VEHICLES AND EQUIPMENT ON PARADE
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— at the Public Cleansing Conference
by Gordon Crabtree
THE LATEST DEVELOPMENTS in appliances which will enable municipal authorities to deal more efficiently and economically with the ever increasing problems caused by the growing volume of refuse dealt with by councils, will be a major feature of the Institute of Public Cleansing Conference, demonstration and exhibition at Scarborough from June 22 to 25. Close on 100 exhibitors will either demonstrate or display their extensive ranges of municipal equipment.
Among the new vehicles on display will be the Bulkmaster from Dennis Brothers Ltd, of Guildford, Surrey which has a non-continuous loading and packing mechanism. Like a number of exhibits, it reflects today's increased concern with the environment, being quieter, cleaner, faster and cheaper to operate than conventional types of refuse vehicles, and has less wear and tear on moving parts.
A low hopper at the back of the Bulkmaster holds the contents of as many as 20 dustbins before it has to be emptied into the body. In less than 15 seconds the entire contents of the raised hopper can be swept in by a descending plate.
In addition, Dennis Brothers are demonstrating advanced refuse collection with the Dennis Paxit 70 and Paxit 50. Loading and compacting are achieved with two separate mechanisms synchronized with each other. They use ejector discharge giving clean and speedy emptying. Also in the Dennis range will be several gully and cesspool ernptiers.
Methods of transporting compact refuse in bulk will also be demonstrated by Powell Duffryn Engineering Ltd, of Llantrisant, Glamorgan. The company's 65 cu yd Dumpmaster compaction trailer, the largest compaction refuse transporter in service in Europe, uses a 25-ton ram and packer plate to compact refuse to about one-third of its loose volume. The frameless 39ft trailer then makes the journey to a disposal site using the ram to discharge the load without tipping.
Councils with collections of waste to make from commercial and industrial premises will be interested in the Powell Duffryn Packslave and Powermite on-the-spot compactors which can, therefore, lead to a saving in the number of collections to be made. A new film on the latest developments in refuse transfer station operations will be shown by the company.
Johnston Brothers (Engineering) Ltd, of Dorking, Surrey, will be exhibiting for the first time a new heavy-duty road suction cleaning unit, the Johnston Junior. This vehicle is a development of the firm's standard machine and is specifically intended for areas of heavy traffic density—housing estates, and areas where the physical size of the equipment is important. At the same time, however, the performance of the Junior is such that it can tackle heavy concentrations of materials and provide full suction-cleaning capability in an extremely compact machine. The company has already delivered its first export Junior and anticipates considerable Continental interest for vehicles of this type. The Johnston Junior is the result of four years of design and development.
Rolba Ltd, of East Grinstead, Sussex, a well-known manufacturer of rotary snowploughs, is to introduce a new Rolba-Weisser gritting system. Ranging from a small pedestrian-operated footpath model to a 6 cubic metre independently power-operated bulk gritter, the machines are said to represent an advanced generation of this type of equipment. The feed of spreading material is controlled by means of a Archimedeantype screw feeding device and the spreader disc is powered by a separate hydraulic motor. Because the gritter has two independent hydraulic systems the operator is able to adjust not only the density of spread but also the width from the control box in his cab. A larger motorway gritter body is also available with a spreading width of 20 metres. The trend towards more compact and easier handling orderly equipment for local authorities can be seen in the wide range exhibited by G. W. Elen and Sons Ltd, of Paragon Works, St Georges Way, London SE1 5. Of particular interest will be the newly designed Paragon hydraulic tipping paper salvage trailer with a body dimension of 10ft x 5ft x 4ft 6in, giving an approximate capacity of 8 cu yd.
The trailer is mounted on heavy-duty pneumatic wheeled equipment with semielliptical springs and has centre pull drum brakes actuated from an overrun towing hitch and is complete with hand-lever brake. The trailer is of steel-welded fabrication with double rear doors and drop-side panels. The hydraulics can be operated either by connection to the towing vehicle or with fitted double-acting hand pump. Among other interesting Elen exhibits will be a triangular-shaped all-steel welded and fabricated truck fitted with sack-carrying brackets and hinged lid cover.
Lacre Ltd, of St Albans, Herts, has produced a road sweeper, the new TG Compact, which is not only shorter and more manoeuvrable than previous models, but is more powerful too. Mounted on a Bedford diesel chassis, it has an auxiliary power unit which is independently controlled from the cab and drives the Lacre exhauster and sweeping equipment. A full-floating scarifying brush automatically follows the kerb sweeping debris into the path of the self-adjusting suction nozzle. The dirt container is opened and tipped hydraulically. Atomized water spray is produced by a pump which draws water from the tank into the bottom of the container.
Atkinson's of Clitheroe Ltd is showing a new machine for the first time at Scarborough but all the company will say about it at this stage is that it represents a "new operational concept to the task of cleaning of roadways". The firm has been collaborating with a world-famous British company on this project.
Yorkshire Vehicles Ltd (previously the Yorkshire Patent Steam Wagon Co) will display its new Mk IV vacuum suction road sweeper which can compress its load and squeeze out water during the course of operation, so reducing time spent journeying to waste tips. This sweeper, it is claimed, is considerably quieter than others in operation, a significant factor to local authorities who operate night sweeping. It can be fitted to the 7 /8-ton chassis of all major manufacturers, and has electrically operated controls with the cab mounted for easy operation.
General Descaling Ltd, Worksop, Notts, will Ilave its new two-in-one Jet Set gully emptier on show. This is the company's latest development and incorporates a vehicle jetting unit to clear sewers from ground level and a matched-capacity gully sucker trailer unit for removing manhole silt after jetting has taken place. It can be operated in the complete control of one operator and eliminates the need for a separate vehicle. The rosin exhibit of coachbuilders John Gibson and Son Ltd, of Edinburgh, will be a new model of the Multiversal dual-purpose container-lifting body mounted on the Leyland Boxer chassis. This vehicle has a continuous loading action with ejection discharge. Its simple but ingenious mechanism eliminates the usual wire-rope problems. Gibson claims that its speed of container loading is in excess of any other vehicle in this sphere.
Gibson is also exhibiting an alternative tailgate which can be fitted to the Multiversal.
Since H. Young (Motors) Ltd, of Chester-le-Street, Co. Durham, introduced the Sturdiluxe Gannet. earlier this year the machine has found wide acceptance by local authorities. A well-developed machine among factory and precinct pedestrian-controlled sweeper collectors, it can handle a wide range of materials including broken glass, rubble, factory waste materials, swarf and all normal street refuse. Capacity is 4; cu ft and the design has aimed at simplified maintenance and adjustment arrangements.
An automatic contracting brush chamber device makes it possible to adjust the Sturdiluxe Gannet's brush for wear throughout its life without removal. Its two-wheel-drive system incorporates a differential requiring little maintenance or lubrication. The Gannet is fitted with dust suppression and its gutter brush can be used on either side by quick, simple adjustment.
An important new unit from Multilift Ltd, of Shrewsbury, is another "first" at the exhibition. This unit brings container handling facilities to the operator who is utilising vehicles in the eight to 8.5-ton gvw class. Designated A0A.275, it has a lifting capacity of 4 tons and in common with all Multilift equipment incorporates tipping facilities to more than 50deg.
The A0A.275 has been introduced specifically to meet the needs of operators who wish to employ container handling facilities without using the heavier vehicles normally associated with containers. All types of open or closed bodywork can be managed with the new unit. Bodies handled by the A0A.275 equipment will be interchangeable with those utilized by the larger Multilift models. The unit on show will be mounted on a Bedford KDS 151in. wheelbase chassis 8.5-ton gvw and will be operated by a local authority in the East Midlands.
The CR21/40 Static Compactor is also being displayed for the first time. The most important feature of this unit is that no separate power pack is required and all control operations on the automatic cycle are mechanically hydraulic, so that there are no complex electrical circuits to maintain, The Compactor is suitable for all types of waste and can be used with 11 or 15 cu yd containers. To provide mobility, the unit can be mounted direct to a Multilift sub-frame.
Vehicle and Plant Supply Co Ltd, of West Drayton, Middlesex, which manufactures Vapsco tipping equipment, has a special exhibit in its new Dodge vehicle from the fleet of Richard Biffa Ltd, one of London's largest refuse handling contractors and among the forerunners of dry waste container handling operators. The vehicle is fitted with a Vapsco skip loader which was the first ail-British open type to be placed on the market. Starting its working life in 1963 on a Thames 1313in.-wheelbase vehicle and subsequently transferred to a Leyland in 1966, it is now shown on its third new chassis, a Dodge K1050. The equipment was originally designed for five to 12 cu yd containers but now has modified arms and can handle 20 cu yd skips or compaction containers.
Making its debut at the conference and exhibition, the new 2.5 cu yd side-loading baby-size refuse collection vehicle from Melford Engineering Ltd in Cambridge should attract a great deal of interest.
Based on the same rugged Reliant chassis as the Mefferd suction .sweeper, the new loader is available either with a tipping or fixed body and with leftor right-hand drive. The loader's 700 cc high-efficiency engine gives it exceptional fuel economy linked to fast transit speeds between working areas and tips.
Owing to its small size this vehicle can, of course, enter restricted working areas, and so reduce site-to-vehicle manhandling of refuse_ Combined with light vehicle weight and large container capacity, this offers additional advantages where the requirement is for precinct bin-emptying and traverse over light roads and pathways.
As in the suction sweeper, a glassfibre cab construction has been fitted and contains all the required driver instrumentations, mirrors and seat-belt. Cab-top flasher, sign writing and other fitments are available as optional extras.
The two Blew Knox sweepers on Stand 17 are likely to create a lot of interest. The larger of these is the newly designed Roadmaster 1600_ Although this sweeper makes its debut here, its exhaustive testing programme is not expected to be completed until later in the year, at which time it will be available for sale. Like the smaller Pathmaster 42, it has been specially designed to work for local authorities. It is lift 6in, long and made principally to sweep roads, but being only 4ft 6in. wide, it will also operate in confined areas such as narrow driveways. The three-wheel manoeuvrability and tight turning circle give it the ability to sweep a cul-de-sac without the need to reverse out.
The Roadmaster 1600 has the characteristic Blaw Knox sweeper styling with a spacious cab and generous hopper which will hold a 40 Cu ft payload—twice that of the PM42. It is hydraulically tipped at a steep angle for clean discharge. A Volkswagen 1600 Cc, air-cooled, petrol engine supplies the drive as well as power for the hydraulic system. The 3ft Sin. (one metre) wide main brush is hydraulically driven and is independently raised and lowered from the cab to allow the sweeper to ride over kerbs without causing damage. The two side-brushes are also hydraulically driven and raised. The rams both raise and fold the side brushes within the machine's width in one smooth action. These brushes are fully floated and consequently give efficient channel cleansing.
An independently controlled three-nozzle water spray system dampens down across the full sweep width to eliminate airborne dust. Water is pumped from a 60gal (272-litre) tank by an electric pump. Operation of all the Roadmaster's functions is controlled from the driver's cab which is equipped with a comprehensive instrument display inaluding two-speed heater demister, cigarette lighter and fresh-air ventilation system.
A new item from William Bunce and Son, of Ashbury, Swindon, Wilts, is the Bunce Motor Footpath Equipment with snowplough, and grass-cutting equipment and other horticultural attachments. It can be used with a salt/sand spreader, and a new rotary brush complete with gearbox which gives three different speeds of brush rotation. This enables it to deal with virtually any sweeping problem.