Crane Carrier began operations in 1946, initially converting WWII surplus equipment for use in oil field duty, and eventually produced their own chassis. In the United States, refuse trucks had traditionally been constructed by placing a packer body on one of the many standard over-the-road trucks suitable for its weight. In 1974, the CCC Centurion cab-over-engine truck was introduced specifically for the refuse collection industry. It's high-visibility "circle of safety" was the result of strategically placed glass which provided a greatly improved field of vision.
The Centurion had opened up vast new markets for the specialist vehicle manufacturer, and by 1979 the Centurion LET series was added, with an ultra-low entry forward-control cab with outstanding visibility. In a bold and remarkable leap for a small purpose-built truck manufacturer, CCC next set about creating their own complete refuse collection vehicles, including a CCC-designed compaction body. This truck would combine almost everything the industry had learned up to that point in history into a single package. And CCC would succeed with the concept in North America, where others (notably Sicard and Gar Wood) had failed in the past.
INTEGRATED FRONT LOADER (IFL)
When the CCC Integrated Front Loader arrived in 1984, it looked like something from a futuristic science fiction movie. The front end started with the Centurion LET cab, low and basic in appearance, with its twin headlamps the only adornment. Behind the cab was a new semi-circular compaction body of immense proportions. The base model front loader was 47 cubic yards, with a 12.5 yard hopper area. The body, cab and frame were integrated as single structure, without the longitudinal frame rails of the typical motor truck. The lift mechanism was an ingenious design using two short 5" x 24" cylinders to lift the curved frame rails straight up and over the hopper.
The vehicle powertrain consisted of a Cummins diesel engine mounted midships, suspended under the packer body, and driving an Allison automatic gearbox and CCC tandem axle through a short driveshaft. The conventional rear drive thus eliminated the traction woes of the 1965 Gar Wood T-100, and the engine location made for easy service access. Weight distribution was almost perfect, near 50/50 between front and rear axles.
The packer body was another innovation that set the IFL apart from anything the industry had ever seen. Circular construction has been used for refuse bodies since the 1930s, although the IFL was in fact actually more like a "squashed tube" in shape. However, since the LET cab was so low, CCC was able to locate the packer hydraulic cylinder above the cab. This minimized intrusion and virtually eliminated any dead space ahead of the panel, a trick used by top-pack builders in the 1960s. This also allowed for a longer cylinder, with 16" overlap between telescopic sections for rigidity. With a diameter of 10", it thrust 157,000 pounds of force directly against the load, not against the floor as with angled cylinders.
INTEGRATED SIDE LOADER (ISL) AND REAR LOADER (IRL)
When Gar Wood came out with their unitized T-100 in the sixties, the attempt was made to build combination front-and-rear loader packages, which were hopelessly bulky and complex. CCC wisely avoided this mistake, and next offered ISL (side load) and IRL (rear load) versions as separate models. The former was initially built as a commercial container loader, with the ability to handle 90-gallon residential cans as well. The base model ISL was 33 cubic yards and powered by a turbocharged Caterpillar 3208 diesel. Other engines were optionally available. Some ASL versions with a long-reach arm arm were constructed, but it is unclear if these ever went into regular production.
The IRL rear loader was perhaps the most popular version. A wider variety of body sizes were offered, from 18 to 32 yards, and the smaller sizes were amazingly agile compared to conventional refuse trucks. A slide-sweep packer with a huge 3.6 cubic yard hopper was developed, and worked well with the circular body concept. The IRL could crush with the best of them and pack tremendous payloads. Auto-locking tailgate and crankshaft-driven PTO added to operator convenience. Cummins, Cat and Detroit engines were all on the option sheet, as well as a Rockwell axles and Hendrickson suspension.
The Integrated series remained in production right up to the turn of the century, and is undoubtedly one of the best-engineered refuse trucks ever created. They were unmatched in efficiency, weight distribution and packing power. They were the logical conclusion to the legacy of the Sicard Sanivan, Wesco Jet and Gar Wood T-100. No other North American builder, before or since, succeeded making total refuse vehicles like CCC did with this series.
Nevertheless, the integrated series was ultimately discontinued around 2000. Crane Carrier has continued honing their Centurion LET model for use with proprietary refuse bodies of the customers choice. They have also produced "packaged" units, ready-to-roll, using bodies made by Bridgeport, Maxon, Pendpac, Wittke, G & H and others. Sometimes these bodies have even been badged as CCC. Crane Carrier was sold in 2013, relocating production to New Philadelphia, Ohio. In 2021, the company was acquired by Battle Motors, specializing in electric trucks.
IFL packing cylinder (view from top of cab, looking into body)
CCC Integrated Side Loader (ISL) with long-reach arm
CCC Integrated Rear Loader (IRL) with 20-cubic yard body
IRL with 28-yard body
IRL ejector blade (viewed from tailgate with packer panel open)
CCC Packaged Rear Loader (G & H split-body)
CCC Packaged Side Loader (Maxon body)
CCC Packaged Side Loader and Front Loader (Wittke bodies)
CRANE CARRIER VIDEO
IFL walkaround showing operation of loader and packer
Courtesy of gtpmike2000
Beautiful IRL 20 in action during its last days in Northern California
Courtesy of West Coast Refuse Trucks
Watch this amazing video showing a City of Decatur (GA) IRL as it disgorges a seemingly endless load of yard waste on to the tipping floor. The compacted 'log' is so dense that the ejector gets stuck, and the operator has to ram it out!
