Gough Palfinger Australia has engineered new safety features on its hookloader specifically designed to handle Australia’s eclectic range of bins.
Unlike Europe, which has a standard 1060-millimetre width for its bins, Australian bins can come in all shapes and sizes.
Because there is no national standard design in Australia, local manufacturers are able to produce a variety of bins with different dimensions and hook heights, ranging in width from as small as 980 to as large as 1180 millimetres.
The bins are still in circulation within Australia and can pose awkward scenarios for waste collection companies as many hookloaders can’t carry them safely, leading to potential service delays.
That was the dilemma facing a client of waste collection vehicle manufacturer Superior Pak. The client was a national waste company which needed a hookloader that had a manually adjustable hook height for its operation.
“Our client was a large waste management company that was looking to upgrade its fleet in Queensland, particularly as the state has recently begun its Containers for Change refund scheme,” says Superior Pak National Sales and Marketing Manager Garry Whineray.
“They’re a national company, so it was important we could provide them with a frame that could handle whatever the industry could throw at it and be shipped around the country without any issues.
“Additionally, our client specified it required a hookloader which could manually adjust the height of its hook to handle any custom bins that it came across.”
Superior Pak purchased eight T22A DINO Hookloaders from Gough Palfinger Australia for its client, which were installed in just two months.
The hookloaders were specifically designed for Australia’s broad range of bins with an adjustable, multi-rail width system that can fit three different widths. What made the hookloader stand out to Superior Pak was the ability to manually adjust the height of the hook.
Garry says this feature was one of the most important factors to their client and helped give it the versatility required to handle its collection tasks.
In addition, Gough Palfinger Australia has recently completed testing of a front bin locking system to provide additional safety benefits for operators.
Previously, it wasn’t possible to include a front locking system on the T22A DINO, as containers sit 200 millimetres higher to allow for zero tunnel clearance on older cable bin containers. This meant the front bin locks also needed to be positioned 200 millimetres higher and required longer travel to accommodate varied rail widths.
Mark Gardner, Gough Palfinger Australia Business Development Manager, says the addition of front bin locking on the DINO design now gives a vehicle a total of seven points of contact, providing additional safety benefits when transporting loads.
“In addition to the hook itself, there are two points of contact at the front and four at the back of the hookloader with dual inside and outside locking, which significantly reduces cargo movement. Now, it’s even safer to carry loads of sludges and liquids as less force is required to secure the container while the vehicle is in motion,” he says.
“Front bin locks are compulsory for carrying liquids and sludges. However, we have also found they are an important feature for safety-conscious customers in the waste industry.
“New Palfinger 2018/2019 hookloaders come pre-dispositioned for front bin locking and are able to have the front bin locks retrofitted at any stage should a customer want to improve upon safety.”
The T22A DINO unit is equipped with an articulated arm, allowing the hookloader to lift a load in tight spaces such as supermarket carparks, due to the lower clearance height while also reducing load sliding.
It is able to lift up to 22 tonnes and is constructed from high-tensile steel to reduce weight and improve the system’s durability.
Each telescopic hookloader is a bi-point unit, which reduces horizontal forces and increases tipping capacity and has a soft-landing system to save the unit and container from shocks while reducing noise.
Garry says the process of purchasing the Palfinger hookloaders was relatively quick and has been well received by Superior Pak’s customer.
“Our purchasing decision was based around responding to our client’s needs. Gough Palfinger Australia was able to provide us with a significant number of units in a timely manner,” he says.
“We were impressed by the Palfinger team’s professionalism and enthusiasm to offer up their unique solution, quickly and efficiently.”