Classic Refuse Trucks HOBBS HYD-PAK

Hobbs Hydepak

By 1962, the side loader packer field was becoming crowded. Both Baughman (Jerseyville, Illinois) and Theile (Somerset, Pennsylvania) were building near-identical copies of the original Hyd-Pak side loader. In Los Angeles, Western Body and Bowles were both building an improved variation of the partial-pack side loader with their respective Shu-Pak and Load-N-Pack drop-frame units. Hobbs answer to the increased competition was to diversify the lineup with the new Hyd-Pak M Series, a full travel packer with a telescopic ram, which was essentially a clone of the famous Hydro E-Z Pack. The old partial-pack model remained in the lineup, now known as the "60 Series".

M-Series side loader hauls box-car refuse for the Santa Fe railroad
Hyd-pak was also aggressive in going after the bulk refuse handling market, developing the Pack-Saddle cable roll-off container truck and a single container carrier called the Papoose which was obviously designed to compete with Dempster's short-haul Dumpster system. By mid-decade they had also joined the list of truck manufacturers offering refuse transfer stations to compliment their trailer line. With the Hyd-Pak M-Series side loader, Hobbs would also seem to have had a good starting point for a front loader, but evidently decided not to compete in that segment of the market.

The Papoose bottom-dumping, short-haul container system system

In 1967 however, they had jumped in to the rear-loader race with a pivoting-hopper packer very similar in function to the Heil Colectomatic, though there were some important and interesting differences. The Hyd-Pak had a toggle linkage acting on the packing panel, with claimed faster operation plus torque multiplication near the end of the blade travel path. Hobbs also used single stage cylinders (outside the tailgate) to lift the hinged hopper section, whereas Heil favored telescopics mounted beneath the hopper. The Hyd-Pak's hopper cylinders were of the single acting type, since the weight of the hopper was sufficient to return it by gravity to the loading position.

The 1967 Hobbs Hyd-Pak Rear Loader

Perhaps most striking about this rear loader was the construction of the body, which resembles a "squared-off tube", with continuously welded braces girdling the diameter of the structure. This type of body design would become popular among the west coast front loader manufacturers, with slightly more curvature for improved strength-to-weight ratios. Despite this seemingly advanced body construction method, Hyd-Pak (for reasons unknown) replaced it shortly after introduction with a more conventional rectangular/braced version. All Hyd-Pak rear loaders were full eject type, with dual side electric packing controls.

The rear loader, along with the rest of the Hyd-Pak line does not appear to have survived very far into the 1970's, though exactly when they ceased production is not known. During their short existence, the company did manage to create some interesting and innovative products which would seem foreshadow certain refuse body trends of the future, even if they were mostly a regional player in their day.

See the related Side Load Packer album here at CRT.

3/5/06