Heil Colecto and Colecto-Pak Heil began building building bucket loaders under contract for Colection Equipment Corporation in the late 1920s. These were not actually badged as Heil product, but sold as Colecto. Early Colecto models included side bucket loaders very similar to modern recycling trucks. However, these were used primarily for the collection of dense wastes such as ash and garbage. The extent of Heils involvement with Colecto into the later 1930's is not entirely clear, and by that time Colectos were being sold by Municipal Sanitation Corporation of Bridgeport, Connecticut. Municipal improved the rear and side bucket Colecto loaders, added a side load packer body (with mechanically driven packer plate) and even a screw-auger loader, very similar to the German Krupp models. The basic bucket-type loaders were the least expensive mechanical loading refuse trucks on the market, and were popular choices with cities and towns of all sizes. They were particularly well suited for the collection of wrapped and unwrapped garbage, which was often collected separately. Putriscible garbage, by nature is dense and requires virtually no compaction. Fully enclosed bucket loader bodies also helped to contain the strong odors that accompany garbage. However, due to the increasing use of disposable packaging for consumer goods, the composition of dry household refuse began to change, increasing in bulk and decreasing in density. Separate collection of garbage, ash and rubbish began to give way to mixed collection in many cities. 1945 Heil Colecto non-compressing bucket loader Refuse collection equipment began to change as well. Leach was selling a companion model to their Refuse Getter bucket loader dubbed the Compactor, which added a compression plate inside the front of the body. The plate was operated to periodically push refuse rearward into the body and thus increasing capacity. Sometime during the early-to-mid 1940's, Heil bought out Municipal (and with it the Colecto trade name), and in 1945 began to market the Heil Colecto, a fully enclosed, rear-bucket loader featuring hydraulic lift arms. These lightweight, non-compaction loaders were direct competitors with Leach, as well as the Galion and Gar Wood bucket loaders. The same year, Heil added a front compaction plate to the Colecto, and the thus the Colecto-Pak was born. Designed by Joseph Heil and Arthur Samuelsen, The Colecto-Pack used a novel means to power the compression plate, which was hinged at its base to the front wall of the body. Two tie rods coupled each bucket lift arm to the top edge of the plate, so that the raising of the arms caused the plate to swing forward automatically to accept the contents of the trough into the body. Side plates welded to the compression platen helped to prevent spillage during the bucket dumping operation. When the bucket was lowered, the lift arms then pulled the plate rearward, similtaneously closing off the opening and pushing the refuse rearward into the body. Since the lift arms were operated by double-acting hydraulic cylinders, a positive compaction was achieved without depending solely on the weight of the bucket to close the packer plate. Colecto-Pak loader arms and packer plate: shown in blue highlights (loading position) with trough at rear of body and compression plate closed. Red highlights show arms raised to dump trough, while tie rods A similtaneously open compression plate. Arms powered by two underbody hydraulic cylinders shown in green highlights. Another hoist B raises the body at the disposal point. Workman loads the trough of a 1949 Colecto-Pak from South Pasadena, California. Note the custom riding steps below the bucket The Colecto-Paks featured a 3/4 cubic yard trough, and the first models had a body capacity of eight, ten and thirteen cubic yards. These choices were later pared down to nine and twelve yards capacity. The Colecto-Pak was a popular seller, and helped Heil to secure a share of the burgeoning post-war refuse body market. Establishing this foothold would serve as a bulwark against rivals Gar Wood and Leach, who were already selling rear load packer bodies, and helped pave the way for the introduction of their own all new Colectomatic rear loader in 1953. Left: With rear door open and trough raised, the packer plate face is visible inside this Colecto-Pak on display in Boston at the 1948 APWA Congress. Right: Shelbyville, Indiana Colecto-Pak discharging its load in 1956. 1954 is the last year the Colecto-Pak was advertised in American City Magazine, though it reasonable to assume that it remained in production for some years after that date. The "bulking up" of American refuse probably led to the eventual demise of the Colecto-Pak rather than any flaw in this simple, rugged design. Many of these were exported abroad, and that market may have been more receptive to this style of loader even into the 1960's. Heil company went on to become one of the worlds leading producers of refuse bodies, contributing many advances to the industry. Most notable was the 1960 Colectomatic Mark II, the worlds first rear load packer with full telescopic ejection. Haverford Township, Pennsylvania, owned this 1951 Autocar with with larger 12 cubic yard Colecto-Pak body. Haverford is just east of the Autocar factory in Ardmore, in the Philadelphia suburbs. The large body is easy to spot by its flattened roof line. This Colecto-Pak from Waukegan, Illinois was featured in a 1951 advertisement 1946 Colecto-Pak for Chicago Built in March, 1951 this Colecto-Pak was recently purchased by Allied Waste for restoration Click here to see more pictures 8/2/04 (revised 1/4/09) © 2004 Eric Voytko All Rights Reserved Photos from factory brochures/advertisements except as noted Logos shown are the trademarks of respective manufacturers