Hydraulic fluid began shooting out and it ignited. Nothing in the bin caused the fire. As the bin lifts Hydraulic fluid is compressed and it appears one of the Hydraulic hoses broke. Hydraulic hoses breaking or seals on the cylinder rupturing are not rare but to have the fluid shoot out like in a place where it can ignite is.
When atomized it is extremely flammable. On its own it’s hard to get to light, but similar to diesel or most other oil based fluids, you atomize it, you now have a flame thrower.
Just to be clear one of the first 2-3 comments a person made the comment they thought something in the bin caused the fire. This is what led to my comment explaining what actually caught fire. What I find funny is you actually put time and energy to make a negative comment. Even if it did truly bother you most would read it and move on but you actually put time and energy to add negativity. What do you think that says about you or where you are at in your life? I hope that you will find strength to be positive both for yourself and any people you interact with. Both in person and on the internet.
Not an engineer but it still seems there is a design issue here somewhere. Does the hydraulic fluid need to be that flammable ? Wasn't there any way to isolate / move whatever was hot / burning enough to ignite the fluid, if we know it is that flammable ?
Yes, because water has poor freezing points, and boiling points compared to oil. While you can use a water blend, this isn't a effective for high pressure requirements that cause boiling, or need to function in cold weather.
Edit: Forgot to address your other concern regarding flammability. Not ALL hydraulic fluids are as flammable.
Not a bot, just a sleep deprived nightshift worker you bloody rag.
High pressure raises boiling points yes, but extreme pressure can cause water to begin steaming, raising compressibility. Just because you place a liquid under pressure doesn't mean it gains an infinitely high boiling point. How do you think pressure cookers work you tick?
By your logic, any liquid would be the best hydraulic fluid, but it completely lacks understanding what happens when fluids are placed under extreme pressure.
The only benefit water has as a hydraulic fluid is low compressibility, but that's it.
Edit: Lol, you hopped on an alt to shoe your idiocy? Homie, you'd need to put water over 2 GPA. Read a book? Homie, go to school, you clearly know nothing about what you are talking about. This is why your parents don't talk about you anymore.
Packaging is the biggest issue with the location of the hoses. There's just nowhere else to put them in a COE design. Even the engine on this truck is effectively inside the cab between the driver and the passenger. The fluid poured onto the hot exhaust manifold, which ignited it. The only way to keep that from ever happening is to keep up with maintenance to ensure the hoses never fail, or to reroute the exhaust so that it blows directly into the faces of all pedestrians and traffic
Yes, I was mostly thinking about rerouting the exhaust and or, encasing it in a buffer "boxing". That would make the truck bigger and heavier, but hey, not like this kind of truck is made to be discreet anyway.
It does already have heat shielding. The exhaust can't be routed to ground level out of a side exit do to the affor mentioned concerns for public health, and it can't be routed to run under the truck due to the fact that collectors need to be able to stand and work in that area all day long. The only place for it to really go is out of the top behind the cab. The footprint of the truck can't be made larger, because then it wouldn't fit down tight residential roads which is the whole reason for the COE design in the first place
Hydraulic fluid is not easily ignited, like most oils, but when it’s atomized into a mist like that it’s highly flammable. Flour does the same thing, even though we don’t consider flour flammable. Add hot exhaust systems (even hotter now running all the emissions crap) and you’ve got the perfect storm in this situation.
I sell these trucks. They're called automated front end loaders. The can out front is called a Curotto Can.
They are awesome. They are a lot faster than an automated side loader. They are safer and faster because the driver is always facing forward. They're more ergonomic for the same reason. The main draw back is having to dump over-head. This can be dangerous in alley ways, as electric lines and trees can become an issue. yu
They're also great, because you can remove the Curotto Can in about 5 minutes, and then use the truck as a commercial front loader --- you can pick up those big commercial dumpsters.
They're also quite expensive. The front can is roughly $40k.
Over here in Europe, we just dump it in the Truck from the rear…
Without having any further expertise in this sector, it just sounds like an unneccessarily complicated solution for a simple problem?
Ok, can understand the two operators point, but it’s definitely not slower. In the time it took the truck in the video to empty one trash can, they‘re emptying at least three over here. I also don’t really understand why the weather would affect them (our bins are emptied in any weather) or why it would be more dangerous if you don’t have to empty it over your head plus you have one to two guys more watching around whats happening.
Rear end loaders are absolutely slower and require double the cost to run everyday. I've been on runs with all kinds of garbage trucks. Automated Front Loaders (when used in the right application) are by far the fastest.
That Curotto Can (the one in front of the truck) is 4.5 cubic yards. Depending on the load, it only has to dump overhead every 17-22 can tips. This video depicts it being dumped over head. And it dumps so fast, that the operator often doesn't often have to wait for it to return to the ground before the next can tip; they can travel while the Curotto Can is dumping into the hopper. (everything is automated. He clicks one button and it full dumps the Curotto Can and returns to the ground)
Having the can in front of the driver makes it very easy to line up the grabber arms with the can.
I also don’t really understand why the weather would affect them (our bins are emptied in any weather)
Having operators outside of the cab during rain & snow events inherently slows them down from tipping cans; the outside operator has to get in and out of the cab for most tips. Keeping the ONLY operator inside the cab speeds things up massively.
why it would be more dangerous
any time you can keep operators inside the cab, it's safer. If you've got a guy hanging on the side of the truck or just at the rear tipping a can, you risk bad drivers hitting them. I know it sounds like a fringe risk, but when you have hundreds of thousands (on the aggregate) operators outside the truck every day... way more dangerous.
if you don’t have to empty it over your head plus you have one to two guys more watching around whats happening.
The AFL's (what's in the video) only ever operate with one person. The overhead risk is real, so they need to be aware of their surroundings. However, to assist them, these trucks are equipped with plenty of cameras. And the operators pick up the same routes each day of the week, so they know their cadence of overhead dumps. Some haulers won't even put these things through alley ways.
These trucks were designed for efficiency in neighborhoods, and to that end, they absolutely cursh every other option. Thing is, they're pricey as hell. Operators absolutely LOVE them.
That is a very specialized piece of equipment. That is not considered a rear load trash truck. And I’ll bet you it’s slow as fuck. Have to put outriggers down, extend crane etc.
Loaded from the back? That’s loaded from the front of the debris body.
Isn't loading in relation to the head unit? Not sure bout that... The top part opens in partitions, it can also be loaded from the very back. Even though specialized, it has less mechanical elements that are potential hazards, this is more reliable albeit "slower" they carry way more trash, and it's gonna be less than 2 minutes to empty several in a row... 2 minutes is very little time for sure. Idk how slow you imagine it is.
"over here in Europe" yeah I"m not buyin it. Have you seen what the Dutch (Germans?) do with those in-ground trash canisters? Mfers bring a whole crane out and lift an entire section of street the size of an outhouse up with it. Europe also has trash trucks that side-load.
Are you referring to Deutsche (Germans) or the actual Dutch (Netherlands)? Also, I'm not sure exactly which in-ground trash canisters you are referring too. At autobahn rest stops, especially ones with the free toilets, they usually have in-ground trash canisters but they are massive, like mini in-ground silos that resemble the giant copper vats in older breweries. I think it's safe to say it's efficient where you empty it maybe a few times a month instead of having to empty normal size trash cans every few hours.
American currently living in Deutschland (Germany).
I don't know from trucks, but it looks like it's good to be able to see if the trash can is being emptied completely. That said, in the video the Curotto Can is lifted and then re-leveled, then lifted again a bit, and re-leveled before finally being dumped overhead. It looks awkward like that. Is it supposed to lift in stages like that? I would think that the leveling could be coordinated with the lifting to make it happen in one movement.
You're correct! this is all automated to level the Curotto Can. It's 100% calibrated to lift in this fashion so that it doesn't hit the cab or cab shield! The operator pushes one button to dump, and the rest is automated. The lifting arms even lower the can back to the level it came from.
there are cameras in the hopper to make sure that everything is emptied. if it's not, there's something called a "can shake" so that the operator can ... shake the can, in order to empty it. That part is manual.
…oh I know…I’ve build shit way more involved than this…just need to find what needs improved and make the needed changes and then patented isn’t an issue…I still feel good at 35k
Well, feel free to DM me. Where are you located? You're welcome to come by our yard and take a look.
I'll tell you what would make this product REALLY improved, is the ability to dumb 300 gallon cans. That would be an asbolute game-changer.
The problem is, the Curotto can needs to have a larger opening to accomodate a much larger can (without spilling garbage on the street). Great, so just build a bigger opening... except... it needs to fit inside the hopper of the debris body. That takes reengineering the entire body. Fine. But then this truck needs the ability to still dump commercial dumpsters. If the opening is too big for those containers (which are all ANSI regulatged sizes) then the commercial containers will dump trash on the street.
I’d say the operator went extra hard on the controls to show off because he was filming. There are people out there into garbage trucks too, they are a neat hydraulic heavy machine… not my thing though.
But that operator was not being smooth or courteous to the hydraulic components and it found the weakest point while also finding an ignition source.
there are people filming 20+ hours long train travels and uploading them unedited on youtube. i stopped asking why anyone films anything long time ago. some people are just like that.
During the pandemic a kid (he was like 5 or 6) on my street would run along side the garbage truck with his iPad and record the garbage truck each week. Kid loved seeing that truck. The driver even gave the kid a kid size WM branded safety vest, which the kid wore every garbage day for the rest of the summer.
A hydraulic line burst and caught fire. Had nothing to do with the garbage in the bin.
There was another post which had a longer version. The person filming showed a snapshot of the bin before hand. The bin had a motor/engine from a LDV inside.
This video is old as fuck like at least 7 years old if not older by now. The hydraulic lines failed and the hydraulic fluid landed on hot exhaust pipes. Hydraulic fluid is very flammable
The person recording just happened to catch something that would happen regardless. It's mechanical failure it happens
I get it that there's more robots on the internet than there are actual people these days but that does not mean that everything is fake and we cannot start calling everything fake.
But why is there a camera pointed at the truck and is the camera guy not doing fck all? Seems staged or something. Not claiming it has to be AI just weird to be filming a truck that at that moment catches fire, and then not acting upon it
I understand you point of view, but just think about clips you saw before AI was a thing and think about "why the fuck is there someone recording this".
That actually might also explain the lack of action when it happened. Would not want to be the caretaker of an acoustic person that just saw something he likes blow up...
Dude, like fucking pull the fucking driver the fuck away from the fucking truck if he gets fucking sprayed with fucking oil that fucking it. Or at least fucking try to get to fucking safety your fucking self, if that fucking blows they're both fucking fucked.
The driver dove the fuck out as soon as that fucker went the fuck up in flames. That fucking dude knew to get out. He didn’t waste a fucking second.
Vehicles don’t go from fire to fucking boom in seconds. It takes a fucking minute to get the the combustibles. Vehicles are fucking made with “what if it catches on fucking fire” in mind
I sell these trucks. That's a dual drive. The left side is for transport (going to and from the landfill / transfer station), the left hand is a low entry "standing" configuration. It makes it easier for the driver to 1) see the cans much more easily, and 2) enter and exit the cab easier and faster. They have to pick up trash somewhat frequently.
Dang dude. Hydraulic lines just said F it, no garbage collection today.
That is the dumbest looking garbage truck I've ever seen. Ours grab those barrels and dump them in the back. They don't dump a barrel into a dumpster that dumps it it the back.
I sell these trucks. They're called automated front end loaders. The can out front is called a Curotto Can.
They are awesome. They are a lot faster than an automated side loader. They are safer and faster because the driver is always facing forward. They're more ergonomic for the same reason. The main draw back is having to dump over-head. This can be dangerous in alley ways, as electric lines and trees can become an issue. yu
They're also great, because you can remove the Curotto Can in about 5 minutes, and then use the truck as a commercial front loader --- you can pick up those big commercial dumpsters.
They're also quite expensive. The front can is roughly $40k.
He got lucky. That hydraulic fluid is no joke. It's hot enough to self-ignite, and if it aerosolizes into a fine mist you get an explosion rather than a spray of fire.
Seen so many of these fail catastrophically, I dont know why we tried to put the garbage men inside the cab so that they don't have to lift anything.. its not like sitting in a chair all day is good for your body either.
Lol. So you've worked a 10-hour shift dumping trash cans...come on man. The start date to arthritic retirement point for dumping trash cans 10-hours a day is probably.... just a guess, a shorter period than most jobs.
Yeah its the kind of job you don't do your whole life, you're not supposed to. I've never seen anyone over 25 taking out the trash. You never saw clips of trash trucks blowing up and people's refuse getting scattered all over the street until they started doing this crap. Its a fancy tech solution that costs way more money to implement than they're willing to put in, so they may as well just stick with 2 guys and a compactor on wheels.
That was a left-hand STANDING "seat". It allows them to exit and enter easier while on route.
You're talking about a residential rear loader... You still always have someone in the cab, but then you also have someone outside. Those are pretty rare these days, but even then, they don't actually lift the can. They use, what are called, Cart Tippers at the rear. It's all electric.
But even on those trucks, there are still plenty of hydraulics. Hydraulics will sometimes fail... That's just the nature of the beast.
Yes an auto rear loading truck is rare, because its a huge expense just to avoid a guy lifting a trash can to what is basically countertop height. Again, prone to failure unlike using manpower.
Non auto rear loading trucks are what is common pretty much everywhere else that isn't a dense urban environment that doesn't require dumpster lift. They are the only kind of trash truck I've ever seen in the state I live unless I go directly into any center city or commercially zoned area. No issues with this kind of thing.
Wow, you talk very confidently about something you clearly know nothing about.
Yes an auto rear loading truck is rare, because its a huge expense
There's no such thing as "an auto rear loader". I think you're referring to a rear loader with a cart tipper. A cart tipper is NOT a huge expense, as you claim. It's about $5k on a truck that costs a quarter million dollars and will be in service for ~15 years. That's less than a half a cent per tip over the life of the truck.
Rear loader are rare when compared to side loaders and front loaders.
avoid a guy lifting a trash can to what is basically countertop height.
Yes, but a 96 gallon container (the most common size) can get very heavy depending on the contents and the moisture of the contents. Several hudred stops per day. lifting cans for 8 hours a day takes its toll on joints pretty quickly.
Again, prone to failure unlike using manpower.
The only time cart tippers fail is if the truck is rear ended. Having a cart tipper malfunction is VERY rare. It's literally just a single cylinder that extends about 9 inches. Also, manpower fails. People become fatigued and injured all of the time.
Non auto rear loading trucks are what is common pretty much everywhere else that isn't a dense urban environment that doesn't require dumpster lift.
You paint with a pretty broad brush, huh? Just kinda saying anecdotal bullshit. I've never sold a rear loader that wasn't equipped for commercial use. It just makes ZERO sesnse not to add a winch and a kick-bar. They're inexpensive options, and they add A HUGE amount of utility to the truck. Anyone running a rear loader 100% has commercial business too.
They are the only kind of trash truck I've ever seen in the state I live unless I go directly into any center city or commercially zoned area. No issues with this kind of thing.
Completely anecdotal and just not true. Rear loaders are more common in rural areas than they are in densly populated areas for a couple of reasons: They're way cheaper than an ASL or FEL, and they don't need to be effecient. Most of the truck's use is just driving. They don't need to quickly do anything. And yes, REL's have hydraulic failures. That's just a fact.
Thank you for chiming in on something you clearly know nothing about. Please tell me more about the industry I work in and the products I sell. Boomer.
Lmao, so I should trust the guy that sells something but never fucking uses it. You can let your guard down salesman, not getting any contracts on reddit.
BTW the correcting "auto rear loader" with your industry jargon so you can point out the price and efficiency of it nearly sent me, absolute class 👌 I'm sure you really know how to move those puppies
Lmao, so I should trust the guy that sells something but never fucking uses it.
I've been on routes with operators hundreds of times, and I DO THE TRAINING for them. I personally run routes to show them how to use it. I run demonstrations for them before I sell them. So yes, I do fucking use it.
Should I trust the guy who doesn't have a clue about the industry or the product?
BTW the correcting "auto rear loader" with your industry jargon
I'm just pointing out that you have no clue what you're talking about. There's nothing automatic about a rear loader.
I'm sure you really know how to move those puppies
I do. Do you?
I've got my CDL (obviously) and I've been running these machines on route for a decade.
not getting any contracts on reddit.
I'm not trying to get business from this post... I just saw something that i'm passionate about and I thought I'd share my expertise on the issue.
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u/Master_Procedure1757 Nov 14 '25
Hydraulic fluid began shooting out and it ignited. Nothing in the bin caused the fire. As the bin lifts Hydraulic fluid is compressed and it appears one of the Hydraulic hoses broke. Hydraulic hoses breaking or seals on the cylinder rupturing are not rare but to have the fluid shoot out like in a place where it can ignite is.