Revving Wittke Hopper + Curbside Footage

In light of the 2021 GSI sellout to Republic, I think right now is high time for some old footage showcasing several of the Wittke Starlights in their fleet. Gallegos acquired each of the 5+ Wittke/Curottos from the City of Loveland's operations before they switched to automated side loaders, and these trucks helped GSI first automate recycling routes. They continued in that capacity when I worked at GSI, however it was fun to take one on trash as they could pack impressive loads.
Enjoy seeing several GoPro angles as the 3/4 height packer munches away (inside truck 534), along with some overhead footage of the actual Curotto on that truck and curb shots of another (truck 521) with two very different Curottos. Shoutout to Desmond for filming some of the curbside video on one of his days off.

[@willthetrashman]

Outstanding work.

[@Trashman242]

ty

[@georgewuzheer]

The Clem was haul assing. Could watch him drive all day long. Plenty of great LE roaring, I suppose I never really appreciated how cool the trucks in Florida were until after leaving. Of course we had Atlantic Series not Wittkes with followers. That 3/4 blade really is the perfect compromise, that's pretty much a full length follower not the 2 or 3 foot shelf I typically think of. Really the view from the cabshield isn't that much different than an Amrep. Those front of hopper shots were my favorite though, packed out with the load fully rolled up the tailgate and back to the hopper. Great vid, nice sombrero.

[@Trashman242]

Yeah I could handle owning an LE, enough cool for nostalgia but enough youth for parts and reliability. Thanks for the comment, I agree about the best hopper angle. More of that and Alex in part 2. And Noe is supposed to bring me a true sombrero back from Mexico next time he goes unless I can find another one sooner.

[@TrashBulldogProductions]

First off 5 stars with the camera angles! Really gave us an inside out look at one of the original Wittke's which are unfortunately dying off as the years go by. Really wish I could have been there to hear that Mack roar and smell that diesel too! Really impressed with how much them Starlights can pack and haul, the only other FL that could compete against it in terms of capacity would be the FL-104 Millennium Series by Leach. Combine that with the low height packer and you got a reliable truck day in and day out. The ease of being able to pack on the go without keeping a steady eye on the packer itself is a huge benefit of this design and I still wish it was more popular than conventional full height packers.

[@Trashman242]

I agree, you'd get only slightly less trash behind the blade than a conventional full-height packer but the ease of operation still makes it worth it. No major increase in how many times you'd have to cycle the shorter blade, either. Thanks for the comment.

[@Trucksusa]

watching trucks ...👍

[@garbagetrucksofsanmarcosca]

Awesome revving I love this truck this truck is a beast and sounds awesome dude.

[@Trashman242]

Thanks, agreed.

[@garbagetrucksofsanmarcosca]

@@Trashman242 no problem.

[@garbageindustryproductions6536]

Outstanding video, Scott! I thoroughly enjoyed this one. There were never any Wittke’s in my area growing up, but after learning a little more about them through FB and YT and seeing a few in person, they seem(ed) to be one of the better bodies made. This one is a testament to that. After 10 plus years of service it doesn’t appear to show an exorbitant amount of wear. The arms still look sturdy and don’t seem to sway near as much as other bodies, everything seems to run well, and overall it seems like a really well built, solid body. From an enthusiast point of view I think they look really nice as well. Reading another reply you made, it is too bad Labrie jacked up the prices so much... I guess quality doesn’t come cheap. Although I suppose with a large contract, their cost per unit could come down. Do you know if the parts for these older Wittke’s are significantly more expensive than other brands? Of course LE is a solid chassis too! Crazy to see how hard this one smoked. Outstanding filming and operating from both of you guys. Also, when I was at the yard on a Sunday this past July, I saw only 3 of these. 1421, 1432, and 1433.

[@Trashman242]

thanks for sharing your thoughts and for the positive feedback. there could have been some improvement to the area where the fork cylinders attach, as I know that's broken a couple times on Alex, but otherwise it did always feel like a solid body as I continued to drive each of these. 1421 is the new number for the truck you mostly saw from the curb in this video, and there's another one 1434 which must've been in the shop when you went by, but in addition there was a fully teal Wittke which rolled early in it's life with GSI and was then separated from the chassis, and that body just sat in one of their other nearby properties for years and is probably still there.

[@welovevehicles8438]

Your rubbish trucks are better than the ones here in England 👍

[@snoopysrc]

awesome video

[@Trashman242]

Thank you

[@HighDesertRefuse]

GSI sold out? well that sucks big time...

[@Trashman242]

It was in the plans for awhile, but every sellout makes room for a new startup

[@HighDesertRefuse]

@@Trashman242 👀

[@sidwellsk8er]

Well that was interesting, I've only ever ran Heil Half Pack frontloaders and one Mcneilus and that made me only ever want to run Heil frontloaders. Interesting to see something else that was better than a Mcneilus frontloader.

[@Trashman242]

I certainly think so, despite a little unpredictability in the Wittke rabbit ears for forks and arms (but 15 years old and original parts could explain that). I like the tailgate locking mechanism more too, seems to beat Heil and McNeilus in that capacity and Wittke was way ahead of McNeilus in packer controls too. WM would probably still be buying Wittke if Labrie hadn't turned the front loaders into the most exorbitantly priced bodies on the market.