Classic Refuse Trucks UNSOLVED MYSTERIES

UNSOLVED MYSTERIES
(Updated February 14, 2010)

Contact CRT if you can positively identify any of the trucks shown on these pages
or have pertinent information on them, or if you would like to add a truck to the list

ONTARIO BUCKET LOADER CIRCA 1946
This Kitchener city truck does not match known bucket loader models from Gar Wood, Heil, Leach, Galion or Colecto/Municipal. Probably has underbody cylinders to raise bucket.

CALIFORNIA FRONT LOADER
This intriguing truck of 1970's or 1980's vintage appears to be a top pack and has triple forks. The unusual structure of the front of the body seems to indicate that the lift arm cylinders are located there. Nothing even close to this has ever been identified on the pages of CRT.

WASTE-AWAY FRONT LOADER
An old Mack factory photo. Possibly an export or foreign-built Mack, since twin-steer front axles are almost never seen in the United States. The front load body has many Dempster characteristics, but as yet has never been positively matched to any USA product from that firm.

CANADIAN SIDE BUCKET LOADER
Taken at a Toronto landfill in 1963. The 1950's Chevrolet has a standard high-sided refuse dump body with what looks like a side loader attachment grafted on to it. The creator of this body/loader, as well as whether this was a one-off copy or commercially built is not known.

MEXICAN MARK III
Quite obviously a Heil Mark III, or an imitation of one, for sale in Mexico. The body braces, ejector face and tailgate details differ from the original Heil, and seem to point to a copy, or perhaps a license-built version.

1992 HOLLISTER FRONT LOADER
This WM-Hollister Disposal asset was never identified from the old salvage sale album. The non-compaction body could have been built by any one the southern California micro-builders, or could be an "in house" job. The White WXLL was listed as a 1992 model, but had no information about the body.

UPDATE: See note on Yosemite Front Loader Below

YOSEMITE FRONT LOADER
This good-looking front loader has been seen collecting refuse in Yosemite National Park in California. A non-compaction body, side forks and hydraulic tailgate are prominent features. Presumably owned by the U.S. Park Service, the builder of the body is not known.

UPDATE:
An anonymous source has suggested that the Yosemite truck, and the Hollister Disposal front loaders (shown above) may be remanufactured bodies. The source recalls that during the 1980's, a strict enforcement of California weight laws drove refuse haulers to radically trim the unladen weight of their existing refuse trucks in any way possible. Mechanics at Able Body Company's Los Angeles-area division reportedly specialized in converting older front loaders to super-light bodies, utilizing much of the truck's existing hardware and plumbing, but usually adding an entirely new box.

The source specifically recalls that Athens Disposal, Metropolitan Waste, and EDCO/Burrtec had several such conversions. Although the two trucks shown here have different body brace patterns, this may be somewhat irrelevant since these were all virtually hand-built customs, and the brace pattern may have varied even amongst products from the same shop. Two-axle trucks would likely have been the prime candidates, and top-pack or non-compaction type bodies would have been the lightest possible configurations to use in this application.

INNOVATIVE WASTE CONTROL FRONT LOADER
Looking like a cross between STS, Pak-Mor and who-knows-what-else, this unique looking body still needs a name.

UPDATE:
An anonymous source has identified this as a truck formerly owned by American Waste and is likely of 1980's vintage. The source can not specifically remember the name of the body builder, but believes it to be 'Kudinoff' or something similar sounding.

CMD Disposal of Los Angeles (later merged with Agen to form Cal Waste) were also known to have operated these trucks. The latter firms have since been bought by Consolidated Disposal, which is a Republic Services company. Consolidated may have run some of these, but most are now presumed to be 'retired', as is the Innovative Waste truck shown above.

As soon as the exact name of the body manufacturer can be ascertained, an album will be created for them here at Classic Refuse Trucks.