EMCO in the 1980's The early 1980's saw the introduction of an all-new lift system, powered by two hydraulic cylinders; one 18" stroke ram for lifting, and a 30" stroke ram for horizontal extension. The EMCO packer body was available in 20, 25 or 30 cubic yard capacities. It featured a powered, bubble tailgate assembly and a unique packer cylinder. The horizontally mounted telescopic ram had only two stages.; the first stage was extended for packing, and the second for ejecting. Thus, an abnormally large protrusion was needed in the packer blade to house the cylinder, as shown on the 30 yard body below: As their speed increased, automated systems become more and more attractive to cost-conscious municipalities. The new EMCO lift could hoist, dump and return containers in 10-16 seconds. This was a big improvement over the chain hoist system of the 1970's, which had a cycle time of 26-30 seconds. The images below demonstrate the lifting and dumping action using a 3 yard container: By the end of the decade, EMCO had been sold to Rand Automated Compaction Systems of Raleigh, North Carolina, and joined their new stable of automated and manual side loaders. 4/5/09 © 2009 Eric Voytko All Rights Reserved Logos shown are the trademarks of respective manufacturers Photos from factory brochures/trade advertisements except as noted