WO1998050294A1

WO1998050294A1 - A packing system for a residential refuse collection vehicle

Info

Publication number: WO1998050294A1
Application number: PCT/US1998/009307
Authority: WO
Inventors: Kosti Shirvanian; Armando Godoy
Original assignee: Kosti Shirvanian
Priority date: 1997-05-09
Filing date: 1998-05-06
Publication date: 1998-11-12
Also published as: AU7372198A

Abstract

A packing system for in a front loading refuse collection vehicle (10) includes a hopper (18), a compacting body (20), a packing blade (80), and a pushing mechanism (152, 154). The hopper (18) has opposing side walls (100), a floor (98), a front end and an open rear end, wherein the hopper (18) has an open top for receiving refuse therein. The compacting body (20) is operatively connected to the open rear end of the hopper (18). A packing blade (80) is disposed in the hopper (18) for pushing the refuse from the hopper (18) into the compacting body (20). Furthermore, a pushing mechanism (152, 154) is attached to a front end of the hopper (18) and also to the packing blade (80), for pushing the packing blade (80), and thus the refuse, toward the compacting body (20) to compact the refuse in the compacting body (20). Furthermore, the packing blade (80) and extends horizontally from one side wall (100) to the other side wall (100) of the hopper (18) and extends vertically from the floor (98) to a position only partially to the top of the hopper (18).

Description

PACKING SYSTEM FOR A RESIDENTIAL REFUSE COLLECTION VEHICLE

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a refuse collection veliicle. More specifically, it relates

to a packing system for use in a front loading refuse collection vehicle.

Refuse collection vehicles come in many different shapes and sizes. The present

invention specifically relates to a front loading type of refuse collection vehicle. Such a refuse

collection vehicle generally has a pair of large hydraulic dump arms extending over the

operator's cab. Front forks extend forwardly from the front of the dump arm to engage and pick

up a refuse recepucle (or dumpster) containing refuse to be dumped into the refuse collection

vehicle. The refuse receptacle is then lifted over the operator's cab, and the refuse is dumped into a hopper behind the operator's cab. Generally, the dumping action is a two step process.

First, the operator (by use of hydraulic controls, or the like) raises the refuse receptacle into

position above the hopper, and second, he rotates die refuse receptacle to be in a position so that the refuse falls into the hopper. These operations may also occur simultaneously. A packer

blade then packs the refuse into a compacting body, from which it is eventually emptied.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

An object of the invention is to provide a packing system in a front loading refuse

collection vehicle. The present packing system has many advantages over previous systems in

that it is possible to pack more refuse in a given space. The front loading refuse collection

vehicle of the instant invention has a hopper having side walls, a floor, a front end and an open rear end. The hopper also has an open top for receiving refuse therein. Furthermore a compacting body is provided to the rear of the hopper and adjacent thereto and is operatively connected to the open rear end of the hopper. A packing blade is disposed in the hopper for pushing the refuse from the hopper into the compacting body. Furthermore, a pushing mechanism, attached to a front end of the hopper is also attached to the packing blade for pushing the packing blade and thus the refuse toward the compacting body to compact the refuse therein. The packing blade extends horizontally from one side wall to the other and extends

from the floor to a position only partially to the top of the hopper. Because the top of the

packing blade is lower than the top of the hopper, it has an effect of rollbg the refuse in the

compacting body. This rolling effect enables a larger amount of refuse to be packed in the compacting body, because it reduces the void areas inside the compacting body.

It is preferable that the height of the packing blade is less than the height of the hopper. A packing blade could be from 25 % to 75 % of the height of a hopper. It would preferably be

from 40 to 60% of the height of the hopper. From a strictly numerical point of view, a packing blade with a height from 36 to 48 inches is desirable. This provides the optimum in compacting ability. Additional important features are that the compacting blade in its preferred embodiment has a generally vertical main panel and an upper angled panel attached to the main panel. Furthermore, it also has a main side panel extending outward from the main panel to the side wall of the hopper and further the side panel extends forwardly in the packing direction from

the main panel. A pair of opposing main side panels is preferable and it is also preferable that the main side panels be concave in shape. Such a shape helps aid in the rolling of the refuse for better compacting. Furthermore, a bottom panel extends from a lower portion of the main panel to the floor. The bottom panel also extends forwardly in the packing direction in order to perform a scope-like structure.

Another important object of the invention is to provide a packing system which has a strong and easily maintained rail structure. The packing blade of the instant invention is supported by opposing side rails disposed on side walls of the hopper. The side rails are disposed at approximately a midheight of the packing blade itself. The structure helps the packing blade to move more smoothly when compacting refuse. A preferred form of side rails includes an angled piece forming each rail on opposing side walls of the hopper. Each angled piece has an outward corner which extends generally inward from the side walls. Furthermore, it is also preferable to have a complimentary set of angle structures which are disposed in complimentary relationship with the side rails so that the packing blade and the angle structures are shiftable along the side rails. An additional feature is to provide wear plates on both the side rails and angled structures so that the wear plates may be replaced as wear occurs.

Furthermore, skid plates may also be provided along the floor of the compacting body.

Another object of the invention is to provide a packing system which has an improved

pushing mechanism comprising an upper and lower packing cylinder. Each cylinder has a first end pivotally attached to one of opposing front comer frame portions located at front corners of the hopper. Each cylinder also has an opposite end which is pivotally attached to opposing rear sides of the packing blade itself, such that the cylinders form an X-shape. It is preferable that the upper and lower packing cylinder also be provided on opposite sides of a plane formed by the side rails in order to provide even pushing of the packing blade.

Another object of the invention is to provide an air permeable exhaust grill extending downwardly from a position near a border between the compacting body and the hopper, so that air may exit through the grill during compacting but refuse can not. The exhaust grill may extend downwardly from the top of the compacting body or from the upper rear edge of the hopper itself. A cross bar extending between opposite sides of the hopper may be used to fα a lower edge of the exhaust grill.

An additional feature of the invention is that a follower is attached to the top of the packing blade. This follower covers an open area behind the packing blade during packing of refuse, so that additional refuse will not fall in behind the packing blade. The follower is connected to the packing blade by bolts inserted through slots in a forward portion of the follower in order to allow a small amount of free play during packing, to keep the follower or packing blade from binding.

The packing blade of the instant packing system also includes a floor panel extending on the bottom of the packing blade and a rear panel extending up from a rear portion of floor panel to a rear side of the packing blade. This provides a completely closed interior of the packing and prevents refuse from collecting in that area.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Fig. 1 is a side elevational view of a refuse collection truck in accordance with the instant invention;

Fig. 2 is a perspective view from a rear quarter of the hopper and rear body of the refuse collection truck of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a cross sectional view of the rear body of the refuse collection vehicle of Fig. l ;

Fig. 4 is a top view of the refuse collection vehicle in accordance with the instant invention;

Fig. 5 is an end view of the body of the refuse collection vehicle of Fig. 1, illustrating the blank grill;

Fig. 6 is view into the rear body from above the hopper, illustrating the blank grill;

Fig. 7 is a perspective view of the canopy above the operators cab;

Fig. 8 is a side view of the hopper section;

Fig. 9 is a perspective view of the clean out shoot on the lower portion of the hopper section;

Fig. 10 is an illustrative view of the packer blade in the partially cut away hopper section;

Fig. 11 is a partially cut away view of the packing blade in the hopper section from above;

Fig. 12 is an illustrative view of the rear side of the packing blade and the hydraulic cylinders for driving it;

Fig. 13 is a rear view of the hopper blade; and

Fig. 14 is a cross sectional view of the packing blade.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

Fig. 1 is an elevational side view of the refuse collection vehicle in accordance with the instant invention. The refuse collection vehicle is generally indicated by reference numeral 10. The instant refuse collection vehicle is generally known as a "front loading" type of refuse collection vehicle. This vehicle includes an operator cab 12 and large dump arms 14 which are pivoted at pivot 28 and extend upwardly from the pivot point above the operator cab 12 and down toward the front of the vehicle in order to always allow access to operator cab 12. The large dump arms 14 are preferably operated by hydraulic power. As illustrated in Fig. 1, hydraulic cylinder 36 and an identical one on the opposing side of the vehicle operate the dump arms 14. At the forward most end of large dump arms 14, the front forks 16 are disposed. Front forks 16 are generally hinged on the end of dump arms 14 and are pivoted back and forth by way of hydraulics 38. The front forks 16 are adapted to engage a commercial refuse receptacle 40 (or dumpster). The main frame 30 of the vehicle 10 is supported on main rear wheels 26 and front wheels 34. Auxiliary rear wheels 32 are provided for additional load distribution if the load exceeds a predetermined capacity. If the load does increase, then the auxiliary rear wheels 32 are shifted into engagement with the road surface in order to help distribute the weight of the load. Of course, the operator's cab 12 is mounted on the main frame 30. A short distance behind the operator cab 12 is refuse hopper 18. The refuse hopper 18 has an opening on the top thereof in order to allow the refuse to be dumped therein from the refuse receptacle. Dotted lines 42 indicate the large dump arms 14 in a dumping position. The compacting body 20 is located directly behind the refuse hopper 18. The end of compacting body 20 is covered by end cap 22 which hinges at hinge 24. The end cap 22 opens to allow refuse to be dumped at a dump site. Main tilt cylinders (not shown) are provided to raise the front portion of the hopper and compacting body approximately 28° (or other appropriate angle) in order to allow the compacted refuse to be discharged out the rear of the compacting body 20, when the end cap 22 is in the open position. A canopy 44 is mounted on the front of hopper 18 and extends over the operator cab 12. One function of the canopy 44 is to prevent debris and liquids from falling directly onto the top of operator cab 12. Furthermore, canopy 44 also functions to provide an aerodynamic faring to improve the aerodynamic penetration of the vehicle, and thus to increase the fuel efficiency of this vehicle. Side farings 46 are disposed on opposite sides of the opening on top of hopper 18. The trailing edge 48 of each side faring is angled downwardly in order to prevent snaring any wires or power lines when the vehicle is

backing up. Clean out chute 50 is located in the forward, lower portion of hopper 18. Clean out chute 50 enables refuse which accumulates behind the packing blade (described below) to be removed easily on the side.

Fig. 2 is a rear quarter perspective view of the canopy 44, hopper 18, compacting body

20 and end cap 22 of the refuse collection vehicle in accordance with the instant invention. Crease line 52 extends along the side of compacting body 20. Crease line 52 is a convex crease which serves to add additional strength to the body itself to prevent undesired bending or flexing. Reference numeral 54 refers to arrows which indicate a reverse taper in the shape of the compacting body 20. Specifically, reference numeral 54 illustrates that the compacting body

20 is taller (and larger) at the rear end thereof than at the front. The distance indicated by arrows 54 show the increase in height of the compacting body.

Fig. 2 also illustrates the construction of the compacting body. For example, front side panel 20a, center side panel 20b and rear side panel 20c form the upper portion of one side of the compacting body 20. The lower side is formed by bottom panel 20d. Reference numeral

56 refers to a side panel overlap area in which the ends of side panels overlap one another for added strength. As illustrated, center side panel 20b and rear side panel 20c overlap one another at reference numeral 56. The overlapping edge of each of panels 20b and 20c are then preferably welded to each side panel. Furthermore, reference numeral 58 refers to the bottom panel overlap in which bottom panel 20d overlaps rear side panel 20c. Bottom panel 20d also overlaps front side panel 20a and center side panel 20b. The overlap illustrated by reference numeral 58 also allows the bottom panel 20d to be welded to the rear side panel 20c by welding along the edges of each panel at the bottom panel overlap 58. The odier side of the body is put

together in the same way. This construction method enables the tapered structure to be easily formed. Welding all of the panels together is the preferred manner of attaching them together. Fig. 3 illustrates a cross section of the compacting body from an area near the rear end of it. The panels of Fig. 3 are shown in a slightly exploded view in order to show the overlap of each panel. In fact, panels 52, 20d, and 2 Id are flush against rear support ring 68 in the actual configuration. Rear side panel 20c is illustrated above bottom panel 20d opposing rear

side panels 21c and 2 Id are opposite therefrom. Crease line 52 can be seen on both sides. The bottom panel overlap 58 is clearly illustrated. A top center overlap is illustrated at reference numeral 60 and a bottom center overlap is illustrated at reference number 62. By adjusting the overlaps during the construction of the compacting body, the reverse taper 54 can be achieved on the top, and the sides may be increased at the rear of the compacting body 20 by the same process. Also, bottom panels 20d and 2 Id each have an angled portion 25 at the bottom thereof to form a corner. A gusset 27,27 is formed berween the lower rounded corners of rear support ring 68 and angled portions 25,25 of bottom panels 20d and 21d. Gussets 27,27 serves to relieve stress and increase the strength of the connection between the panels 20d, 2 Id and the ring 68. It should be noted that although Fig. 3 is an exploded view, angle portions 25,25 are fixed directly to gussets 27, 27. The increase in the height of the body, as well as the width toward the rear end of the body improves compacting of the trash as well as the process of

dumping the trash from the compacting body 20 at the dump site. The compacting process in the compacting body 20 will be discussed below. End cap supports 64, support and give strength to the shape of end cap 22.

Fig. 4 is a top view of the refuse collection vehicle in accordance with the instant

invention. Roof supports 66 can be seen extending from rear support ring 68 to front support ring 70. Roof supports 66 are ideally channel members which are welded, or fixed, to each of the support rings 68, 70. Also, they are ideally fixed directly to the upper portion of the compacting body 20. These supports provide extra longitudinal strength for the compacting body 20. This especially provides a strong support when the end cap 22 is raised. A top door 72 is provided to cover the opening at the top of the hopper 18 during transit. Top door 72 is operated by hydraulic cylinder 74 which pulls top door 72 rearward to a holding position, thereby opening the top of the refuse hopper 18 in order to allow refuse to be dumped therein during refuse pick up operations.

Fig. 5 is a view of the interior of the refuse hopper 18 and the compacting body

20 as viewed from the rear of the compacting body 20. Cross bar 76 extends generally horizontally across from the interior of front side wall 20a to the interior of front side wall 21a. It may also extend across the sidewalls of the hopper itself, near the compacting body 20. Cross bar 76 is positioned near the border between compacting body 20 and refuse hopper 17. An exhaust grill 78 extends upwardly from cross bar 76 to the top of the compacting body 20 or to an area near the border between the compacting body 20 and refuse hopper 17, and to the sides. As refuse is dumped into refuse hopper 17 and is compacted into compacting body 20, the exhaust grill 78 allows air to exit but prevents refuse from flying back outside of the truck and littering the ground. Thus, air may easily flow through exhaust grill 78, but refuse can not. Fig. 5 also illustrates the front packing edge of packing blade 80.

Further, Fig. 6 is a view from above the refuse hopper 18 looking through the opening and into the compacting body 20. As can be clearly seen, the cross bar 76 and exhaust grill 78 are located very near the rear edge of the opening of the refuse hopper 18. Fig. 5 also illustrates the front packing edge of packing blade 80.

Fig. 7 is a perspective view of me canopy 44 above the operator cab 12. Canopy 44 is provided at its front and side edges with a rain gutter 82. Rain gutter 82 serves to divert the flow of rain flowing down the canopy 44 and prevent it from falling directly on the top of the operator cab 12 and down the windows thereof. Also gutter 82 serves to divert any fluids which

may have been spilled from a dump container onto canopy 44 and to prevent such fluids from splashing down on the windows of the cab 12.

Fig. 8 is a side elevational view of the refuse hopper 18. Fig. 9 is a respective view of

clean out chute 50 which is located right behind pivot 28 of large dump arm 14. Clean out shoot 50 communicates with the interior of refuse hopper 18. Specifically, clean out chute 50 communicates with the area behind packing blade 80 (not shown in Fig. 9). It is provided so that any refuse or other materials which find there way behind the packing blade 80, they may be easily be cleaned out through clean out chute 50. Clean out chute 50 is composed of opposing side panels 86, bottom panel 88 and door 84. Door 84 is hinged at hinges 94 and is provided in me closed state by latches 92. Operating handle 90 opens and closes latches 92 to allow door 84 to hinge upwardly and to open into the interior of refuse hopper 18. Refuse may then be taken out of the chute 50. A gasket 96 is provided around the edge of door 84 in order to prevent leakage from inside.

Fig. 10 illustrates a partial cut away of the refuse hopper 18 with packing blade 80. The refuse hopper 18 is formed by a floor 98, and a side wall 100. Floor 98 is joined to side wall 100 by way of angled corner panel 104. Side wall 100 extends approximately half way up the

height of outer side wall 101 of the hopper. A top rail 102 caps the side wall 100 and also is fixed to the interior of outer side wall 101. Packing blade 80 is set in between side walls 100 of the hopper (near side wall 100 is not shown). The packing blade has a height less than the height of the hopper. Specifically, the packing blade may be 25% to 75% of the height of the hopper and more preferably will be from 40% to 60% of the height of the hopper. From a strictly numerical point of view, a packing blade with a height from 36 to 48 inches is desirable.

The packing blade 80 is constructed so as to have a relatively narrow top surface 106, with, an upper angled panel 108 and a main panel 110. The main panel 110 is more or less

vertical or has a slight angle, while the upper angled panel 108 has a relatively greater angle. A bottom panel 112 is disposed below the main panel 110, and is slightly concave, similar to

a snow plow. Upper side panels 114 are also generally of a concave shape and extend outwardly to the side wall 100 of the hopper. Main side panels 116 are similar to upper side panels 114 and are disposed at opposite sides of the main panel 110. As with the upper side panels 114, the main side panels 116 are preferably curved so as to direct refuse toward the center of refuse hopper 18 or compacting body 20. In other words, concave bottom panel 112, upper side panel 114 and main side panel 116 function to change the direction of the refuse during packing, and to enable it to be continued to be rolled in the packing phase. This rolling action increases packing efficiency and helps in eliminating voids which may occur during packing. Although bottom panel 112, upper side panel 114 and main side panel 116 are preferably concave, they may carry out their same function by being flat but angled slightly inwardly from the upper angled panel 108 and main panel 110. Access plates 122 are located on upper side panels 114 and provide access to the back portion of the blade for maintenance purposes. During packing, packing blade 80 moves in the direction of arrow 124, toward the rear of the vehicle.

Packing blade 80 has supporting side rails 126 fixed on each side thereof near opposing end panels 118, 120. Supporting side rails 126 extend in the direction of packing and are located approximately half way up the height of packing blade 80. Complimentary side rails 128 are fixed to the side wall 100 of the hopper. Both supporting side rails 126 and complimentary side rails 128 have wear plates 130 which are preferably welded on (when the wear plates are steel) but may be removed and replaced when sufficient wear has occurred. The wear plates 130 may also be some other type of metal or a low friction material such as an ultra high molecular weight polyethylene. Also, skid plates 132 are provided which run longitudinally along the floor 98 of the refuse hopper. Rub plates 134 are located on the underside of packing blade 80, complimentary to skid plates 132. A type of grease is preferably used to lubricate both the skid plates 132, as well as supporting side rails 126 and complimentary side rails 128. As illustrated in Fig. 10, the supporting side rails 126 and complimentary side rails 128 are formed of angle rails. While me angle shape for both rails is preferable, other shapes such as channel shapes or square shapes, or curved shapes could be used. The supporting side rails 126, cooperating with the complimentary side rails 128 provide most of the support for packing blade 80.

Because of the angled shape, and the location of the side rails above the floor, it is very difficult for refuse to clog the side rails.

A follower cover is attached to the top portion of packing blade 80 and includes a cap plate 136 which is attached to the top surface 106 of packing blade 80 by way of fasteners 138.

Follower panels 140, 142 and 144 extend rearwardly (widi respect to packing direction 124) from the packing blade. Follower panel 140 is attached to cap plate 136 by way of hinge 146. Hinges 148 tie follower panels 140, 142 and 144 together. The follower, generally designated by reference numeral 150, is attached to the top of packing blade 80 and extends generally rearwardly (with regard to the packing direction 124) in order to cover the space made vacant by the advancing of packing blade 80 when moving in the packing direction 124. Thus, when packing blade 80 extends to its foremost position in the packing direction, tiie space in the hopper which has been vacated due to the movement of the packing blade 80 is thus covered by follower 150. Thus, even during a packing cycle, or when the packing blade is in its foremost position, refuse may still be dumped into the hopper from above without clogging up the hydraulic drive mechanisms behind the packing blade 80. Thus the follower 150 prevents clogging of the packing drive mechanisms as well as increasing the efficiency of the refuse collection vehicle in that it allows packing to be accomplished at the same time as refuse is being dumped into the hopper from above.

Figs. 11 and 12 illustrate the packing blade driving mechanism, or pushing mechanism. Fig. 11 is a partially cut away view of the packing blade in die hopper section with the driving mechanism behind it. Fig. 12 is a view from directly behind the packing blade. The packing blade driving mechanism includes upper packing cylinder 152 and lower packing cylinder 154. Upper and lower packing cylinders 152 and 154 are crisscrossed in an X-shape in order to provide a size efficient packing mechanism. First ends of upper packing cylinder 152 and lower packing cylinder 154 are pivotally attached at the front corner frame portion 162 of the refuse hopper. Specifically, upper packing cylinder 152 is pivotally attached between fixed upper horizontal support 156 and fixed central horizontal support 158. Lower packing cylinder 154 is accordingly pivotally attached between the fixed central horizontal support 158 and me fixed lower horizontal support 160. The opposite ends of each of cylinders 152 and 154 are pivotally attached to the rear side of packing blade 80. Packing blade 80 includes vertical internal supports 164. Further, it includes a horizontal upper bracket 166, a horizontal center bracket 168, and a horizontal lower bracket 170. Because packing cylinders 152 and 154 are crisscrossed, upper packing cylinder 152 is attached to the back side of packing blade 80 at pivot pin 172 between upper bracket 166 and center bracket 168. Upper bracket 166 and center bracket 168 form a right side pivot bracket 173 which accepts pivot 172. Accordingly, lower packing cylinder 154 is attached to packing blade 80 at pivot pin 174 (opposite from pivot point 172) between center bracket 168 and lower bracket 170. Center bracket 168 and lower bracket 170 form a left side pivot bracket which accepts pivot pin 174. It should be noted that the horizontal center bracket 168 is approximately located at the center line between complimentary side rails 128. Thus, upper packing cylinder 152 pushes above the center line of side rails 128,

while lower packing cylinder 154 pushes beneath die center line of rails 128. This arrangement allows for a much more even force for pushing e packing blade 80 forward in the packing direction. This provides for a much more uniform pushing action than in many prior art devices in which the guide rail is on me floor and me pushing action comes from up above. In such

prior art devices mere is a tendency to tilt me packing blade forward as it is moving rather than to have an even push forward.

Fig. 13 is a rear view of packing blade 80, while Fig. 14 is a cross sectional view from the side of packing blade 80. Referring to bo Figs. 13 and 14, Fig. 13 illustrates slots 178 located in cap plate 136. The slots are formed in a longitudinal direction in accord wi the direction of travel of the packing blade 80. Fasteners 138, (see Fig. 10) fasten follower 150 to the top of packing blade 80 through slots 178. Because slots 178 are elongated, fasteners 138 extend through slots 178 and are allowed to float along the longitudinal direction. Thus, if the packing blade is skewed to one side or another during packing, the fasteners 138, and hence me whole follower 150 may float slightly in order to maintain its normal alignment, even if the packing blade 80 is slightly out of line.

As best illustrated in Fig. 14, packing blade 80 has a rear panel 180 which is angled forward toward me blade. Furthermore, a floor panel 182 is also provided on the bottom of packing blade 80. Rear panel 180 and floor panel 182 are preferably attached together at the rear section thereof, as shown in Fig. 14 in order to form a space therebetween. This is a closed space and prevents refuse from coming up underneam the blade or coming in behind me

blade to clog d e bottom area diereof.

Although a specific form of embodiment of the instant invention has been described above and illustrated in the accompanying drawings in order to be more clearly understood, me above description is made by way of example and not as a limitation to the scope of e instant invention. It is contemplated that various modifications apparent to one of ordinary skill in me art could be made without departing from the scope of me invention which is to be determined by the following claims.

Claims

CLAIMSWe claim:

1. A packing system for use in a front loading refuse collection vehicle, comprising: a hopper having opposing side walls, a floor, a front end and an open rear end, wherein said hopper has an open top for receiving refuse therein; a compacting body, operatively connected to the open rear end of said hopper; a packing blade disposed in said hopper for pushing the refuse from me hopper into said compacting body; a pushing mechanism, attached to a front end of said hopper and also to said packing blade, for pushing said packing blade, and thus the refuse, toward said compacting body to compact the refuse in said compacting body, wherein said packing blade extends horizontally from one side wall to me o er side wall, and extends vertically from the floor to a position only partially to me top of the hopper.

2. The packing system of claim 1 , wherein the height of the packing blade is about 40 to 60% of me height of the hopper.

3. The packing system of claim 1, wherein the height of the packing blade is from about 36 to 48 inches.

4. The packing system of claim 1 , wherein said packing blade has a generally vertical main panel and an upper angled panel attached to an upper portion of said main panel.

5. The packing system of claim 4, wherein said packing blade has at least a main

side panel extending from an outer portion of the main panel to the side wall of the hopper, and

further wherein said main side panel extends forwardly, in me packing direction, from said main panel.

6. The packing system of claim 5, wherein said packing blade includes a pair of

generally symmetrical main side panels on opposing sides of said main panel.

7. The packing system of claim 6, wherein said main side panels are generally concave in shape.

8. The packing system of claim 4, wherein said packing blade includes a bottom

panel extend from a lower portion of said main panel to d e floor, said bottom panel extending forwardly, wi respect to the packing direction, in order to form a scoop-like structure.

9. The packing system of claim 1, wherein said packing blade is supported by opposing side rails disposed on said side walls, said opposing side rails being disposed at approximately a midheight of said packing blade.

10. The packing system of claim 9, wherein said side rails are fixed to said side walls.

11. The packing system of claim 10, wherein said side rails are in me form of an angle piece having an outward corner ereof extending generally inward from said side walls.

12. The packing system of claim 11 , wherein said packing blade includes a pair of opposing angle structures disposed in complimentary relationship with said side rails, so that said packing blade and said angle. structures are shiftable along said side rails.

13. The packing system of claim 12, wherein wear plates are provided on working surfaces of said side rails and said angle structures.

14. The packing system of claim 12, wherein skid plates are disposed longitudinally along the floor of said compacting body.

15. The packing system of claim 1 , wherein said pushing mechanism comprises an upper and lower packing cylinder, each cylinder having a first end pivotally attached to one of opposing front corner frame portions, located at front corners of said hopper, each cylinder also

having opposite ends thereof, remote from said first ends, said opposite ends of said cylinders

being pivotally attached to opposing sides of a rear side of said packing blade, such mat said

cylinders form an X-shape.

16. The packing system of claim 15, wherein said packing blade includes left and right side brackets, disposed on the rear side of said packing blade, said left and right side brackets being pivotally attached to said opposite ends of said cylinders.

17. The packing system of claim 1 , further comprising an air permeable exhaust grill

extending downwardly from a position near a border between the compacting body and the hopper, such diat air may exit tiuOUgh said grill during compacting, but refuse cannot.

18. The packing system of claim 17, wherein said exhaust grill extends downwardly

from a top of the compacting body.

19. The packing system of claim 17, wherein said exhaust grill extends downwardly from an upper rear edge of said hopper.

20. The packing system of claim 17, further comprising a cross bar extending between

opposing side walls of said hopper and being fixed to a lower edge of said exhaust grill.

21. The packing system of claim 1 , wherein a follower is attached to a top portion

of said packing blade.

22. The packing system of claim 21 , wherein said follower covers an open area behind said packing blade during packing of refuse, said follower connected to said packer by bolts inse╧Çed dirough slots in a forward portion of said follower, in order to allow a small amount of free play during packing.

23. The packing system of claim 1, wherein said hopper includes opposing side farings extending upwardly from said side walls of said hopper, and wherein a trailing edge of each faring is angled downwardly.

24. The packing system of claim 4, wherein said packing blade includes a floor panel extending on the bottom of said packing blade, and a rear panel extending from a rear portion of said floor panel, up to a rear side of said packing blade.

25. The packing system of claim 24, wherein said floor panel, said rear panel and other panels of said packing blade form a closed space to prevent refuse from entering therein.

26. The packing system of claim 9, wherein said pushing mechanism comprises an upper and lower packing cylinder, each cylinder having a first end pivotally attached to one of opposing front corner frame portions, located at front comers of said hopper, each cylinder also having opposite ends mereof, remote from said first ends, said opposite ends of said cylinders being pivotally attached to opposing sides of a rear side of said packing blade, such that said

cylinders form an X-shape, and wherein said upper and lower cylinders are generally disposed on opposing sides of a plane formed by said side rails.