Classic Refuse Trucks

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DECEMBER, 2004 UPDATE

Welcome to the Classic Refuse Trucks December update, our fourth month bringing you the best in classic refuse equipment. I am encouraged by those of you who have written and contributed to this site. Your help is appreciated, and makes CRT enjoyable for everyone.

This month, a new LODAL album as been added featuring the Load-a-Matic front loader and the remarkable EVO unitized side loader. To view, use the navigation bar and click on Photo Albums or click here.

An updated photo has been added to the Dempster photo album, as I have recently acquired a better copy of the early Dumpmaster ad.

A new button has been added to the navigation bar at left, called CRT Archives. This new area of the website has links to the past News Updates and Truck of the Month selections for those interested.

I have only recently viewed this site on a Windows PC (it is created on a Macintosh) and noticed a slight problem when viewing CRT on Internet Explorer 6 in which some of the title graphics and text may be shifted left. Please pardon the odd appearance while I try to fix this, since I have no reliable means of browser testing. If you are using IE6, please let me know if anything looks amiss.

Also, the Classic Refuse Trucks Toys Gallery at MSN was having some major problems, but seems to be working again. I will be posting some images of the new FG McNeilus rear loader there shortly. Those CRT-MSN group members who have tried unsuccessfully to post pictures in the toys/models gallery at MSN might want to now try again.

PRESERVED REFUSE TRUCKS: TWO RARE LEACH PACKMASTERS

Recently, Paul from Canton Waste Recycling (CWR) in Canton, Michigan wrote regarding two classic Leach Packmasters he is currently restoring, and was kind enough to forward some excellent photos of his project trucks to share with CRT. These trucks are both rare and historically significant, particularly his early type Packmaster which after a half century is still operable! Paul hopes to have one of these trucks at the June 2005 ATHS show in Indiana, which would be a real treat for refuse truck enthusiasts. Click here to see the album of Paul's Leach projects, or choose the Photo Albums section from the navigation bar.

Paul also sent word of a Leach Refuse Getter that has been restored in a nearby town, and hopefully we'll be able to show that truck here at CRT in the near future as well. Another restored Refuse Getter, owned by Leach has previously been added to the CRT Leach Album.

Paul is seeking an early hoist-dump type 2R Packmaster to complete the triple-crown of classic Leach packers. He already has a Mack B-61 chassis lined up for it, so anyone who can help with this quest should e-mail Paul. For contact and other information, see the Help Wanted Page at CRT.

And while I'm on the subject, let me point out the Help Wanted Page is not a CRT pledge drive, but a type of classified ad section and information exchange. Be sure to check this section out each month to see if you can help other members, or post your own ad. Use the button on the navigation bar at left, or click here for details

MYSTERY TRUCK

Can you identify who made this front loader? I recently ran across this image (pictured at left) in the corner of a 1956 White Trucks advertisement depicting their 3000 series cabovers. The lifting mechanism and the truck body may have been built by different manufacturers. For example, Dempster was known to use circular Pak-Mor bodies in 1955-56 with their early Dumpmaster system. The straight arms on the pictured vehicle would seem to indicate a system other than Dempster's, and the square body with barn doors at the rear may indicate a modified Marion or MB Packer. Perhaps it is not even a packer at all, but a simple hoist-type gravity packer.

I sent a preview of this mystery truck to Walter Lewellen, who regularly supplies me with information about the classic refuse trucks of Florida's west coast. It didn't take long for Walter to spot two tell-tale "hooks" on the front bumper, similar to the ones which he remembered seeing on the Cobey front loaders once used by St. Petersburg. Sure enough, just about every picture of a Cobey front loader of the 1960's and 70's seems to have these hooks, as illustrated by the 1970's model at right. Also getting any early preview was Nick Haflinger, who was heading out for the Thanksgiving holiday, but dropped a quick note to say that this may actually be a type called PakaVan.

Cobey? PakaVan? A hybrid of both? If you have any more information about this advanced (for 1956) design, please contact CRT.

FIRST GEAR MODELS/McNEILUS REAR LOADER

In case you haven't yet seen it, the new First Gear McNeilus rear loader has now hit the streets. Walter Lewellen sent one of these much anticipated replicas , and I must say that it is one impressive model. It is perhaps the most detailed rear loader model I've ever seen, and it looks good from every angle. The hood, tailgate assembly, cart dumper, and packer sweep panel are all posable, though unfortunately the packer slide panel is not. This is an absolutely outstanding model, and is decked out nicely in Waste Management trim. Contact Walter Lewellen if you are interested in adding one of these to your collection. Walter also has a stack of neat stickers, pictured at left, and has offered to send a couple for free to anyone who is interested. To get your front-loader stickers, e-mail him with your name and shipping address.

SD REMEMBERED AT LETCHWORTH

Finally, I can not let this edition go by without mentioning Brian Carpenter's Unofficial Shelvoke & Drewry website where the Winter 2004 newsletter is available online, featuring details and photos from the SD Remembered event which took place in September. Over 200 people attended the event, including many former Shelvoke & Drewry employees, and seven restored SD vehicles were displayed and driven as well! Brian has done a remarkable job in organizing this event, believed to be the first such gathering since SD closed in 1991.

That is all for this month. As always, the email line is open if you wish to contact CRT. Until next month, have a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year !

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