The wheels on the previous two BOMAG rollers operated at Bees Ferry also impressed Dukes. After one of the machines had been in use for approximately 7,000 hours, a wheel was removed to replace a few worn teeth. Dukes was expecting a fair amount of wire to be wrapped up behind the wheel because that's exactly what had occurred with other machines the landfill had used. But instead, thanks to standard wire cutters placed near the wheels for this very reason, there was no wire at all.

We do very little cleaning of the radiator. It just doesn't get dirty.

Clean wheels, in combination with four-wheel contact and penetration into the material, contribute to maximizing the refuse compactor's ability to shred garbage into smaller pieces, which can then be compacted at higher densities without leaving air voids. This effectively creates more available air space on the landfill.

Another factor in achieving optimal compaction is reducing maintenance time in order to keep a refuse compactor up and running for as many hours as possible. Avoiding the need to manually clean the wheels is one way to maximize uptime, but internal components also require attention because of the debris that can be ingested into a machine.

Some dedicated compactors feature an air intake system well above grade - sometimes even placed at the very top of the machine. Designed to be as far from the trash as possible, this type of system results in cleaner air going into the machine and fewer man- hours devoted to maintenance.

"A lot of machines require that you blow out and clean the radiator," said Dukes. "The BC772RB takes cleaner air in from the top of the cab 12 feet up, so we do very little cleaning of the radiator. It just doesn't get dirty."