burden of the dustmen, but a preselective gearbox, or similar refinement, was not the answer. The answer was to improve the receptacles.
Ownership of Bins
The cleansing authority should own the bins, which should be of convenient dimensions and fitted with trunnions for a stirrup handll which the 4oader would have. Full bins could be cleaned on the vehicle by a power-driven brush. If smaller bins were used, causing the loaders less fatigue, larger vehicles would become more popular.
Loading-line height should be not more than 4 ft. 3 ins. Trimming and packing should be eliminated, and the mechanical loader should be considered.
Side and rear loading were common, said Mr. Tillson, but in his view front loading was the ideal. He suggested that, in a suitable vehicle, the driver would be in a single-seater cab and the engine would be set to the off side. The hopper could be integral with the body, leaving as carrying space the whole length from the rear of the cab to the maximum overhang. Forward loading would give greater safety on the road, too.
The self-loading mechanism should be simple and practical. Driving force for the loading plate should be from the same pump as that ueed for the tipping ram, and should be hydraulic.
Such a body would, however, be heavy, unless non-corrosive alloys were used for body panels and sections. Mr. Tillson felt there was a bright future for these metals.
As to the Means for discharge, he considered the tipping body to be the best. Again, one pump could he used for both loading and tipping.
Where the Carrier loader was favoured, forward loading would be ideal, as the plate would be in front of the refuse, leaving a clear opening at the rear.
Gully and cesspool emptiers, he said, were to-day on a high standard, and little improvement would be made for a long time. Some people said the gully emptier was a "Heath-Robinson-looking" apparatus, but "streamlining" would seriously reduce accessibility.
In conclusion, the author suggested that just as Whitworth introduced standard screw threads, and the I.A.E. standardized certain vehicle-fittings, so the Institute of Public Cleansing should evolve standards for cleansing vehicles.
In the course of a brief discussion following the reading of the paper, there was a certain amount of controversy on the question of whether or not to simplify design, One speaker said that complicated repairs could easily be sent out. Another said that the greatest enemies of mechanism were dust and grit.