Classic Refuse Trucks TRUXMORE

Truxmore: 1965 to the 1980s

Container loader remained popular, and hopper opening was widened during 1960's

    Truxmore Pakkers remained virtually unchanged from 1963 until the last models were built in the late 1980s. The brand was acquired by American Precision Industries in the 1960s, but was sold again soon thereafter. The company traded as Truck Equipment Corporation (Tecorp), Truxmore Industries, and Truxmore Inc. (T.I.), and at some point moved the refuse truck headquarters to Richmond, Virginia. In 1985, Truxmore assets were purchased by a liquidator, and were sold off to pay debts and liabilities. The Truxmore Pakker was revived briefly in the late 1980s by Rand Automated Compaction Systems of Raleigh, North Carolina. Rand continued production of the barrel trucks (re-badged as the Rand Classic) for a short time, as part of a family of side-loading refuse trucks including the old Cobey and EMCO designs. This company also folded in the early 1990s.

By the 1970s, The a 27-yard body replaced the Big 32 as the king of the Truxmore lineup

At the other end of the scale, the "Tecorp 10" arrived around 1970 for scattered and rural routes, or restricted spaces. This low-profile series had it packing ram mounted to the bottom of the body, instead of the top as on full-size models

In 1973, Truxmore became one of the first manufacturers to promote the USS Roll-A-Waste cart system

"Truxmore 15" arrived around 1974, an elongated version of the Tecprp 10. This one has a Trux-Tilt bin lift to empty Roll-A-Waste carts

The USS Roll-A-Waste cart was one of the first semi-automated systems; note the operator holds the lid in his left hand

Vacuums were offered from the very first years, such as this leaf loader from 1961. Due in part to the location of the packer blade
return cylinder on these early models, the engine and fan were mounted over the cab

The revamped '63-and-up Truxmore Pakker had more dead space in front of the packer panel,
and here we see the vacuum unit has been 'shoe-horned' into the body

Easier access for service is probably what dictated situating the vacuum on the truck frame, between the cab and body.
The 27 yarder on the right has had its vac assembly removed

At left, a V-4 Wisconsin engine option for packing "on-the-go". At right is Truxmore's version of the train system for residential collection.
A "mother" truck would empty the containers after crews had filled them

Truxmore containers, available in six sizes, from 1-4 cubic yards, were once a familiar site in the eastern United States

27-yard Pakker with container attachment at the Richmond factory

18-yard Pakker on 1977 Ford owned by Cummings Refuse Service of Hurricane, West Virginia

27-yard Truxmore Pakker on a hand-loaded residential route. During the 1970s and 1980s, these were among the largest packers around,
and were far cheaper and easier to maintain than a rear loader. With a 600 lbs+ per cubic yard capability, they were popular with small independents
and municipal outfits alike. However, with the skirts raised at the end of the route, loading height was almost as bad as an old open bodied truck.

ALL-ALUMINUM TRUXMORE

    In 1980, Truxmore and Reynolds Metals Company built this prototype all-aluminum 23-yard body. Truxmore steel bodies had already been among the lightest in the industry, but at 3,100 pounds, the prototype was less than half the weight of the steel version. It was virtually rust-proof, and its lighter weight meant more legal payload and improved vehicle fuel economy. Given the consistently high scrap value of aluminum, the body would potentially be worth its original purchase price when it finally wore out! This prototype appeared at the International Waste Equipment and Technology Exposition in Atlanta in April, and was slated for extensive field testing later in the year.

    For reasons unknown, the aluminum Truxmore never seems to have made it into regular production. Even if it had passed its trial period, the expense may have been too much for 1981, when the company had hoped to have it on sale. The economic situation was quite bad at the time, and Truxmore's best customers were towns and small haulers that could least afford it. Thirty years later, the all-aluminum, circular-bodied refuse truck would eventually return when Inpak (Drummondville, Quebec) announced an automated side loader, which is still in production as of this writing.

1988 Rand Classic 23-yard body; the last of the Truxmore barrel trucks

REFERENCES

Solid Wastes Management/Refuse Removal Journal, July 1980, page 60
Truxmore Hopes Aluminum Body will Save on Fuel, Maintenance Costs

Rand Automated Compaction Systems at Classic Refuse Trucks

Vintage Truxmore literature on PDF at the Classic Refuse Trucks Library

4/5/09 (Updated 2/21/21)