There are three main factors that make The Curotto-Can® the most productive automated curbside collection system.
Increased Productivity
1. Speed At Each Stop
When operated at maximum efficiency the driver of a Curotto-Can starts to extend the grabbers as they are pulling up to the cart. Then it takes approximately 4-5 seconds to pick up, dump, and return the cart to its original position – the shortest of any automated system. The wheels are stopped only for the 4-5 seconds it takes to complete the dump cycle. The operator retracts the slide and grabbers as the unit is driving away.
With an Automated Side Loader (ASL), you must bring the truck to a complete stop before the arm can be extended. The dump cycle is longer and then you must fully retract the arm before driving away. ASLs spend 3-4 times longer in front of a house than a Curotto-Can.
The time an automated front loader with a Curotto-Can spends in front of a house is the shortest of any automated system. Less time servicing a home means more homes serviced per day.
2. Ability To Spread The Load
With other automated collection systems, the cart dumps material in the same place each time, creating a central pile and not filling the container to the edges. The patented off-set arm on the Curotto-Can spreads the material evenly in the can, from street-side to curbside, fully filling the can. There are two benefits to this feature. First, you can collect more carts before stopping to empty the can into the hopper. Secondly, with fewer hopper dumps there are fewer wear cycles on the main pivot bearings and less stress on the arms and forks.
Fewer hopper dumps mean more time to service homes.
3. Unbeatable Load Capacity
On an ASL, because the arm and the lifting mechanics are located behind the cab, the body size, and thus the carrying capacity, is limited. The Curotto-Can system mounts ahead of the cab on a front loader and thus all the space behind the cab can be used for carrying capacity.
In addition, a front loader offers a large hopper, which means you can pick up a wide range of materials, including bulky items like furniture and appliances. Front-loaders also have far greater packing pressure and a larger packing blade than an ASL, thus more material can be more densely packed into the body. This means fewer landfill trips are required for a front loader equipped with a Curotto-Can as compared to an ASL. Landfill trips reduce productivity because they reduce the time spent servicing homes.
Landfill trips reduce productivity because they reduce the amount of time available to service homes. Thus, a front loader with the Curotto-Can system can service more homes per day. Plus, fewer landfill trips mean less fuel consumption and lower fuel costs!
Lower Operating Costs
Curotto-Can
1200 homes per day
2% contamination rate
1 worker
Side Loader
950 homes per day
25% contamination rate
1 worker
Rear Loader
800 homes per day
25% contamination rate
2-3 workers
While the initial capital costs are higher when compared to rear loaders and similar when compared ASLs, any initial cost advantage is quickly negated by the higher operating costs. The big advantage of adding a Curotto-Can to your front loader is the high productivity, which more than offsets the higher initial costs.
Although there are regional variations, a front loader equipped with a Curotto-Can on a typical residential route averages 1200 homes per day. This is about 40% more homes per day than a rear loader (at 800 homes per day) and about 25% more homes per day than an ASL (at 950 homes per day). The much higher productivity of the Curotto-Can system allows you to earn significantly more income than the other two systems.
Secondly, labor costs for the Curotto-Can system are lower than either of the other two systems. Rear loaders use 2-3 workers per unit while a front loader with a Curotto-Can requires only one. And, while an ASL requires one operator, the higher productivity of the Curotto-Can system enables you to finish the same route much more quickly providing additional fuel savings.
A third factor is the cost of contaminants. Both ASLs and rear loaders can have a contamination rate as high as 25%. The Curotto-Can system enables an operator to reduce contaminants to as low as 4%. This enables you to avoid having to pay for sorting and contaminant disposal at the landfill, further reducing your annual operating costs.
When you combine all the factors: initial cost, operating cost, labor cost and cost of contaminants, a front loader equipped with a Curotto-Can has a significantly lower cost per processed ton of material when compared either to an ASL or a rear loader. The Curotto-Can system completes the route in less time, uses less fuel, and with fewer trucks.
Simply put, the Curotto-Can system services more homes in less time at a lower cost than either of the two other systems.
Flexibility For More Cost Savings
Unbeatable Versatility
While the initial cost to purchase an ASL is about the same as the cost to purchase a front loader equipped with a Curotto-Can, the ASL can only collect one type of route – residential. In contracts, front loaders equipped with a Curotto-Can can pick up both residential and commercial routes. Front-loaders can be used for commercial routes at night and for residential during the day. For a large hauler or municipality, this kind of fleet flexibility can reduce capital costs significantly.
It’s simple, use a smaller number of multi-purpose trucks rather than a higher number of single-purpose trucks.
Lower Maintenance Costs
All the lubrication points on the Curotto-Can are easily accessible. Operators can complete the daily inspection and maintenance routine in about 5 minutes.
Simple To Use. Simple To Maintain.
Some in the waste industry believe that automated systems are high maintenance and thus require maintenance staff to upgrade their skills. While this is true for computer-controlled ASLs, this is not the case with the Curotto-Can system. Because the Curotto-Can system uses no high-maintenance electronic components, the same maintenance staff who maintain rear loaders and front loaders can maintain the automated carry cans. No upgrading of skills is required.
The Curotto-Can has evolved from 15 years of on-the-route development. Four of the product’s five major design considerations specifically reduce maintenance costs:
- High Productivity
- Ruggedness of Construction
- Use of Long-Life Components
- Ease of Maintenance
- Ease of Replacing Wear Parts
By following factory-specific maintenance intervals, the maintenance costs for a front loader with a Curotto-Can system are significantly lower than comparable ASLs and about the same as those for rear loaders.
Cost Of Spares
No Trucks Sitting Unused
Another cost that is significantly lowered by using the Curotto-Can system is the cost of spares. With either ASLs or rear loaders, having a spare available means purchasing, licensing, and maintaining an entire collection vehicle.
By choosing a front loader with the Curotto-Can system, you only have to have an extra automated carry can on hand to have a spare.
The cost of one Curotto-Can is a small fraction of the cost of an entire truck. Again, your cost savings can be significant.
Workers' Compensation Costs
Driver looks forward at all times thus avoiding the neck and back strain associated with constantly turning to look backwards.
Lower Workers' Compensation Costs
Workers’ Compensation Benefit (WCB) costs are becoming a major consideration for haulers and municipalities.
In general, WCB costs are highest for rear loaders mostly because of the constant heavy lifting and turning movements a worker must perform. ASLs also record significant WCB costs due to the repetitive motions operators must make to reach for the controls with one hand while turning the head to the right to monitor cart pickup and dumping. With the Curotto-Can system the cart pickup-dump-return cycle is right in front of the operator. No lifting or turning is necessary.
WCB costs for the Curotto-Can are the lowest of the three systems.
Safety Benefits
View from the streetside operator’s station. The complete pickup-dump-return cycle is right in front of the driver.
The Safest System Around
The grippers on an ASL are large and located eight feet behind the driver. If the operator moves forward without the grippers being fully retracted could damage cars, mailboxes, etc. The grippers on a Curotto-Can are small and right in view of the driver, virtually eliminating concerns about accidentally leaving them extended and causing damage.
Also, because ASL operators must look to the right at each pickup, they might not be aware if a child, pet, or vehicle moves directly in front of the unit while their head is turned. With the Curotto-Can system, the operator is looking forward at all times, reducing the potential risk for accidents.
Using the Curotto-Can system can significantly enhance the safety of both operators and community residents.
Perfect For Tight Spaces
A Curotto-Can equipped front loader can work in narrow back alleys and side streets. The Curotto-Can can pick up and return a cart within the space between the mirrors. In comparison, all ASLs have to pick up and return the cart outside the mirrors.
Narrow Streets - No Problem
The Curotto-Can system easily facilitates collection in alleys and narrow streets. The space needed for the automated carry can to pick up and dump a trash cart is as wide as the space between the mirrors on the truck’s cab. In comparison, an ASL must pick up and return carts outside the front mirrors often making them a poor solution for narrow streets and alleys and requiring a second specialized unit to follow behind – increasing operating costs.
Simply put, the Curotto-Can system provides the best service to residents at the lowest price to the public.
Ready To Take Your Route To The Next Level?
The Curotto-Can is hands-down the best solution to immediately improve your fleet’s productivity, safety, and profitability. If you are ready to take your company to the next level, discover all that The Curotto-Can can offer.
