US3730367A

US3730367A - Mobile refuse retriever

Info

Publication number: US3730367A
Application number: US00074189A
Authority: US
Inventors: T Heffington
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1970-09-21
Filing date: 1970-09-21
Publication date: 1973-05-01
Anticipated expiration: 1990-05-01

Abstract

The present invention is directed to a mobile refuse retriever which is to be used to pick up and carry away objects such as bar garbage bags, bundles of trash, limbs, rubbish, and the like. The present invention utilizes on a motorized vehicle a hydraulic crane having a cage on its free end to grasp or scoop the refuse. The crane then deposits the refuse on the receiving end of a conveyor carried by the vehicle. Also carried by the vehicle is a packer body having a packer plate with a normally closed door therein. The discharge end of the conveyor deposits the refuse through this door and onto the operative side of the packer plate.

Description

United States Patent 1 1 1 1 M ma Heffington 51 ay 1, 1973 MOBILE REFUSE RETRIEVER FOREIGN PATENTS OR APPLICATIONS [76] Inventor: Thomas E. Heffington, 4605 1,004,551 3/1957 Germany ..2l4/90 R Valerie, Bellaire, Tex.

[ Filed: Sept. 1970 Primary Examiner-Albert J. Makay Appl. No.: 74,189

Related US. Application Data Attorney.lames F. Weiler, Jefferson D. Giller, William A. Stout, Paul L. De Verter, ll, Dudley R. Dobie, Jr. and Henry W. Hope 5 7] ABSTRACT The present invention is directed to a mobile refuse retriever which is to be used to pick up and carry away objects such as bar garbage bags, bundles of trash, limbs, rubbish, and the like. The present invention utilizes on a motorized vehicle a hydraulic crane having a cage on its free end to grasp or scoop the refuse. The crane then deposits the refuse on the receiving end of a conveyor carried by the vehicle. Also carried by the vehicle is a packer body having a packer plate with a normally closed door therein. The discharge end of the conveyor deposits the refuse through this door and onto the operative side of the packer plate.

12 Claims, 4 Drawing Figures 7/7020; '5. Heff/qgfw;

SHEET 1 OF 2 PATENTEDW Hm m E1 w fim b n BM U flbi MOBILE REFUSE RETRIEVER This application is a continuation of may copending application Ser. No. 828,832, filed May 29, 1969, and now abandoned.

BACKGROUND OF THE PRESENT INVENTION The problem of refuse or garbage collection today in our ever growing population centers is becoming an increasingly large one. Costs are rising sharply for both personnel and equipment. In addition, the type of personnel employed in the collection of such refuse cannot, in many instances, be depended upon to remain on the job for very long, due among other things, to the natural desire to improve oneself and move above the stigma attached to garbage collection generally, as well as to the fact that many laborers so employed are only interested in working for short periods of time. Thus, there is the often present problem of finding additional or replacement personnel which at times of high-employment becomes quite difficult.

In general, it may be said that while high density population areas have grown rapidly, the techniques of collecting the refuse from these areas have not kept pace. Everyone is familiar with the dump truck or more recently the type of truck containing the packer body, traveling haltingly down a residential street, driven by one man while two to four others scurry about emptying cans or throwing garbage bags or bundles of trash into the truck. This method is very slow, and because of the number of workers involved, it is relatively expensive. Further, a shortage of workers can severely hinder this type of operation.

Automated equipment is available, however, for large producers of trash and garbage, such as businesses. Such equipment utilizes large and relatively expensive refuse containers which are lifted by lifts on the front of the trucks to dump their contents into the truck body. This technique and this type of equipment would not be practical for home use, however, for various well-known reasons.

SUMMARY OF THE PRESENT INVENTION The present invention provides means for overcoming the above-mentioned disadvantages and discloses a vehicle utilizing equipment whereby the driver of the vehicle can both pick up and deposit in the body of the vehicle the garbage bags, rubbish, etc., that is being collected. The preferred embodiment of the present invention disclosed herein utilizes an enclosed truck body having slidably mounted therein a packer plate. Such arrangement is generally well-known in the art.

Mounted near the forward end of the vehicle is a crane of a design disclosed herein and having at its free end a rotatably mounted cage or basket. This cage is so designed to pick up garbage bags, bundles of limbs, trash and the like, without breaking them open or dropping them as a result of movement of the vehicle or of other similar actions. Also mounted near the front of the vehicle is a conveyor into which the crane and cage deposit the material that has been picked up. The conveyor then moves the collected refuse to the enclosed body and through an opening therein.

The packer plate has a door which is rotatable to an open position. The door rotates in only one direction and provision is made for an abutment within the packer body to hold the door in its open position when the packer plate is in its retracted position. The discharge end of the conveyor feeds through this door so that the refuse is placed on the proper or operative side of the packer plate.

Controls for each of the functions of the equipment disclosed herein are located at the operator platform so that the driver can both drive the vehicle and perform the various functions set forth.

It is, therefore, an object of the present invention to provide a mobile refuse retriever which may be operated by one man.

Another object of the present invention is to provide such a vehicle which utilizes a crane having a scoop or cage for picking up and depositing refuse in the truck, the scoop being so designed to allow the operator to scoop up the refuse without stopping the motor vehicle.

Still another object is to provide such a retriever vehicle having a conveyor for use in connection with the crane for conveying the refuse into the packer body or truck body for transportation to the dump, compost plant or the desired location.

Still another object of the present invention is to provide such a retriever vehicle which is comprised of components which will provide a relatively simple and economical method or technique for collecting refuse.

Still another object of the present invention is to provide apparatus which may be operated by an operator of relatively little skill with relatively little training, yet one which will perform in a safe, reliable and dependable manner.

Other and further objects, features and advantages will be apparent from the following description of the presently preferred embodiment of the invention, given for the purpose of disclosure when taken in conjunction with the following drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS Like character references designate like parts throughout the several views of the drawings, which views are as follows:

FIG. 1 is a side view of the present invention showing the crane in its return position with the packer body being partially broken away for purposes of illustration,

FIG. 2 is a front view of the preferred embodiment with a portion thereof being broken away for purposes of illustration,

FIG. 3 is a partial side view of the presently preferred embodiment with a schematic view of a portion of the hydraulic system used therein, and

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the cage used in the present invention.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT For purposes of this application, the term refuse will be used to describe the type of material which is to be collected or picked up by the present invention, and includes, but is not limited to, such as garbage bags, boxes, debris, bundles of limbs and other trash and other types of rubbish in general that is loose or in disposable containers. In addition, the term grasp as used herein in describing the action of the cage in picking up refuse would also include a scooping action wherein the weight of the refuse is sufficient to allow it to be scooped into the cage.

Turning now to FIG. 1, the present invention is generally indicated by the numeral and is shown as it might be incorporated into a standard truck generally indicated by the numeral 12. The truck is composed of a cab portion 14 which as indicated in the drawing may be eliminated in the present invention. The vehicle is further comprised of the frame generally indicated by the numeral 16, and a packer body 18. In the broken away portion of FIG. 1, a packer plate is shown within the packer body 18 and is slidable along the rail 22. The means of moving the packer plate is the hydraulic cylinder 24.

A door 26 is positioned in the packer plate 20 and is rotatable in a clockwise direction as viewed in FIG. 1. Stop means 28 prevent the packer plate from rotating in a counter-clockwise position when the packer plate moves to the rear of the truck to compress the refuse. When the packer plate is in its retracted position shown in FIG. 1, a stop or abutment 30 is secured to the forward wall of the body 18 to maintain the door 26 in its open position.

A conveyor generally indicated by the numeral 32 is also mounted on the front of the truck, and to provide room for the conveyor 32, at least a portion of the cab must be eliminated. The conveyor should be maintained as low as possible in order to provide unobstructed vision for the operator. It is for this purpose that the conveyor bends sharply downwardly at its forward end.

The conveyor is comprised of an endless belt 34 and a side wall 36 as seen in FIG. 2, this sidewall 36 extending on both sides of the conveyor. The sidewall 36 also is enlarged at the receiving end of the conveyor to form a receiving basket 38. The conveyor is powered by a hydraulic motor 37 (See FIG. 3). Access is provided into the packer body for the conveyor by means of the opening 39.

An operators platform 40 is, of course, positioned near the forward end of the vehicle and is positioned sufficiently high to allow the operator a broad range of visibility which will extend at least 180 (See FIG. 2). The height of the operator platform is also necessary to enable the operator to see over the conveyor, as well as the crane boom. Controls 42 for the operation of the vehicle are provided at this platform along with controls 44 for operation of the crane. To incorporate the present invention into an existing truck body and frame design, extension linkages indicated by the broken lines 46 in FIG. 2 must be utilized to extend the control functions, such as the braking system, steering system, etc., to the elevated operator platform. The manner in which extension linkages and the various types of apparatus that would be needed therefor can be incorporated would be obvious to one skilled in this automotive field.

Turning now to the crane itself, it is comprised of a generally A-shaped supporting frame 48 which is secured to the frame 16 of the truck, as shown in the cutaway portion of FIG. 2. The crane itself is generally indicated by the numeral 50, and its rotative movement about a vertical axis is provided by the vertical post 52. Two swing cylinders 54 are positioned in the truck as shown in FIGS. 1,2 and 3, both of which have a com mon piston rod 56. A gear member 58 eo-acts with the piston rod 56 to provide means for rotating the crane about its vertical axis.

The crane has a primary boom 60 rotatably connected about a horizontal axis to the vertical post, and a secondary boom 62. The secondary boom 62 has a telescopic section 64 which telescopes into and out of the portion 62. In order to accomplish this, a hydraulic cylinder 66 is contained within the boom 62. Movement of the primary boom is accomplished by the cylinder 67, and a cylinder 68 connects the primary and secondary booms for movement of the secondary boom.

The cage 70 located at the outermost end of the boom will be described in detail below. It is connected to the boom extension member 64 by means of a bidirection motor 72 which allows the cage to rotate about a generally vertical axis. Any suitable bidirectional motor is satisfactory for this purpose but the Series 20, bi-directional hydraulic motor manufactured by TyRone Hydraulic, lne., of Corinth, Miss., may be employed for both the conveyor and bucket.

The cage 70 is made up of two

opposed jaw members

74 and 76, and

cylinders

75 and 77 are used to open and close these jaws individually of each other. These

cylinders

75 and 77 are secured at one end to the member 78 which member is rotatably secured to the boom so that the

cylinders

75 and 77 can rotate as the cage rotates.

Turning now to FIG. 4, the cage is shown in greater detail and on an enlarged scale. It is comprised generally of rods 82 about which each cage jaw rotates. A plurality of curved frame members 84 extend from the members 82 to form the cage. Various bracing members 86 may be utilized to insure sufficient rigidity. Although the cages normally used would be the open framework embodiment shown, if desired sheet or wire material 88 may be placed over the frame members to make the cage a more complete enclosure. In addition, the end plates of FIG. 2 may be employed. Should a complete enclosure be desired, the frame members 84 would, in all probability, not be required and the jaws made from a solid sheet of material with perhaps some bracing where necessary.

Turning now to the hydraulic system utilized in the present invention, the lines and equipment used to extend the various components of the system are shown schematically in FIG. 3. A three-stage pump 90 is utilized for the system and power for the pump is supplied from the motor of the vehicle through the power takeoff means 92. The pump utilized in the present invention may be of any suitable design or manufacture, but the hydraulic pump TPZO-Series 3 Place manufactured by TyRone Hydraulic, Inc., of Corinth, Miss., would be suitable. A reservoir 94 serves as the hydraulic fluid (hereinafter referred to as fluid") reservoir tank. Lines 95 lead from each stage of the pump to the control panel 44 at the operator platform.

The pressure switches, accumulators, control valves, relief valves, and four-way valves, both manual and solenoid operated, and the general control panel itself may be made up of known prior-art components such as manufactured by the fluid power division of Aurora Corporation of Illinois. The particular controls and arrangement of parts therefor are available from manufaeturers thereof and the design thereof for the crane arrangement shown would be within the knowledge of one skilled in this art. Accordingly, the particular controls arrangement does not form a part of this invention. The control panel is such that the crane functions may be performed by the single control rod or a variety as desired. Simplicity is desired, however, in order that the apparatus may be operated by operators of limited skill and training.

From .the master panel 44,

appropriate feed lines

96, 97, 98, 99, 100 and 101 lead to and supply fluid to the

cylinders

67, 68, 66, the bi-directional motor 72, and the

cylinders

75 and 77, respectively. (Many of the numerals have been omitted from FIG. 3 to prevent unnecessary confusion in view of the plurality of lines included there.) In addition,

feed lines

102, 103 and 104 supply actuating fluid from the master control panel 44 to the swing cylinders 54, the hydraulic motor 37 and the cylinder 24. Return lines are indicated by the

numerals

106, 107, 108, 109, 110 and 111 for the return of fluid to the tank 94 from the cylinders and bidirectional motor as shown in FIG. 3. Return lines 1 12, 113 and 114 perform the same function for the swing cylinders 54, conveyor motor 37 and the packer plate cylinder 24. From the reservoir 94, the fluid is conveyed to the pump by means ofline 115.

As will be readily understood by one skilled in this art, proper manipulation of the control at the control panel 44 will direct fluid to selected cylinders for their operation. In this manner, the crane is operated to pick up and transfer to the conveyor various bags or bundles of refuse. The forcing of hydraulic fluid into one side of the piston in each cylinder will, of course, require the exiting of fluid from the opposite side of the piston, and for this reason, the return lines have been provided. As will also be readily understood by one skilled in this art, to provide a full range of movements for the crane and cage, a second hydraulic system similar to that shown in FIG. 3 will be required. This second system, however, will direct fluid to the sides of the pistons in each cylinder from which fluid is exiting in the diagram of FIG. 3. In addition, return lines will be required for the sides of the cylinders that receive actuating fluid in the diagram of FIG. 3. In this manner, the boom components may be raised, lowered, rotated, extended to any desired position and returned from that position. In actual practice, however, the supply lines of FIG. 3 will act as return lines and the return lines of FIG. 3 will supply fluid when such a reversal of their functions is required for operation of the crane. Appropriate valving and supplementary lines (neither of which is shown) would, of course, be required to connect the supply lines of FIG. 3 to the tank 94 and to connect the return lines of FIG. 3 to the controls 44. The diagram of FIG. 3 has been used to give a simplified idea of the operation and is merely for illustrative purposes only.

In operation, it is anticipated that the vehicle of the present invention will move slowly down the center ofa residential street. The operator perched on the operator platform can easily see on either side of the street, and the boom will be able to rotate through an arc of approximately 200. In addition, when extended full length, the combined booms and cage can reach for a distance of approximately 22 feet on this preferred embodiment. This gives a satisfactory range to the operator so that he can reach to the curb of either side of the street. In addition, sufficient range is provided by the boom to allow reaching behind parked automobiles to pick up refuse. Thus, the necessity of moving the vehicle from street curb to street curb is eliminated.

The leading edge 79 of the jaw 76 is curved upwardly to prevent both jaws from meeting at the lowermost point of the cage. Thus the jaw 74 will move the refuse to be collected onto the jaw 76, where it will be supported. This gives less chance of tearing a refuse bag, as well as prevents the jaws from tearing up lawns. It also allows the operator to scoop up the refuse bags as well as pick them up vertically, as by grasping.

Movement of the crane from its extended position to the position whereat the refuse can be deposited within the conveyor will be relatively swift as compared to workers carrying such materials to the truck. If desired, automatic controls can be placed in the master control panel 44 that will, upon actuation of an appropriate switch, return the crane to the position shown in FIG. 1 and automatically open the cage, thus releasing the refuse into the basket 38. Such automatic return would increase the speed of the device in view of the fact that the operator can begin moving to the next location of refuse while this is being done. Thus, he will be free from returning the crane to its retracted position shown in FIG. 1. The arrangement of control for its automatic return or retraction is again something that would be within the knowledge of one of ordinary skill in this art and could be accomplished by valves biased to a position where the crane would assume the position of FIG. 1. The enlarged basket 38 on the receiving end of the conveyor allows for a certain amount of error in the positioning of the cage for the release of the refuse through the conveyor.

Once the refuse is deposited on the conveyor it will move to the discharge end of the conveyor which is positioned at the door 26. The refuse bundles will then fall into the operative side of the packer plate and the cylinder 24 may be actuated to compress the refuse toward the rear of the body 18 in the well-known manner of operation of this type of equipment. The door 26 will fall to its closed position during the compressing step to prevent refuse from passing through it.

As can be seen from an examination of the above, therefore, the present invention readily achieves the objectives set forth at the outset as well as others inherent therein. A piece of equipment has been disclosed which will result in considerable time saved, as well as personnel needed to perform the necessary task of refuse collection and disposal. A device has been disclosed which requires only one operator, and he may be of limited skill and training. In addition, reliable means are provided which are relatively simple and inexpensive. This allows for ease of manufacture, as well as reduction of costs involved. The result is a significant increase in the speed and time required to collect refuse, as well as anticipated substantial reductions in the costs involved in spite of the increase in the initial expense for the purchase of this equipment.

What is claimed is:

l. A mobile refuse retriever including,

a vehicle having,

an operator control platform where the drives the vehicle,

a motor for movement of the vehicle,

an enclosed body for receiving the refuse,

a packer plate slidably mounted in the body and normally positioned near the operator platform,

a normally closed door in the packer plate that is rotatable to an open position, said door being rotatable away from said operator platform,

operator conveyor means including a receiving end and a discharge end, the discharge end positioned at said door when the packer plate is in its normal positlon,

crane means for the pick up and transfer to the conveyor of the refuse,

actuating means for the operation of the crane, and

control means operatable at the operators platform for the control of the actuating means.

2. The invention of claim 1 and including,

cage means on said crane means for grasping the refuse to bring about its pick up and transfer to said conveyor.

3. The invention of claim 2 wherein,

the cage means is further defined as being rotatably mounted on the crane means,

said actuating means including,

bi-directional means for rotation of the cage means.

4. The invention of claim 3 wherein the cage means is further defined as including,

two opposed jaws movable to open and closed positions by said actuating means, each of said jaws being comprised of,

a plurality of curved frame members in spaced juxtaposition and fixedly secured to each other, the frame members of one of said jaws having upturned leading edges.

5. The invention of claim 3 wherein the cage means is further defined as including,

two opposed jaws movable to open and closed positions, each jaw being of a generally curved configuration, the leading edge of one jaw being upturned.

6. The invention of claim 2 wherein the conveyor is defined as,

extending from near the front of the vehicle into the body, the discharge end of the conveyor being positioned for discharge through said door when the door is in its open position,

the conveyor having a downward bend near its receiving end,

a retaining side wall around the conveyor, the side wall forming an enlarged basket at the receiving end of the conveyor.

7. The invention of claim 2 wherein the crane is further defined as being comprised of means is further defined as including,

a primary cylinder extending between the post and primary boom,

a secondary cylinder extending between the primary and secondary boom,

cylinder means within the secondary boom for the telescopic extension and retraction thereof,

a bi-directional motor rotatably connecting the cage means to the secondary boom for the rotation thereof,

means is further defined as including,

a hydraulic pump connected to the motor by power take-off means,

a reserve tank,

a control panel on said operator's platform to which hydraulic actuating fluid is pumped under pressure,

hydraulic lines connecting the control panel to said cylinders, motor and cylinder means for conveyance of said fluid to and from said cylinders, motor and cylinder means, and

valve means in said panel for selective conveyance of hydraulic fluid through said lines to said cylinders, motor and cylinder means in response to operation of the control panel.

10. A mobile refuse retriever including,

a vehicle having,

an operator platform,

means for driving the vehicle at said platform,

a motor for movement of the vehicle,

an enclosed body including,

a packer plate slidably mounted in said body for compressing the refuse,

a normally closed door in the packer plate that is rotatable to an open position, said door being rotatable away from the operator platform, I

abutment means in said body for rotating the door to its open position when the packer plate is in its position nearest the operator platform,

conveyor means having a receiving end near the front of the vehicle and a discharge end positioned to discharge through said door when the packer plate is in its position nearest the operator platform,

hydraulic crane means for the pickup and transfer to the conveyor of the bags, said crane means being comprised of,

a vertical post mounted in said vehicle for rotation about a generally vertical axis,

a primary boom connected to the vertical post for rotation about a generally horizontal axis,

a secondary boom rotatably connected to the primary boom for rotation about a generally horizontal axis, the secondary boom being telescopic,

cage means rotatably connected to the outermost end of the secondary boom and being comprised of,

two opposed jaws movable toward and away from each other to closed and opened positions, respectively, the leading edge of one of said jaws being curved upwardly,

hydraulic actuating means for the operation of said crane means, including,

a primary cylinder extending between the post and primary boom,

a secondary cylinder extending between the primary and secondary booms,

a third cylinder within the secondary boom for the telescopic extension and retraction thereof,

a bi-directional motor rotatably connecting the cage means to the secondary boom,

a cage cylinder for each of said jaws for opening and closing its respective jaw,

control means operable at the operators platform for the individual control of said hydraulic actuating means, and including,

a hydraulic pump operatively connected to said motor by power take-off means,

hydraulic fluid reservoir means, 7

line means for conveying fluid from the pump to said cylinders and motor and from said cylinders and motor to said reservoir means, said control means further including,

valve means for selective conveyance of the hydraulic fluid through said line means to said cylinders and motor in response to operation of the control means at said operator platform.

1 1. The invention of claim 10 wherein,

the crane means has a normal position in which the cage means is positioned for the deposit of refuse onto the receiving end of the conveyor, and including,

return means in said actuating means for the automatic return of said crane means to its normal position upon actuation of said return means.

12. A mobile refuse retriever including,

a vehicle having,

an operator control platform from which the operator drives the vehicle,

means for propelling the vehicle,

a body on the vehicle for receiving the refuse,

compacting means in said body for compacting the refuse,

conveyor means extending from the front of the body past the operators platform to a position at least as close to the front of the vehicle as the operators platform, and including a receiving end and a discharge end,

front wall means through which the discharge end of the conveyor discharges the refuse into the body for operation thereon by the compacting means,

crane means including a pivotal boom and pick-up means at the end thereof for picking up and transferring refuse to the conveyor,

retaining wall means around the conveyor for retaining refuse on the conveyor,

actuating means for the operation of the crane means and pick-up means, and

control means operable at the operators platform for the control of the actuating means.

Claims

1. A mobile refuse retriever including, a vehicle having, an operator control platform where the operator drives the vehicle, a motor for movement of the vehicle, an enclosed body for receiving the refuse, a packer plate slidably mounted in the body and normally positioned near the operator platform, a normally closed door in the packer plate that is rotatable to an open position, said door being rotatable away from said operator platform, conveyor means including a receiving end and a discharge end, the discharge end positioned at said door when the packer plate is in its normal position, crane means for the pick up and transfer to the conveyor of the refuse, actuating means for the operation of the crane, and control means operatable at the operator''s platform for the control of the actuating means.

2. The invention of claim 1 and including, cage means on said crane means for grasping the refuse to bring about its pick up and transfer to said conveyor.

3. The invention of claim 2 wherein, the cage means is further defined as being rotatably mounted on the crane means, said actuating means including, bi-directional means for rotation of the cage means.

4. The invention of claim 3 wherein the cage means is further defined as including, two opposed jaws movable to open and closed positions by said actuating means, each of said jaws being comprised of, a plurality of curved frame members in spaced juxtaposition and fixedly secured to each other, the frame members of one of said jaws having upturned leading edges.

5. The invention of claim 3 wherein the cage means is further defined as including, two opposed jaws movable to open and closed positions, each jaw being of a generally curved configuration, the leading edge of one jaw being upturned.

6. The invention of claim 2 wherein the conveyor is defined as, extending from near the front of the vehicle into the body, the discharge end of the conveyor being positioned for discharge through said door when the door is in its open position, the conveyor having a downward bend near its receiving end, a retaining side wall around the conveyor, the side wall forming an enlarged basket at the receiving end of the conveyor.

7. The invention of claim 2 wherein the crane is further defined as being comprised of a vertical post mounted in said vehicle for rotation about a generally vertical axis, a primary boom connected to the vertical post for rotation about a generally horizontal axis, and a secondary boom rotatably connected to the primary boom for rotation about a generally horizontal axis, the secondary boom being telescopic and having the cage means rotatably connected to its outermost end.

8. The invention of claim 7 wherein the actuating means is further defined as including, a primary cylinder extending between the post and primary boom, a secondary cylinder extending between the primary and secondary boom, cylinder means within the secondary boom for the telescopic extension and retraction thereof, a bi-directional motor rotatably connecting the cage means to the secondary boom for the rotation thereof, cylinders for opening and closing said cage means located at the outermost end of the secondary boom, said control means including means for the individual control of said cylinders, motor and cylinder means.

9. The invention of claim 8 wherein the actuating means is further defined as including, a hydraulic pump connected to the motor by power take-off means, a reserve tank, a control panel on said operator''s platform to which hydraulic actuating fluid is pumped under pressure, hydraulic lines connecting the control panel to said cylinders, motor and cylinder means for conveyance of said fluid to and from said cylinders, motor and cylinder means, and valve means in said panel for selective conveyance of hydraulic fluid through said lines to said cylinders, motor and cylinder means in response to operation of the control panel.

10. A mobile refuse retriever including, a vehicle having, an operator platform, means for driving the vehicle at said platform, a motor for movement of the vehicle, an enclosed body including, a packer plate slidably mounted in said body for compressing the refuse, a normally closed door in the packer plate that is rotatable to an open position, said door being rotatable away from the operator platform, abutment means in said body for rotating the door to its open position when the packer plate is in its position nearest the operator platform, conveyor means having a receiving end near the front of the vehicle and a discharge end positioned to discharge through said door when the packer plate is in its position nearest the operator platform, hydraulic crane means for the pickup and transfer to the conveyor of the bags, said crane means being comprised of, a vertical post mounted in said vehicle for rotation about a generally vertical axis, a primary boom connected to the vertical post for rotation about a generally horizontal axis, a secondary boom rotatably connected to the primary boom for rotation about a generally horizontal axis, the secondary boom being telescopic, cage means rotatably connected to the outermost end of the secondary boom and being comprised of, two opposed jaws movable toward and away from each other to closed and opened positions, respectively, the leading edge of one of said jaws being curved upwardly, hydraulic actuating means for the operation of said crane means, including, a primary cylinder extending between the post and primary boom, a secondary cylinder extending between the primary and secondary booms, a third cylinder within the secondary boom for the telescopic extension and retraction thereof, a bi-directional motor rotatably connecting the cage means to the secondary boom, a cage cylinder for each of said jaws for opening and closing its respective jaw, control means operable at the operator''s platform for the individual control of said hydraulic actuating means, and including, a hydraulic pump operatively connected to said motor by power take-off means, hydraulic fluid reservoir means, line means for conveying fluid from the pump to said cylinders and motor and from said cylinders and motor to said reservoir means, said control means further including, valve means for selective conveyance of the hydraulic fluid through said line means to said cylinders and motor in response to operation of the control means at said operator platform.

11. The invention of claim 10 wherein, the crane means has a normal position in which the cage means is positioned for the deposit of refuse onto the receiving end of the conveYor, and including, return means in said actuating means for the automatic return of said crane means to its normal position upon actuation of said return means.

12. A mobile refuse retriever including, a vehicle having, an operator control platform from which the operator drives the vehicle, means for propelling the vehicle, a body on the vehicle for receiving the refuse, compacting means in said body for compacting the refuse, conveyor means extending from the front of the body past the operator''s platform to a position at least as close to the front of the vehicle as the operator''s platform, and including a receiving end and a discharge end, front wall means through which the discharge end of the conveyor discharges the refuse into the body for operation thereon by the compacting means, crane means including a pivotal boom and pick-up means at the end thereof for picking up and transferring refuse to the conveyor, retaining wall means around the conveyor for retaining refuse on the conveyor, actuating means for the operation of the crane means and pick-up means, and control means operable at the operator''s platform for the control of the actuating means.