Abstract: A device for packing or compressing refuse material into a container, which my be mounted on a vehicle or installed at a fixed site. The device includes a paddle mounted for oscillatory angular motion about a generally vertical axis in a hopper assembly. The paddle is oscillated by a crank arm mounted on the same axis and in a fixed angular relationship with the paddle. The crank arm, in turn, is driven by a pair of extensible devices, such as hydraulic cylinders, which are pivotally coupled to the crank arm and pivotally anchored by their other ends to selected points on the hopper frame. The selection of anchor points for the hydraulic cylinders assures that they act in unison over much of the range of oscillatory motion of the paddle, compressing the refuse repeatedly on alternate sides of the container. In one version of the device, the crank arm and the paddle are aligned in identical angular orientations and the cylinders push in unison to compress the refuse.

Abstract: Apparatus, and a related method, for controlling a moving floor having multiple sliding slats, to produce a practically continuous load-moving force on a load carried on the apparatus. The slats are reciprocated back and forth by hydraulic cylinders, each of which controls a group of slats that are moved together. At any given time, a majority of slats are moving together in the desired direction, and carry a load in this direction at a nearly uniform velocity. The remainder of the slats are moved in a reverse direction, but at a speed that is a multiple of the forward speed of the majority of the slats. Each group of slats is moved through a forward stroke at a relatively low speed; then through a backward stroke at a higher speed.

Abstract: A truck-mounted lifting mechanism is provided for loading containers, such as waste bins, on a truck so that the container can be positioned where its weight will be reasonably distributed between the front and rear wheels. The lifting mechanism includes a track extending along the length of the truck bed, a tray which can be moved along the length of the track while being restrained by the track from any vertical displacement, and a jack-up assembly attached to and supported by the movable tray. A pair of hydraulic cylinders attached between the tray and the jack-up assembly permit the controlled forward tilting of the jack-up assembly toward the truck cab. In use, the jack-up assembly is utilized to securely grasp the container to be loaded, and lift it vertically until the container bottom is above the upper surface of the truck bed. In this elevated position, the tray can be pulled by another hydraulic ram toward the truck cab to position the container over the truck bed.