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  Bowles front loaders circa 1959, owned by Best Disposal of Los Angeles County What's New at CRT January 17, 2010
NEW BOWLES ALBUM A completely revised Bowles Album has been added, which replaces two previous albums created in 2005 and 2006 respectively. I had not planned to revise Bowles, but it became imperative when Zachary Geroux and Bill Tetreault visited with Duane Bowles and came away with so much new material that revision could wait longer. Duane opened up the vaults holding the vast photographic history of S. Vincen Bowles Inc., which contain a treasure trove of pictures documenting the evolution of their equipment over a span of four decades. Bill probably destroyed his scanner by digitizing 650 images, in high resolution and thus making this invaluable history available to everyone. Zach unearthed some surprising new facts about Bowles storied history, and is co-author of the article. Look for more articles from Zach in the future, on the history of West Coast refuse equipment. In putting this together, I realized that the original Bowles album was actually in dire need of an update. First posted in 2005, it was pretty good at the time, with three chapters and a handful of pictures. The Dealer Album from 2006 added about two-dozen additional vintage pictures. The latest album replaces both of these, and has been expanded to a whopping thirteen chapters. The new pages include over 80 new images, mostly from the Bowles Archive, and others from the Bowles Dealer Album. The complete photo collection, totaling 650 photos, is also available to the public at the westcoaststeel photo stream on Flickr.com. I'll stop here, because most of this is covered in the Forward to the article. However, I do wish to once again thank the Bowles family, especially Duane Bowles, for his help with this project. This has been the single greatest contribution ever to CRT and to the preservation of a critical chapter in the history of refuse body design. I sincerely hope that this article will be a fitting tribute to his Father, who contributed so much to the industry. SD and GLOVER ALBUMS Another album that was on the list for revision was that of England's Shelvoke & Drewry. The SD album dated back to 2004, the year that Classic Refuse Trucks went online. Brian Carpenter, who authored that history, was the first guest contributor to CRT, and the creator of The Unofficial Shelvoke & Drewry Site. His knowledge of the brand has been greatly appreciated, and he has recently sent in an update to the original article. To compliment this work, I have added some new chapters and scoured the CRT Library to load it with photos and illustrations. If that weren't enough, Brian also contributed a history of another great British builder, Glover, Webb & Liversidge. Founded in 1720, they were probably the only refuse truck builder with a longer history than Leach. The new five-page article will cover the period from 1930-1995 when they built mechanized refuse bodies.
There were no submissions, and not enough time to put together a Collectors Corner for this edition, which unfortunately has to take a 'back seat' to other content on this site. I will mention that Sebastian Dickau did post a YouTube video of his fantastic 2-R model in action. This is an all-hydraulic scale model, and generated many requests for video from our readers. The film did not disappoint me, as the model crushed an aluminum can, consumed a small tree branch and snapped a section of solid Styrofoam. For those of you who have not seen the video, here's a look:
If I become aware of any news regarding this model, or if any new videos become available, I will post that information on the Message Board at the CRT Members Area. LP-800 MEMORIES In response to my request for information on the Gar Wood LP-800 series rear loader of the late 1960's, I received a note from Warren Seward who shares some memories of this rare model as used by a Buffalo area hauler: "As a young lad between the ages of 12 and 14, I worked summers ('69 to '71) for a friend's father that owned a trash hauling business. His business was primarily residential, but did have the trucks equipped to handle rear load containers. He owned five Gar Woods; the 600 and 700 series, as well as one 800 series, new in '68. I recall it being a good unit, and defiantly packed a heavier load than the other units he operated. The landfill at the time did not weigh the loads, but I could tell it packed more per load than the others just by the density while unloading. I felt it was a reliable unit, except one problem I recall when it was about two years old. The lower portion of the sweep panel would extend down and was guided to the hopper edge by way of two rails that were welded to each side of the hopper. Either the welds broke, or the cylinders somehow over pressurized, and tore the rails off of the hopper sides. After it was repaired, I never saw that problem again." My thanks to Warren for his insights on this short-lived design from Gar Wood. Unfortunately, many details of the LP-800 have been lost to the passage of time. I always appreciate any information on the LP-800, and the even more elusive T-Series Gar Woods. I am especially seeking patent/technical information on these models, as thus for only two have been found for the T-Series (for a tailgate latch) and absolutely none on the LP-800. The lack of patent documentation may be due to the bankruptcy and subsequent purchase of Gar Wood by Sargent Industries in 1971. GAR WOOD T-100 and LOAD-RUNNER Bill Riley works for Fabco Automotive, which manufactures steerable drive axles and transfer cases for heavy-duty trucks. He passes along some memories of old Gar Wood models, one of which has a family connection for him. "We have recently had some customers ask about hydraulic drive for the front axle. That was what made me remember the Gar Wood T100." "I found your site while trying to learn if the Gar Wood T100 ever had a hydraulic assist for the rear wheels. My Dad sold refuse trucks in the 50's, 60's and 70's. There was a customer named Kasper Coal Company in Bristol, Pennsylvania, that owned a T100. My memory is that they had a hydraulic assist on the rear in order to drive in the landfill (nightmare of mud on a rainy day back then). The front drive (which would not likely have had a locking differential, since you would not be able to steer if the front steer/drive axle had the diff locked) would not have been sufficient to propel the truck in a poor traction situation. The Kasper guys told me that their biggest problem with the T100 was the electric controls (Leach used mechanical levers), which would short out in wet weather, and was hard to troubleshoot on the side of the road. The engine was a GM ToroFlow diesel, (another disaster) which was a GM V6 gas engine block with diesel heads." The T100 is depicted in the Gar Wood album here at CRT, but in I have perhaps overlooked the driveline of this vehicle, which was a major feature that set the T100 apart from the competition. The T100 was sold as a complete unit refuse truck. The packer body, chassis and (front wheel) drive train were all built by Gar Wood in Michigan, making it a rarity among American designs. Browsing a 1965 brochure shows that the T100's live front axle did indeed feature a locking differential, though no details of how it worked are given. It may have been engaged manually via electric solenoid, to be used only on the soft surfaces of the landfill where its effect on steering would be minimized. As for the rear wheel assist, Bill's memory was correct...the T100 had an optional hydraulic wheel motor assist, providing for speeds up to 2 MPH on the normally 'dead' rear wheels. This option would have been strictly for use on soggy landfills, and unnecessary for operators who dumped only a transfer stations with improved surfaces. Below we see a look beneath the T100's cab, revealing a cramped engine/drive compartment, which included the ejector cylinder! With the exception of the Lodal EVO, front wheel drive never really caught-on in the refuse industry. But the "live" hydraulic pump and Allison automatic transmission were certainly harbingers of things to come, and CCC even used a protruding cylinder, only theirs was over the cab, not under it as on the T100: 
Thanks to Bill providing this information, I have now located the patent (U.S. no. 3419166) for the Load-Runner, of which his father was co-inventor. Since this was not an "in house" design, the Gar Wood name does not appear on the patent, and would have been otherwise difficult to find. Glancing at the patent shows this to be an unusual design, particularly the packer cylinder arrangement with its inter-linked single stage cylinders.
A LEACH TRADITION IN NEW YORK The last issue had plenty of red meat for fans of the mighty Leach 2R Packmaster, as CRT saluted that classic designs 50th anniversary with an all-new Leach album. One of my favorite photos appeared on page 13, a 1988 2R-II 31 yard riding atop a gleaming Ford C-series cabover which was sent in by Jeff Alterman. Brand-new in 1988, the truck had just been put in service by the City of Hastings-on-Hudson, New York. As a follow-up, Jeff recently sent along a picture of that town's latest acquisition, their first Leach 2R-III Packmaster, and some background on that loyal Leach municipality. 
Many of you old-timers (myself included) may have noticed the 'vintage' trash can the swamper is handling in the photo. Jeff elaborates: "The garbage can in the picture is a relic. It is a Sears garbage can made from Permanex plastic. The can has been in use since late 1970, and it shows its age. The refuse truck that it was first emptied into is long gone, a 1966 or more likely a 1967 GMC cabover with a standard Leach Packmaster with a capacity of twenty yards. The truck had a gasoline engine and it was quite slow going uphill. It was painted orange. That truck was quite primitive compared to the modern garbage-eating monster that takes care of my route presently. The new truck of course has Fast-Pak. It is probably the most powerful rear loader on the market at this time. Nothing packs like a Leach. It just loves to eat garbage." Your editor indeed remembers those Sears trash cans, which were numerous in the 1970's and 1980's. It was a good, durable can that was quite easy to handle and emptied cleanly. I also still possess one, though it has mostly been replaced by the ubiquitous 80-gallon cart and only sees service on rare occasions. If I had time, I could probably start a whole section at CRT dedicated to trash cans...perhaps a project for the future. AND MORE LEACH MEMORIES FROM NEW YORK There's nothing like a picture of a classic refuse truck to bring back those memories of days gone by, and the people we worked with, be they family or friends. Michael Sudano's father was in the private sanitation business in New York from 1922 to 1973, and he writes: "This site has always brought back fond memories of working with my Dad. The picture of Plaza Carting's REO with the 17 cubic yard Leach body [Leach album, page 4] is the exact truck he had. The body was bought in '57, originally on a '50 GMC chassis replacing a Roto-Pac body, then in '59 Dad purchased the Reo. There were so many REOs in the New York area at that time with Leach bodies, most were 20 yards: so rare you found one that is 17 yards. Just a side note; when this packer was almost full, the blade would stop before the track would allow it to start the next cycle. Always looking for one last squeeze, Dad would take a crowbar and push the roller in so the plate could fall, and the cycle could start again. " Mike also remembered the vintage first-generation E-Z Pack rear loaders featured in the last edition's Oregon 2009 album. "...hard to believe there are first generation E-Z Pack bodies still around. My Dad almost bought one in 1970 when they were just coming on the scene in New York. It was a twenty cubic yard model on a Diamond Reo chassis. A beautiful truck that I tried to talk him into, but the hopper was too high, as was the cab, so he decided to pass. A few months later he bought a '71 Diamond REO with a 20-yard Leach 2R. A great truck, as you know. We replaced a 20 yard [Standard] Leach Packmaster on a White 3000. At the dump we would weigh in at about 8 tons [with the Standard Packmaster]; with the 2R we would come in closer to 14 tons. Quite a difference!" Many thanks for your memories, Mike. Images of 20-yard 2R's are somewhat rare, since the bigger bodies were more popular. While I don't have an exact match for the '71 Diamond REO, here's a close one, dedicated to your Father for 51 years in the business, and all the men of the early generations who built this industry: 
1964 Leach 2-R Packmaster Push-Out (20 cubic yards) on Diamond T truck chassis (Joseph Lucie Carting, Bronx, New York) The VDK Unimatic was probably the last major production refuse packer to utilize the Ochsner method of continuous loading with twin panels; one pushing the load upward from the hopper to body floor level, and a second panel which swept the load into the body. This method, pioneered by the Swiss inventor Jacob Ochsner was developed in the early 1930's. The refuse packers bearing his name may be considered the world's first commercially available hydraulic rear-loading packers. Ochsner packers were in use in Europe for years before their American counterparts first appeared. By the late 1940's, the British firm of Dennis Brothers Ltd., Guildford, had adopted the Ochsner method on their Paxit refuse collection bodies, which would go on to become one of the best selling models on the English market. Constructie Workhuizen Vandekerkhove N.V. (VDK), Belgium, produced a slightly different variation than either Ochsner or Dennis, using twin rams mounted to the upper sidewalls to lift the pusher plate. Otherwise, it was still a remarkable adaptation of technology from the earliest days of refuse truck history, still at work as the end of the century approached. The Unimatic was even offered for sale in the United States, along with their newer, more conventional slide-sweep models in the late 1980's. The latter models would eventually become the mainstay of the VDK product line. They were purchased by MOL in 1985, and still produce refuse bodies to this day. Sjef describes the pictures that follow: 
[Editors Note: Of all the Gar Wood copies, this is the first I have ever seen with hydraulic motor for the sweep panel coupled directly to the shaft! The motor is visible on the side of the hopper wall in the above picture] 
The truck I daily drive, a DAF 75, Geesink GPM2 body (waste paper- boxbv.nl) " After having scheduled this update for January 10, a week later than usual, I was still unable to finish on time and thus the delay until the 17th. Expanded duties at my new job have made it difficult to keep up with my ambitions for this site, and there may be more delays, particularly in the Spring. I am confident that I can at least get a news update posted, but probably no major projects like the ones featured in this issue. I have received an anonymous tip as to the identity of an Unsolved Mystery Truck (Innovative Waste), which arrived too close to the deadline, but I will try to work that information into the Unsolved Mysteries Page during January. On the horizon, I have a ton of new European material from Michel Ferro that I hope to get posted this year, but will require his expert annotation. From England, Brian Carpenter will be adding a Jack Allen album. I also have been in contact with John Thomas, an industry insider whose long resume includes management jobs with City Tank Corporation (1960s!), Heil Company, American LaFrance and Dempster. He has offered to help as fact checker, which will be invaluable since the Loadmaster and Heil albums are on the list to be updated. I hope to have pictures of Scott Blake's beautiful vintage Inernational/2-R Packmaster in the near future as well. And Zachary Geroux has been working on some more interesting West Coast projects for future editions. Thanks for your patience this month. God willing, Classic Refuse Trucks will return with a spring update on April 10, 2010. Eric Voytko January 17, 2010 All Rights Reserved Logos shown are the trademarks of respective manufacturers Photos from factory brochures/trade advertisements except as noted |
The reason for my mistake is that, other than a few photos, the only published information available to me on the Super Pack was a 1962 advertisement for the body, which was run by Western Equipment. Pat surmises the possible reason for this:
