As waste hauling customers demand larger legal payloads without jeopardizing durability and dependability, Heil® engineers have done it again. By using the field-proven lightweight Half/Pack® Sierra™ front loader as the base, and substituting alternative materials such as aluminum and composites for the ancillary body components, the Heil® Half/Pack® Freedom™ Front Load garbage truck is the lightest, most durable frontloader ever.

It is an ideal refuse collection vehicle for areas with stringent weight restrictions and for waste haulers who want to transport the largest legal payload without the worry of incurring overweight citations. The Half/Pack® Freedom™ frontload trash truck weighs only 15,000 pounds, which is 25% lighter than a standard Half/Pack® and 1,700 pounds lighter than the lightweight Half/Pack® Sierra™. The Freedom™ can carry 11+ tons of legal payload in its 28 cubic yard front load body – the largest legal payload – and features a 12 cubic yard hopper and a frontload arm lifting capacity of 8,000 pounds.

To ensure the Half/Pack® Freedom™ front loader maintains its long-term durability, we have added an innovative load-control system to the unit called the Heil® Optimal Payload System™ or HOPS™. HOPS™ uses axle scales, accurate to within 2%, to determine the vehicle’s gross weight. When a driver is on route collecting refuse containers and the gross vehicle weight nears the maximum legal weight (or a preset allowable weight), this exclusive, patent-pending system warns the operator with audio and visual signals inside the cab. Once the HOPS™ warning signals occur, the driver can continue collecting containers only until the gross vehicle weight reaches the maximum allowable weight. Then, HOPS™ prevents the operator from collecting any additional containers. Using HOPS™ the driver always knows the weight of his refuse collection truck without the worry of exceeding the specified maximum allowable weight.