COOLING SYSTEM PROTECTION
One of the most important maintenance issues for a refuse compactor involves the amount of debris floating in the air around the active portion of the landfill site. This material can get clogged in a refuse compactor’s radiator and air intakes. Not only are these areas difficult to clean, but also the air filters inside are expensive to replace.

With some refuse compactors, the radiator may need to be cleaned once or twice a day. As much as you may want to avoid devoting long man-hours to cleaning out the cooling system, it must be done. The engine will overheat if the cooling system is not properly cleaned and maintained.

Some landfill operators have reduced radiator-cleaning intervals by selecting a compactor that is better able to keep debris out of the machine altogether. Look for a machine with the air intake high above grade. It won’t be as prone to internal trash accumulation since it is avoiding the massive amount of debris close to the ground. This doesn’t mean that the maintenance issue is completely avoided, but it is greatly reduced. Because of the reduced contamination, radiators in these compactors only need to be cleaned about once a week. Consequently, the machine spends far more time being productive.