Front End Loader Lorry

A Front End Loader (FEL) Lorry is a type of lorry used to empty an FEL Skip at a waste producers' premises without the removal of the FEL Skip from the site.

The lorry uses forklift-like forks at the front of the lorry that locate either side of the FEL Skip for loading into the lorry (hence the term 'front end loader'). The forks are folded away during road use.

Image

Process

  • The skip is lifted over the front and the top of the lorry to then be emptied in a hatch that opens in the roof of the lorry
  • As the skip is returned to the ground the hatch closes and the lorry goes through a compacting cycle by means of an internal hydraulic ram
  • This compaction allows multiple skips of compressible waste (such as Cardboard and/or Residual Waste) to be emptied and compacted into the lorry to optimise the weight and the logistics associated with onward transportation for processing
  • At the point of unloading, the rear door opens upwards at the rear of the lorry, and the ram used for compaction is then used to push the collected waste out of the vehicle.

Cross Section of FEL Lorry

Image

Notes

  • The cross section shows the relative poisition of the different hydraulic rams for operating the lorry[1]
  • Rams at the front of the vehcile controls the forks, and separate rams lift the forks
  • The internal ram compacts the waste towards the rear of the vehicle, and also is used to idscharge the vehcile through the rear tailgate

References:

  1. Cross section by Wastebuilt and Eagle Hydraulics