Classic Refuse Trucks GAR WOOD

Load-Packer LP800

The term "bulk packer" came into use in the 1960's, due to new designs that were capable of digesting heavier items than the trucks of the 40's and 50's. The LP800 was Gar Wood's "bulk packer" designed to compete with the Leach 2R Packmaster and Loadmaster. Along with the LP-700 and T-100, it rounded out their "First Family of Packers" in the late 1960's. Unlike the T-100, the 800 was a body only, and probably found quite a few more buyers. It used a swing link system years ahead of its time, variations of which would later be incorporated into competitors designs such as the Heil Mark V, Dempster Route King and E-Z Pack Goliath. The packer plate was freed from the sidewalls by four pivoting links (reference no.4), which reduced friction and wear.

The 800 used packing and sweep panels working in tandem, much like their competitors. Even the sweep panel cylinder ("panel cylinder") is in the same location as most contemporary slide/sweep designs. Suspending the packer blade on the four swinging links was the big difference. It differed enough from the 2R so as to avoid infringement issues, and is probably a better system...at least in theory. The pivoting links reduce friction and tailgate wear, allowing more force to be applied to the load.

Note also that the the packing cylinder is attached at the mid-point of the lower link. This was to multiply packing force through increased leverage, though the strain on the cylinders may have been very high. This connection point may have also been susceptible to metal fatigue and breakage, though how well it fared is not known for sure. The modern designs still using this system (Dempster and E-Z Pack) have always attached this cylinder directly to the packing panel.

Packing cycle is fairy self -explanatory viewing the sequence at left. The automatic four-stage cycle was controlled by electric servo, but could be switched to dual-lever manual control. Like the T-100, a safety stop bar runs the length of the hopper sill (see reference 7 in top drawing). Knee pressure against the bar caused the cycle to stop instantly.

A Gar Wood exclusive automatic lock/unlock tailgate latch first appeared on the 800. The latches were controlled by movement of the tailgate lift cylinders (ref 19, top drawing), which was not only convenient but safe.

The 800 used telescopic ejection, controlled by a method called CDC (Constant Density Compaction). With this system, forward movement of the ejector occurred when a preset pressure was reached in the packing panel hydraulic circuit. It was claimed that this resulted in more uniform loading than competitors models which used relief valving in the ejector circuit, which varied depending on how many stages of the cylinder were extended.

While the reasons for the T-100's failure seem apparent, The LP-800 appears to have been well engineered and just right for its time. Why it was so short-lived is a mystery, and the last examples were probably built in the early 1970's. However, its swing link design has lived on, and is currently the only significant packing method competing with the slide/sweep system. I am seeking more information on this body and the T-100, and will update this page if anything new is discovered. Please contact CRT if you have any information on these 1960's Gar Woods. I would especially like to hear from persons involved in manufacturing or sales, or those who may have actually used this equipment.

8/8/04 (revised 10/1/04)