Operating The Dinosaur

There hasn’t been much shared of the dinosaur system, so I wanted to put something together to highlight this significant equipment type found in the bulk container sector of rubbish. Not only am I showing off various dino operations, but we also see a few aspects of servicing garbage compactors, all action which isn’t easily viewable with things often occurring in loading docks and/or during the dark hours away from the public eye. It probably seems like I’ve lost my marbles uploading this 28min video! It was a mammoth editing task, with a big struggle to keep the duration civilised and not cut out what feels like necessary footage, so this big TV length AussieGarbo episode resulted. Even though this rare mega production might seem ridiculous in size, I hope everybody gets something out of it, no matter how much or how little is watched, but hopefully it’s a little interesting and hypnotising. A big video which looks at one job I’ve spent a lot of time in and details a mix of dino packer scenarios, also starring multiple trucks. We start off looking at how the bail component functions and then witness collection, unloading, return and general handling processes of multiple packers across numerous sites. This compilation which was three years in the making I’m very excited to finally share - I don’t think you’ll see such dino related content again. Also be sure to watch this in the 720p quality!
For anybody wondering what the hell a “dino” actually is, you could almost say it’s a cross between a hook lift and roll off... it has a hook mechanism which can lift and a tilting frame which can allow containers to roll/slide off. If you ask me but, the dino is in a league of its own. The Dempster Dinosaur was introduced to the USA waste industry in the late 1950s and it was Compaction Systems that first built and distributed the original Dempster model in Australia, with later years seeing several other companies making their own versions locally. The general concept of the system hasn’t changed, with a sliding bail hook engaging multiple stages on the underside of containers, which is capable of pulling and pushing bins and compactors on/off the truck at a range of position heights and angles. Pretty much all major waste collectors operated dinos in the past, given it was the very accepted and premier bulk container system of choice in the early days. Like all things, the collection sector has seen change and many companies have moved away from dinos in favour of hook lifts, with the existence of dinos slowly diminishing. Most of what’s left of dinos is found in Sydney, with a handful of young units even around, otherwise sightings are far and few in between now. The average cycle time and lack of container security during loading have probably been the two kill factors for the dino compared to hook lift, however you can’t beat the dino when it comes to low clearance elevated dock pick-ups due to the low height sliding ability of the bail. There are pros and cons to the dinosaur system versus hook lift, plus different drivers have their preferences and views on which system is superior, but there are simplicity, durability and capacity traits of the dino design that you can’t match.
I had a first go at the dino when I worked for Watts Waste, spending a lot of time running them on weekends during 2014, trying to figure things out and learn the job, but the conditions and gear there sucked... at the time I was just a slow amateur that knew the basics. I became hell bent on driving the SITA dinos I used to see around - I considered it the pinnacle of dino experience in this modern day, plus it was the biggest remaining dino operation around. My dream came true in 2018 with what was now SUEZ, seeing me jump on with a subby to regularly cover his Saturday work. For 5 years I went out on Friday nights servicing compactors around eastern Sydney, initially with the allocated Volvo FM for the first 3 years, until the chassis gave in on that truck, which saw me take the wheel of some ACCOs still kicking with the company. It’s this trio of ACCO dinos that feature right here, with fleet numbers 222, 223 and 224 on scene, being a 2007, 2009 and 2011 model respectively… you can’t mistake their individual sounds! This gig had me see and understand so much about this line of work, allowing me to become more proficient and confident as a user of the dino system. I still recall how nervous I used to get moving forward from underneath compactors on the set downs years back, whereas today I love rolling away from and reversing under the rails! I’m a big fan of dinos, the passion for it probably goes back to my childhood... I also get a kick out of the heavy duty bangs and clunks from the bail working =D

[@VictorianGarbo]

Now that you are not on these anymore, it's making me sad because I wont be hearing these Accos anymore.

[@Garbo164]

Fk yea bro been keen as to see this video since you where telling me about it a few months back even fired up the laptop to watch it on a bigger screen and better audio! Noticed Alot of familiar places and alot of different places too, But no Clyde or Revesby shots? Thanks for taking the time and putting in the effort to put together such a large video and description defiantly one of those videos i'll keep returning back too !

[@AussieGarbo]

Glad you got a kick out of this lad! Something for those who appreciate this equipment and what's going on... others will see it's not a side loader and not watch a second haha Might get better appreciation one day in future when dinos are completely gone from this world, could even get a link in on the Classic Refuse Trucks website =P There was probably only one job in this video you wouldn't have seen before, the rest you'll have gotten a look at during those two cruises, just different perspectives of the sites I guess. I didn't really bother getting anything at Revesby, a bit tricky to set the camera up for a good view, plus I wasn't taking much in there during a lot of the time I was capturing this footage... Clyde visits only came around right at the end, plus didn't seem right showing a Veolia packer getting emptied! lol Cheers =D

[@NZRubbishTrucks]

Simply amazing! You can see the amount of work and time that has gone into putting this video together, not to mention the 3 years of gathering the footage it has taken to get to this point! Not only unique for the showing off the dino system, but also unique in how it has been portrayed especially with some fantastic camera angles that surely put the camera at risk of getting crushed if things went wrong. Great job Mitch, keep up the good work.

[@AussieGarbo]

Cheers Matt =] When I first started capturing this footage I don't think I had plans to make what I did, I was just determined to get some video of myself using these trucks, and then at some point the "ultimate dino compilation" idea popped into my mind which gave me more of a focus and plan haha I had a damn lot to go through and figure out how to chuck it all together, bit of a scary task actually =P Needed a few filming retakes for better results, but that didn't always end up being a better outcome. Anyway finished product right here, it's all locked in now!

[@nathanmoore9794]

Great Video Mitchy. A lot of time and effort has gone into putting it together, that''s for sure! 🤙

[@AussieGarbo]

This big production is like a trophy for me, a record of my achievement... like a sportsman with his trophy cabinet, I have my KZbin channel and garbage truck videos haha