Equipment Manufacturing, Inc. Detroit, Michigan by Eric Voytko     The short-lived Quad-O-Matic appeared in the early fifties and was at once both a throwback to the earliest refuse loaders, and a foreshadowing of things yet to come. Quad-O-Matic was not a packer, but a mechanically loaded dump body in the tradition of the Colecto, the pioneering 1930's side-bucket loader. Whereas Colecto utilized a single bucket, the Quad-O-Matic had four; two on each side, all operable independently.     The buckets were track-guided, and hoisted by cables to the top of the body where they were inverted and emptied their contents into the body. Controls for the buckets were located in the cab and on the side of the body. In transit, the buckets remained stowed in the top position to form a cover over the load. One of three 25 cubic yard Quad-O-Matics ordered by Brookline, Massachusetts in 1952     The Quad-O-Matic body was constructed of lightweight aluminum, and a hydraulic hoist emptied the body by gravity through an automatically unlocking end gate. Though lacking a compaction feature, this body style was still quite popular at the time. The Quad was particularly suitable for collecting separated garbage, which has a higher density than mixed garbage and combustible rubbish.     The Quad-O-Matic was one of the last mass-produced bucket loaders, and after a short run during the 1950's, was gone by the end of the decade. However, the Quad's concept would be resurrected over twenty-five years later. During the 1980's, the need arose for a collection truck to handle separated, dense materials of another type: recyclable glass, plastic and paper. Thus, the modern recycler body would emerge from of the ashes of the Quad-O-Matic. These successors to the Quad would feature internally partitioned bodies and 'tucked in' side buckets that could remain lowered during travel. Many would also have compaction blades. It is a tribute to the Quad-O-Matic that these bodies were so similar in function and appearance. THE TRASHTAINER SYSTEM     Towards the end of its run in, an interesting adaptation of the Quad-O-Matic appeared, reconfigured as a commercial side loader. Forward-mounted hoists, left and right-hand mounted, coupled to detachable "Trashtainers", which were wheeled steel containers of one or two yard capacity. Also new was hydraulic compaction and ejection, bringing the Quad instantly up to date with the rest of the industry.     Despite the fresh update, Equipment Manufacturing Inc. seems to have bowed out of the refuse body business shortly thereafter. However, the revised design would live on into the next decade as the Hydropaka Q by Marion Metal Products, who apparently obtained the rights to the Trashtainer system. See Also: Marion Metal Products 1/2/11 © 2011 All Rights Reserved Logos shown are the trademarks of respective manufacturers Photos from factory brochures/trade advertisements except as noted