Classic Refuse Trucks WAYNE

Wayne Curbtender

The 1978 Rapid Rail Mark VI Gruncher ASL, designed by Stanley Worthington, was the predecessor of the Wayne Curbtender

    In 1978, Wayne introduced the most important design in their history, and what may well be an industry first; The Wayne Curbtender Automated Side Loader (ASL). Designed by Stanley W. Worthington, it was quite probably the first complete ASL unit ever offered by a major manufacturer for residential 90-gallon cart collection. The very first ASLs were typically custom-built, such as in Scottsdale, Arizona, where the concept was born. As automation slowly spread to other cities, ASLs were cobbled together using a packer body from one company, such as Hyd-Pak or Norcal, and a lift arm from a specialty manufacturer such as EMCO, Rapid Rail or Arizona Special Products. EMCO and Maxon Industries had marketed complete ASL units, but these were primarily for larger bulk containers.

    It was a bold move for 1978, but Wayne was perfectly situated to enter this growing market. Being a small-volume manufacturer, they could profitably build for the small initial demand, and hone their skills as the market grew. This gave a Wayne a head start over the big three refuse body builders (Gar Wood, Heil and Leach), which didn't even have an ASL on the horizon in the late 1970s. Worthington originally partnered with Rapid Rail to market his ASL as the Gruncher Mark VI. Wayne was a company that used partnerships to great advantage. Marc Stragier's newly-formed company Government Innovators was the organization behind Rapid Rail, a chain-drive lift arm he developed for use on a standard side loader. Stragier is often called the "Father of Automation" for his groundbreaking work for the City of Scottsdale, Arizona experimental ASL program. Rapid Rail would soon become the brand name for Stragier's own ASL design, the Swinger.

    The Mark VI Gruncher was derived from the Wayne auger-type rear loader body developed a year earlier, and based on the Swedish Norba design. It was reconfigured for front-end intake and tilt-to-dump, and the auger fed the body from a side-loaded trough. The constantly churning screw devoured the refuse as it was fed by the loader arm with a clamshell gripper. A unique twin-boom lift carriage had c-shaped arms, much like a front loader, allowing the rearmost arm to clear the intake passage from hopper to body.

FIRST GENERATION CURBTENDER

The advanced Wayne Curbtender Gruncher featured a new lift arm with 66-inch reach

Wayne formed a new marketing division in 1981 called Wayne Automated, and began exclusive distribution of their ASL under the name Curbtender Gruncher. A striking new 23-yard tilt-to-dump body, based on the semi-curved shell Gruncher rear loader replaced the original reinforced box design. A new single-boom lift arm featured a 66-inch telescopic extension and 14-second cycle time. The auger compactor churned away continuously and safely, out of harms way as the operator remained safely in the cab. Curbtender handled containers of molded plastic in 90-gallon wheeled carts for individual homes, or 300-gallon tubs for multi-family dwellings. The wheeled cart soon dominated the industry, and was typically preferred by customers. A new Curbtender Puncher model was added for 1982, which would ultimately replace the auger-fed Gruncher version. The new Puncher used a conventional push-type partial-packer plate, with generous 3.5-cubic yard hopper, and would set the pattern for Wayne ASLs in future years.

The beautiful semi-curved body was dropped in the mid-1980s, possibly due to its expense, and the fact that such durable construction wasn't needed in this type of packer. A lighter, 25-yard vertical-rib steel body replaced it, as arm reach extended to 78 inches for a 90-gallon cart. The Curbtender could service 600-1000 stops per day, and helped to "mainstream" automated collection in communities across America.

Greenville Mississippi bought one of the first Wayne Curbtender Grunchers, shown here on residential carts

Curbtender Gruncher shown with 300 and 90-gallon polyethylene containers

Reaching out with its 66-inch boom for 90-gallon wheeled carts

The Curbtender Puncher replaced the auger screw with a push-type packer blade

A simpler vertical rib body arrived around 1985, now simply known as Curbtender

SECOND GENERATION CURBTENDER

The next generation Curbtender arrived in the 1990s, and to most people is probably the most familiar of all the versions. The body was completely radiused, with no ribs, in 16-31 yard capacities. The traditional tilt-to-dump versions featured an integrated hopper, and used one single-stage 6.5" cylinder for packing. The big news was an all-new full-eject model, with a rail-guided blade, riding atop an I-beam at the center of the body floor. A single telescopic cylinder, horizontally mounted and projecting through, powered the tall packer panel through the length of the body to eject the load in stages. For packing, the blade could reach deep into the body to reduce fallback. AR400 steel was used in the sidewalls and guide bar. A train of follower plates were connected to the panel to allow continuous loading no matter where the packer was positioned in the body. The roller-guided plates stacked up at the front of the body when the blade was in the "home" position.

The new full-eject Curbtender not only eliminated tilting to dump, it also solved the problem of hopper congestion typical of short-stroke, shallow-blade ASLs. An optional arm extender was available on these models, now reaching out up to 10-feet. With the trend towards automation now coming to full fruition, Wayne was ready with a modern and proven design, and experience working with cities to build new systems. In 1995, Wayne once again partnered with another manufacturer, this time the Leach Company of Oshkosh, Wisconsin. Leach would distribute and service the Curbtender, adding it to their line of popular rear and front loaders. These were identical to the Wayne product, and called Curbtender, except with Leach badging.

The full-eject Curbtender had a segmented follower and deep body penetration while packing

Bodies as small as 16-cubic yards could be specified. This is a 20-yarder with arm by Rand Automated Systems.

View of follower plate segment stowed in the body header as the blade was retracted

Packer blade shown partially extended into hopper

Full-eject packer blade, as viewed from inside the body

With an optional extender, the full-eject Curbtender had a 10-foot reach

27-yard tilt-to-dump Curbtender

Grabbing and dumping a 90-gallon cart

Eye-catching paint job for Phoenix, Arizona recycling

In partnership with Wayne, Leach Company began distributing the Curbtender in the 1990s

27-yard Leach Curbtender tilt-to-dump model

20-yard Leach Curbtender full-eject model

REFERENCES

Solid Wastes Management/Refuse Removal Journal, September 1981, page 89
News of the Industry; Wayne Engineering Corp.

Classic Refuse Trucks: City of Scottsdale/Refuse Collection Vehicles
Eric Voytko, November 6, 2005

Wayne to Resume Curbtender Sales, Service
Trailer-Bodybuilders.com (January 1, 2001)

SELECTED PATENTS

Patent #	Description	Inventor	Assignee	Date
US4227849	Refuse collection device	Worthington	Wayne Eng.	May 24, 1978

7/4/2020 (revised 3/7/21)