Classic Refuse Trucks Local Rubbish

Local Rubbish: Active and Retired Trucks

First up is this old International Harvester Cargostar, equipped with what appears to be a typical Bowles pullback type half pack body. However, note the spacing between the vertical ribs on the rear part of the body, which seem closer together than usual for a Bowles. Maybe this is just a variation in panel design from the metal shop. Or, could this possibly be one of the Bowles copies made by Medallion?

Below, a retired Bowles half pack, probably from the 1970s:

And here is another Bowles half-pack, probably of 1970s vintage:

Interior shot of one of the pullback pack cylinders:

Full view of the battered packer blade and hopper:

Here's another working Bowles, with the later style body which debuted in the early 1970s as a full-packer.
This example is from 1982, and is instead fitted with the old style pullback packer inside

Looking at the end of lower horizontal brace, we see the tip of the right blade guide in its channel,
A few feet back is a small access cover for roller maintenance:

On the job, here's what it looks like inside after the first couple of stops:

COMPACTION CONTROL INDUSTRIES (CCI)

Local's newest is this pullback style half-pack. This is a 2000 model, and still uses the classic pattern. It had been reported at CRT that Bowles was believed to be out of business. However, they had merely changed the name to CCI, which stands for Compaction Control Industries, and are still building these at the shop in Bloomington, California. CCI is owned and operated by Duane Bowles, son of Samuel Vincen Bowles, who founded the company and the man who may be rightly considered the father of the modern front loader.

This may explain why so many 'vintage' Bowles bodies have been sighted in the SoCal area. While a great may are undoubtedly old, more than a few are probably much newer (the bodywork is virtually unchanged) than had perviously been believed.