Improvements in a Popular Refuse Collector
Page 48
If you've noticed an error in this article please click here to report it so we can fix it.
IT is some mouths since Dennis Bros., Ltd., of Guildford, introduced the LF 30 refuse-collecting machine, but in the interim the appliance has made much headway and has been put into service by a number of municipal under
takings. Certain important improve ments have now been effected in the design, and in referring to these we can, perhaps, best make mention of them as embodied in six new machines ordered by the Bermondsey authorities.
The chassis. which serves as the basis of the vehicle remains as heretofore, and the 7-cubic-yd. low-loading body, with its projection at each side of the driver's seat, has been retained.
In cross-section the body is an irregular hexagon, of which the floor and the lower parts of the sides are at right angles. The central part of the roof, which is 2 ft. wide at the front and 2 ft. 6 ins, wide at the rear, is supported by the upper halves of the sides, which slope inwards at an angle of about 45 degrees. In plan, the body tapers outwards from the front to the rear, and this construction results in the load being quickly precipitated when tipping is undertaken. The width of the body at the front is 5 ft. 9 ins., and at the rear 6 ft. 3 ins.
Located in each of the inclined sides of the body are two openings, 3 ft. 9 ins, long and 2 ft. 5 ins, wide, through which refuse bins can easily be emptied, the height being not more than 4 ft. 4 ins, from ground level. The dimensions of the apertures may, at first sight, appear to be unnecessarily large, but their size has been determined by
two factors. In the first place, it enables the contents of the bins to he discharged into any part of the body and thus to equalize distribution of the load, and, secondly, it permits certain articles, not generally considered to be household refuse—mattresses, parts of bedsteads, worn-out pails, etc.—to be accommodated.
Each opening is provided with a metal cover having a thick rubber gasket which, when the cover is closed. gives practically an airtight joint, thus preventing wind currents from scattering the load. The cover is lifted well clear of the aperture, by means of a hand lever, the action being assisted by a balance weight so that very little physical effort is required. '
Whereas Dennis refuse collectors can be made with automatic foot-operated covers, i he Bermondsey authorities, from their close knowledge of working conditions in their area, thought it would hardly he satisfactory for a man loaded with a heavy bin to have to balance on one foot while operating the treadle with the other. In other districts, however, where the standard bin in use is smaller, this system is quite effective.
Hydraulic tipping gear is provided for emptying the contents of the body, the single telescopic ram raising the body to an elevation of over 50 degrees, thus ensuring rapid emptying.