The cart tipper is one of the hardest working parts of a refuse truck. After evaluating its features and benefits before installation, be sure to properly maintain it in order to keep it at its peak performance so it lasts the life of the truck.
By Jeff McDonald
A cart tipper is one of the hardest working components of a refuse truck. Other than the brakes, no other part of the truck is cycled every single stop. Due to their location, cart tippers are subjected to everything the rear wheels toss back, including gravel, water, salt, brine, mud, etc. For this reason, the cart tipper should be one of the most heavily built 鈥渁ccessories鈥� of a rear load refuse truck. A $300,000 truck should never be in the shop because of the durability, or lack thereof, of a $3,000 to $4,000 cart tipper.
Absolutely anyone who has 65- or 95-gallon carts/bins needs cart tippers for route efficiency and employee safety reasons. This includes any municipality or private hauler that picks up residential trash. Using cart lifters, rather than 鈥渉and-tossing鈥�, drastically reduces the chances of lost-time from employee injuries as well as workers鈥� compensation claims for back and body injuries, since employees are no longer lifting bags of trash and throwing them into the hopper. This is especially important because pickup is always moving quickly, with an average of 600 to 1,000 residential homes per day. Choosing cart tippers requires examining a few criteria:
鈥� Type of Cart/Bin being used
鈥� Type of Truck Tailgate
鈥� Longevity/Durability of the Cart Tipper
鈥� Specific Features of the Tipper
鈥� Overall Value (not just cost)
Evaluating Cart Tipper Features
Durability and reliability should be at the top of the list when specifying cart tippers. Of all the places to cut corners on cost, this is not one of them. Cylinder models are mostly called cart tippers because they 鈥渢ip鈥� the cart into the hopper and must cycle the packer blade after each 鈥渢ip鈥�. Rotary actuator models are referred to as 鈥渃art lifters鈥� because they tend to lift and throw the cart deeper into the hopper. Include input from the management team, maintenance staff, and experienced route personnel when deciding on a cart tipper. These managers are looking at the benefits and the value of the cart tippers.
Make sure that you know if the truck will be used for residential only or residential and commercial refuse. Some rear load packers also collect commercial dumpsters with the rear of the truck. Certain cart tippers are designed to fit in a more compact space to accommodate this truck feature. Look for three-quarter inch drive and guide arms that are splined on the actuator gears. These eliminate 鈥減lay鈥� in the arms and transfer torque more efficiently than keyways. In addition, a bottom bar spring latching system can virtually eliminate bottom bar cart damage, so this is essential to avoid constantly repairing or replacing carts in the field.
Another factor to consider is the terrain of the region. Rear load packer refuse vehicles are predominately used in tight residential areas or alleys behind retail areas and restaurants where they keep their commercial containers. Some cart tippers are designed for additional ground clearance for use in more hilly and mountainous regions; less ground clearance is necessary in flatter topography regions. Ground clearance is always important, so the lifter does not scrape on the ground or curbs, causing damage to the equipment or the surface.
When ordering a brand-new rear load refuse packer that will pick up commercial containers, consider a recessed hopper sill with a lip and latch system and reeving cylinder, wench, or kick bar. Certain cart lifters are designed to be used specifically with these types of systems.
Preparing for Cart Tipper Installation
Let鈥檚 be honest, cart tippers are best installed on new trucks, either at the body OEM factory or added by the truck dealer prior to delivery to the end-user. While not quite as easy as new trucks, cart tippers can also be added to existing trucks by simply welding plates to the hopper sill at the correct operating height and making slight retrofits to the hydraulic system.
An OEM hydraulic system consists of a factory 鈥淪tack Valve鈥� with steel rod linkages for operating the packer blade and the cart tipper. An OEM Stack Valve System ensures that the cart tippers get the appropriate flow necessary to operate at six to eight seconds (ANSI Standard). Some OEMs use a less expensive way directly from the factory by using a diverter valve, which redirects a portion of hydraulic fluid when activating the cart lifters. However, when using a diverter valve, one must make sure that it will get the required amount of flow as specified by the cart lifter/tipper manufacturer. This flow rate can vary between models and manufacturers. Check with your cart lifter/tipper manufacturer to ensure that you are correctly installing specified hydraulic components for the make and model you choose.
When purchasing equipment, look to see if the cart tipper/lifter can damage the carts. Many cart tippers have a mechanical bottom bar latch system. When the truck is on an incline, if the cart tipper does not release the bottom bars of the carts on the downward motion, it can break off the bottom bars of the carts. This is an industry-wide problem. If a truck breaks one cart per week and there are 40 trucks in their fleet, that is tens of thousands of dollars in wasted profit annually. Certain manufacturers equip their lifters with features that can virtually eliminate bottom bar cart damage.
Steps to Effective Cart Tipper Maintenance
Just like any other hard-working component of a truck, cart lifters should be maintained to achieve peak performance. Grease fittings are located at the rotation points and should be tended to at least a few times each month, weekly preferred. While pushing grease into the bushings is important, pushing the dirt, grit, and grime out is essential to longevity.
During routine maintenance, cart tippers should be examined for any loose, broken, or missing parts. Springs, upper hooks and lower latches are the most likely parts to need maintenance, other than servicing all the grease points. Rotation points should be checked to make sure they are operating properly to avoid unnecessary wear on the pins. Due to the harsh environment, grease fittings can frequently be broken off during the normal operation of cart tippers. Any broken grease fitting should be replaced and relubricated when discovered.
Depending on the type of cart tipper being used and the size of the sanitation fleet, keeping a small stock of common wear parts (pins, bushings, springs, upper hooks, and lower latches) should be all that is necessary to keep a fleet going. That is usually enough inventory unless you have a larger fleet, then additional stock is warranted. If you find yourself having to perform anything more than routine maintenance on a regular basis, you should consider investigating further to be sure you are using the correct product for the application.
Photos courtesy of Diamondback Products.
Peak Performance
The cart tipper is one of the hardest working parts of a refuse truck; however, if it is not abused in the field and is properly maintained, it should keep at its peak performance and last the life of the truck. | WA
With more than 40 years in the waste and recycling industry, Jeff McDonald started out selling classified advertising for the Waste News publication. Eventually being promoted to new Business Development for the Crain publication, he met and sold to Eric Surratt (Owner/Operator) of Diamondback Products advertising for the publication. Surratt hired Jeff to travel the North American territory, giving live demonstrations of their line of the 3rd Man Cart Tippers. Jeff was sought after and represented some of the largest companies in the waste industry as New Business Dealer/Development for MAC Trailer Mfg., Northern Regional Part Sales Manager for Environmental Solutions Group, and Regional Sales Manager for the Commercial Credit Group. Then, in full circle, Jeff returned to Diamondback Products as the Regional Sales Manager, serving the northern territory from coast to coast and all Canadian Provinces. He is also responsible for developing 鈥淪tocking Dealers鈥� throughout the territory. For more information or to request a live demonstration, e-mail [email protected] or visit .