Timothy Byrne
Cleansing Service Group (CSG) specialized in the collection of dry waste using the front end loader collection system in the 1970s, 1980s and 1990s. The company was revolutionary in the types of equipment and vehicle chassis it purchased in this period for the collection of dry waste from industry and commerce.
Powell Duffryn Dempster Dumpmaster DB 27 (27 cubic yard) full pack front end loaders with a flat type tailgate were the mainstay of the fleet during the 1970s. These were mounted onto the Foden S39 6×4 24 ton chassis. CSG later purchased the larger capacity Dumpmaster DB 30 (30 cubic yard) unit in the late 1970s and early 1980s which had the bustle type tailgate. The advantage of this unit, compared to the DB 27 model, was the additional 3 cubic yards capacity. These 30 cubic yard units were mounted onto Foden S39 6×4 24 ton chassis in the late 1970s. By the early 1980s, they were mounted onto Foden S10 Haulmaster and DAF FAT 2300 DHT 6×4 24 tonne chassis.
Rapid Growth
In this period, CSG’s front end loader business was rapidly growing as the emptying of 4, 6, 8 and 10 cubic yard front end loader containers were providing the ideal solution for the quick and efficient collection of industrial waste from industry and commerce.
CSG needed a larger capacity front end loader and purchased the first two ‘Colectomatic’ (36 cubic yard) Euro Full Pack (EFP) front end loaders sold in the UK from Jack Allen (Motor Bodies) Ltd of Birmingham. Jack Allen Ltd. mounted this 36 cubic yard front end loader onto the Leyland Constructor 6 8×4 chassis, which had a fourth steer axle conversion, carried out by Primrose. This gave an overall gross vehicle weight of 28 tons which allowed CSG an additional four ton gross vehicle weight carrying capacity. This compared favorably with their 24 ton front end loader vehicles. The other advantage to the Jack Allen product was that it gave far better axle weight distribution compared to the three axle front end loaders.
These proved the ideal solution to CSG as the front end loader’s rounded bustle tailgate achieved a high compaction yield. Further units were ordered mounted on the same chassis configuration.
In the mid 1980s, Jack Allen’s also received an order from CSG to supply a (36 cubic yard) ‘Colectomatic’ Euro Half Pack (EHP) front end loader to assess against the EFP model. The initial operational difference with the EHP model compared to the EFP model was that it had tipping discharge as opposed to ejection barrier discharge. This was mounted onto a DAF FAD 2500 DHS 8×4 30 tonne chassis. DAF vehicles had already become a popular fleet vehicle with CSG for its earlier front end loader three axle 24 ton vehicles, so it was decided to mount the Jack Allen EHP front end loader onto the DAF FAD 2500 four axle chassis as well. CSG were impressed by the EHP’s performance and further orders were placed with Jack Allen’s for the product.
Additional Equipment
Dempster XHD Series DP80-34 (34 cubic yard) full pack front end loaders were also purchased from Shelvoke and Drewry in this period. CSG had previous experience using the earlier Powell Duffryn Dempster full pack DB model so knew the product from previous operational experience. The units supplied by Shelvoke and Drewry were of (34 cubic yards) capacity with a square bustle tailgate. These were mounted onto the DAF FAD 2500 DHS 8×4 30 tonne chassis.
By the mid-late 1980s, CSG’s front end loader fleet consisted of Leyland Constructor 6 and DAF FAD 2500 four axle 30 ton units, while the front end loader compaction equipment was either a mixture of Jack Allen ‘Colectomatic’ EFP and EHP equipment or Shelvoke and Drewry Dempster XHD Series equipment.
Front End Loader Compaction
In the early 1990s, CSG developed its own front end loader full pack compaction unit in conjunction with its tanker construction subsidiary Simmons Engineering (Southampton) Ltd. The body/superstructure and tailgate of the front end loader was designed in the shape of a cylindrical barrel, similar to that of a vacuum tanker for the collection of non-hazardous and hazardous liquid wastes. The circular design achieved a high compaction density. Simmons Engineering also designed both the front loader lifting arms and forks and the hydraulic opening roof door. The unit was mounted onto a Mercedes 3025 8×4 30 tonne chassis. CSG put the unit to work at its Botley dry waste depot to assess its performance against its Jack Allen ‘Colectomatic’ and Shelvoke and Drewry stable mates.
In the mid 1990s, the EU introduced CE marking as the norm to which all waste collection equipment manufacturers had to adhere. With this in mind, CSG looked at the types of front end loader equipment available on the UK market in this period. UK front end loaders offered in this period were either the full or half pack design. Both had an advantage and a disadvantage as experienced by CSG. With the half pack front end loader, the driver would not have to wait to retract the ejector panel when compacting waste into the unit from bustle end. This was because the compaction panel would only travel half way down the length of the body before retracting. Its disadvantage was in collecting volumous type wastes, it relied on the continual loading of waste to move of its own accord towards bustle end after the compaction shield had pushed the waste half way down the body. This would not always achieve the higher payload yields that had been traditionally achieved using the full pack front end loader.
Forefront of Innovation
The Dempster XHD type front end loader was one that still offered full pack compaction and was sold by Farid Municipal Vehicles Ltd in the UK from 1994. CSG bought a number of Dempster XHD Series DP80-38 (38 cubic yard) full pack front end loaders with rounded bustle type tailgate in the mid 1990s. The rounded bustle tailgate gave an extra four cubic yards capacity compared to the Dempster XHD (34 cubic yard) units previously purchased. These units were mounted onto DAF FAD 85 Series 8×4 32 ton chassis, which offered 2 tons additional payload carrying capacity to the existing 30 ton four axle units.
In conclusion, CSG has always been at the forefront of innovation and purchased a wide variety of front end loaders through the 1970s, 1980s and the 1990s in various sizes and vehicle configurations to meet the market needs of collecting waste from industry and commerce.
Timothy Byrne B.Sc. (Wastes Management), MCIWM, ISWA IWM, is a worldwide waste collection and transfer systems consultant and a freelance waste management technical writer based in Birmingham, UK. He has worked in the waste management industry for 20 years. He lives in the UK and has carried out a lot of work and research into waste collection and waste transfer systems in Mediterranean countries. He has also visited New Delhi to carry out research into waste collection and waste transfer systems in India’s capital city. He can be reached at 0044 1384 211001 or 0044 7545 616110 or via e-mail at [email protected].