Refuse vehicle with unique cab and method of manufacture
View Patent ↗A refuse vehicle comprises a cab mounted to a front end of a mass-produced, standard truck chassis without relocating the radiator mounted in its normal position on the chassis. The cab is attached to pivot about a fulcrum between a covered position and an uncovered position. The fulcrum is near the front end and beneath an underside of the chassis. A radiator compartment in the cab has a forward portion in which the radiator is seated when the cab is mounted to the mass-produced, standard truck chassis and is in the covered position. The cab has a floor that in the covered position is above ground level a predetermined distance to enable at least an average sized adult to enter a side door opening by stepping from ground level directly into the cab without the aid of a step.
1. A refuse vehicle comprising
a container body for trash,
a standard chassis that carries the container body, said standard chassis having a chassis frame with a front end, a topside and an underside,
a radiator attached to the topside near the front end of the chassis frame,
an engine attached to the topside behind and near the radiator, and
a cab mounted to the front end of the frame to enable the cab to pivot about a fulcrum between a covered position and an uncovered position, said fulcrum being in advance of the radiator and beneath the underside of the frame,
said cab including a lower base section with a cavity in a rear portion thereof configured to cover a substantial portion of the radiator when the cab is in the covered position,
where the cavity has a predetermined configuration so that said cab overlies essentially the entire radiator when the cab is in the covered position but leaves the engine substantially uncovered, and
where the cavity has a depth sufficient so that, when the cab is in the covered position covering the radiator, a forward portion of the engine extends into the cavity.
2. A refuse vehicle comprising
a standard chassis for carrying a container body of a refuse truck, said standard chassis having
a chassis frame with a front end, a topside and an underside and comprising a pair of substantially parallel rails spaced apart a predetermined distance,
a radiator attached to the topside near the front end of the chassis frame,
an engine attached to the topside behind and near the radiator, and
a pair of forward wheels at the front end, each wheel being outboard of an adjacent rail, and
a cab mounted to the front end of the frame to enable the cab to pivot about a fulcrum between a covered position and an uncovered position, said fulcrum being in advance of the radiator and the forward wheels and beneath the underside of the frame,
said cab including a front side, a rear side including a radiator compartment that at least partially encloses the radiator when the cab is in the covered position, a floor side between the front side and the rear side, a side entryway with a door opening having a lower edge substantially flush with the floor side,
in the covered position said floor side being above ground level a predetermined distance to enable at least an average sized, able-bodied adult person to enter the side entryway through the door opening by stepping from ground level directly into the cab without the aid of a step,
a cab mounting bracket that is attached to the frame and has a segment that extends from the front end of the chassis frame, said segment being lower than the underside of the frame and having a forward end including said fulcrum, said forward end being nearby and inward of the front side of the cab,
where the cab mounting bracket has a substantially U-shaped configuration with a pair of arms and a cross-piece connected between the arms, each said arm having a recess, said recesses being aligned and functioning as the fulcrum.
3. A refuse vehicle comprising
a standard chassis for carrying a container body of a refuse truck, said standard chassis having
a chassis frame with a front end, a topside and an underside and comprising a pair of substantially parallel rails spaced apart a predetermined distance,
a radiator attached to the topside near the front end of the chassis frame,
an engine attached to the topside behind and near the radiator, and
a pair of forward wheels at the front end, each wheel being outboard of an adjacent rail, and
a cab mounted to the front end of the frame to enable the cab to pivot about a fulcrum between a covered position and an uncovered position, said fulcrum being in advance of the radiator and the forward wheels and beneath the underside of the frame,
said cab including a front side, a rear side including a radiator compartment that at least partially encloses the radiator when the cab is in the covered position, a floor side between the front side and the rear side, a side entryway with a door opening having a lower edge substantially flush with the floor side,
in the covered position said floor side being above ground level a predetermined distance to enable at least an average sized, able-bodied adult person to enter the side entryway through the door opening by stepping from ground level directly into the cab without the aid of a step,
the rails are substantially linear and are spaced apart substantially from 30 to 38 inches, each said rail having a lower edge that is substantially from 26 to 36 inches above ground level and each said lower edge lying in essentially the same horizontal plane,
where said radiator is centrally mounted along a longitudinal centerline of the chassis and has a width greater than the predetermined distance between said spaced apart parallel rails so the radiator straddles the rails and is oriented substantially at a right angle to the rails with opposed ends of the radiator extending beyond the rails.
4. A refuse vehicle comprising
a standard chassis for carrying a container body of a refuse truck, said standard chassis having
a chassis frame with a front end, a topside and an underside and comprising a pair of substantially parallel rails spaced apart a predetermined distance,
a radiator attached to the topside near the front end of the chassis frame,
an engine attached to the topside behind and near the radiator, and
a pair of forward wheels at the front end, each wheel being outboard of an adjacent rail, and
a cab mounted to the front end of the frame to enable the cab to pivot about a fulcrum between a covered position and an uncovered position, said fulcrum being in advance of the radiator and the forward wheels and beneath the underside of the frame,
said cab including a front side, a rear side including a radiator compartment that at least partially encloses the radiator when the cab is in the covered position, a floor side between the front side and the rear side, a side entryway with a door opening having a lower edge substantially flush with the floor side,
in the covered position said floor side being above ground level a predetermined distance to enable at least an average sized, able-bodied adult person to enter the side entryway through the door opening by stepping from ground level directly into the cab without the aid of a step,
a cab mounting bracket that is attached to the frame and has a segment that extends from the front end of the chassis frame, said segment being lower than the underside of the frame and having a forward end including said fulcrum, said forward end being nearby and inward of the front side of the cab,
where the cab mounting bracket has a substantially U-shaped configuration with a pair of arms and a cross-piece connected between the arms, each said arm having a recess, said recesses being aligned and functioning as the fulcrum,
where the predetermined distance the floor side is above ground level in the covered position is substantially from 16 to 22 inches.
5. A cab adapted to be mounted to a standard truck chassis comprising
means for mounting said cab to a front end of the standard truck chassis to enable the cab to pivot about a fulcrum between a covered position and an uncovered position, said fulcrum being in advance of a radiator attached to the standard truck chassis and beneath an underside of the standard truck chassis,
a rider compartment including a front side, a rear side including a radiator compartment that at least partially encloses the radiator when the cab is mounted to the standard truck chassis and is in the covered position, a side entryway with a door opening having a lower edge substantially flush with a floor side of the cab, said floor side being between the front side and the rear side, and when the cab is mounted to the standard truck chassis and is in the covered position, said floor side being substantially from 16 to 22 inches above ground level and the fulcrum being substantially aligned with the floor side and being substantially the same distance above ground level as the floor, and
an air conduit extending from an opening in the front side of the cab into the radiator compartment to direct air into the radiator as the vehicle moves.
6. The cab of claim 5 including a lower base section with a cavity in a rear portion thereof that includes an open portion in communication with the air conduit, said cavity configured to form the radiator compartment so that the cab overlies essentially the entire radiator when the cab is in the covered position.
7. A refuse vehicle comprising
a container body for trash,
a standard chassis that carries the container body, said standard chassis having a chassis frame with a front end and a topside,
a radiator attached to the topside near the front end of the chassis frame,
an engine attached to the topside behind and near the radiator, and
a cab mounted to the front end of the frame to enable the cab to pivot about a fulcrum between a covered position and an uncovered position, said fulcrum being in advance of the radiator and beneath the frame,
said cab including a lower base section with a cavity in a rear portion thereof configured to overlie substantially the entire radiator when the cab is in the covered position and no more than essentially 8 percent of the total volume of the engine
including a cab mounting bracket that is attached to the frame and has a segment that extends from the front end of the chassis frame, said segment being lower than an underside of the frame and having a forward end including said fulcrum, said forward end being nearby and inward of the front side of the cab, said cab mounting bracket has a substantially U-shaped configuration with a pair of arms and a cross-piece connected between the arms, each said arm having a recess, said recesses being aligned and functioning as the fulcrum.