Uploaded March 2013 | Updated September 2026, 22 hours ago
So we recently decided to take another trip to Gardena, actually intending to see the new truck(s) (which evidently, have not arrived) And the first thing on the to-do list was find out if they still used either of their STS ASLs. Turns out they do, but not for long. It was pure luck that this truck was still around to begin with, but for more than one reason. As you may notice, the arm is sagging extremely bad and one of the grippers is bent pretty badly as well. Seems as though the truck was involved in an accident with the arm and some solid object which bent it up really bad. Being that STS is long out of business and replacement parts are essentially impossible to find, its amazing to me that they kept the truck running. The old Peterbilt STS ASL however, was in the shop again. Seems like it might be a problem truck with age and/or lack of proper parts for it. Which is a real shame since it is the M/A version of this body with the lower hopper height where you can actually watch the packer at work. I havn't had the privilege of seeing it in person, but thankfully Bill (Shadofax96) already has a nice video of it doin' its thing. And if anyone else is in the area, I urge you to take a look around for it. It'll certainly be gone very soon if it isnt already.
To those who have a good memory, you might notice the grippers are different too. They retrofitted Amrep grippers onto this unit as they did to the Peterbilt STS in the past. It has a much more firm grip and dumps the carts higher above an already enormous hopper. Though it did add a good 2 feet to the arms swing-out when lifting, but hasnt seemed to be problematic with the routes they run. Overall it functions quite a bit better now, with little to no need for shaking carts. (Except for the incident at 8:17 haha) and of course, it moved the cart further from the pivot points and now flips lids as a result. Just makes it even more fun to watch :D
Another thing I thought was pretty neat about this truck is how the hydraulic lines for the arm actually run up and over the arm itself via metal pipes, and then your typical hoses hang down from there and swing back and forth with the arm. This unit is equipped with rocker switches to control the arm which in itself is unique. Most trucks with a 'swing-out style arm' have a joystick control for more precise movements, but this skilled driver makes it look easy anyway.
Plain and simple, I think this is one of the best ASLs ever made, and its a little saddening that they never got the chance to take off. Enjoy this footage, because this particular truck right here, is more than likely the last STS automated side loader any of you will ever see operating.
Thanks as always to the driver of this truck for allowing us to film, and thanks to Waste Resources for keeping these trucks around as long as they did.
Filmed 3/19/13
So we recently decided to take another trip to Gardena, actually intending to see the new truck(s) (which evidently, have not arrived) And the first thing on the to-do list was find out if they still used either of their STS ASLs. Turns out they do, but not for long. It was pure luck that this truck was still around to begin with, but for more than one reason. As you may notice, the arm is sagging extremely bad and one of the grippers is bent pretty badly as well. Seems as though the truck was involved in an accident with the arm and some solid object which bent it up really bad. Being that STS is long out of business and replacement parts are essentially impossible to find, its amazing to me that they kept the truck running. The old Peterbilt STS ASL however, was in the shop again. Seems like it might be a problem truck with age and/or lack of proper parts for it. Which is a real shame since it is the M/A version of this body with the lower hopper height where you can actually watch the packer at work. I havn't had the privilege of seeing it in person, but thankfully Bill (Shadofax96) already has a nice video of it doin' its thing. And if anyone else is in the area, I urge you to take a look around for it. It'll certainly be gone very soon if it isnt already.
To those who have a good memory, you might notice the grippers are different too. They retrofitted Amrep grippers onto this unit as they did to the Peterbilt STS in the past. It has a much more firm grip and dumps the carts higher above an already enormous hopper. Though it did add a good 2 feet to the arms swing-out when lifting, but hasnt seemed to be problematic with the routes they run. Overall it functions quite a bit better now, with little to no need for shaking carts. (Except for the incident at 8:17 haha) and of course, it moved the cart further from the pivot points and now flips lids as a result. Just makes it even more fun to watch :D
Another thing I thought was pretty neat about this truck is how the hydraulic lines for the arm actually run up and over the arm itself via metal pipes, and then your typical hoses hang down from there and swing back and forth with the arm. This unit is equipped with rocker switches to control the arm which in itself is unique. Most trucks with a 'swing-out style arm' have a joystick control for more precise movements, but this skilled driver makes it look easy anyway.
Plain and simple, I think this is one of the best ASLs ever made, and its a little saddening that they never got the chance to take off. Enjoy this footage, because this particular truck right here, is more than likely the last STS automated side loader any of you will ever see operating.
Thanks as always to the driver of this truck for allowing us to film, and thanks to Waste Resources for keeping these trucks around as long as they did.
Filmed 3/19/13
