Efficient, One-man Operations for Secure Solid Waste Removal
The TL3 Trash Truck Grapple Loader is our most popular and versatile unit. A single operator can load, haul and dump trash with this unit.
- 20 ft. boom reach includes 4 ft. telescoping extension
- Lifts 3,200 lbs. when fully extended at 20 ft.
- At 10 ft. maximum lift capacity is 7,100 lbs.
- All-purpose anti-scalping trash bucket features low maintenance single cylinder design
- Dump body sizes range between 20 and 30 cubic yards
- ANSI Z245 compliant
Winter Haven, FL. Depends on their Petersen TL-3 Lightning Loaders®
Petersen Industries TL3 Trash Truck Grapple Loader Advantages
The Most Imitated Grapple Truck in the Industry
The Lightning Loader® is the most envied, most desired, and most imitated grapple truck in the industry. We manufacture 95% of each unit in-house to guarantee quality. Each Lightning Loader® is built to provide maximum strength, durability, and reliability, so you can get the job done fast and free of headaches.
At Petersen Industries, we’re serious about being “Made in America.” We’ve lived and breathed knuckle booms for over 60 years, in Lake Wales, Florida. When it was time to build a new facility, we moved down the street – not overseas. From buckets to cylinders, we manufacture and install 95% of all components in-house. We’re proud of our product and the people who build it. Your Petersen Industries Lightning Loader® is built by highly trained American workers, with quality American parts.
Head & Pedestal Assembly
HEAD
This heavy duty piece of American ingenuity is stress relieved prior to installation.
LOCK-COLLAR
Simply and effectively prevents vertical movement of the king post.
TORQUE ARM
The torque arm allows the gearbox to float laterally, which helps to reduce stresses to the pedestal caused from dynamic forces from boom rotation.
EASY MAINTENANCE
We use Nylatron bushings in the bearing housing and a sealed planetary gearbox to reduce maintenance time.
1) CONTROL OPTIONS
Greaseless proportional dual walk-thru standard lever controls are operational from either side of the truck. Petersen also offers QUADSTICK® controls and stationary top mount controls with joysticks or valvehandles.
2) H-STYLE OUTRIGGERS
Horizontal and vertical outriggers act independently of each other. Allows the operator to custom place around obstructions and traffic patterns.
3) BOOM-UP ALARM
Notifies the operator when the boom is over legal travel height with an audible buzzer and red light. The boom-up alarm has been a standard safety feature on our equipment for over a decade.
4) MINIMAL HOSE EXPOSURE
Slack hoses can snag on debris and obstructions. That’s why Petersen designed their “enclosed hose recoil system” and a bucket with no hoses below the rotator.
5) SINGLE CYLINDER BUCKET
A large cylinder and manifold block keep hoses out of work areas, allowing for a stronger bite force, and ensuring that both sides always work together.
6) SCISSOR HOIST
The most stable hoist available for this application. Lifts 23 tons and is power up and down.
7) WHEELBASE
Petersen specifically designs their units to have the best turning radius while keeping a comfortable operator platform.
WARRANTY
Three year structural, one year hydraulic.
Please note – there might be more standard features than listed here. Petersen Industries reserves the right to change product design and features at any time without notice. Please contact your Petersen dealer for complete features.
TL-3 with TBS body shown, other body sizes & options available.
General Specifications
Reach (from centerline rotation): 20 feet 7 inches
Main Boom and Tip Boom: 16 feet 7 inches
Tip Extension: 4 feet
Tare Weight (empty): 23,000 lbs
Front Axle Weight: 8,510
Rear Axle Weight: 14,490 lbs
Outrigger Span: 11 feet 8 inches
Storage Height: 11 feet 3 inches
Dump Body Hoist Capacity: 23 tons
Lifting Capacity
10 Foot Radius: 7,100 lbs
16 Foot Radius: 4,400 lbs
20 Foot Radius: 3,200 lbs
Weight of bucket and/or attachments must be subtracted from lift capacities shown. Standard bucket weights approximately 1,000 pounds. Capacities shown do not exceed 85% of vehicle tipping moment with outriggers fully extended on firm, level ground.
Standard Bucket Features
All purpose clamshell design, 4 feet wide with an opened width of 5 feet. High impact tempered steel used on bucket cutting edges for extended life. Reverse curve shape helps prevent scalping of lawns. Continuous rotation. No hoses below bucket rotator.
Recommended Chassis Specification (Minimum)
| Body Style | Conventional Cab |
| Cab-to-Axle Dimension | 168″, 186″, 192″ |
| Front Axle Rating | 12,000 lbs |
| Rear Axle Rating | 21,000 lbs |
| Gross Vehicle Weight Rating | 33,000 lbs |
| Frame | 1,500,000 RBM |
| Engine | 230 HP Diesel |
| Transmission | Automatic |
| Electrical | Remote engine & transmission connectors |
| * CNG Capable* |
Standard Trash Dump Body
18 feet, 24 cubic yard capacity is standard (larger sizes available). 3/16″ solid plate floor on cross members with 12″ centers.
Operator Controls
Dual manual controls (greaseless) for outriggers and loader on both sides of the truck for easy access and visibility. QUADSTICK® mechanically linked dual joystick controls and stationary top-mount controls are available.
Structural
A-frame pedestal design allows flexing under repeated load shocks. Replaceable Cast Nylon bushings used in head assembly. Head assembly is stress relieved. Reinforced connection points with hardened pins and replaceable bushings. Counterbalance valves used on boom cylinders and pilot operated check valves used on vertical outrigger cylinders.
* We reserve the right to change product design and specifications at any time without notice. There maybe more specifications than are listed here. Consult your Petersen dealer for complete specifications.
Dual Walk-Thru Controls
Greaseless dual controls are operator friendly and maintenance free!
Dual Controls: Control platform to be located directly behind conventional cab to allow operator access from the truck cab without ever having to touch the ground. A single bank of control valves to be mounted at the mid-point of loader, with control handles accessible from the operator platform on either side of truck. Control handle pattern must be the same on both sides of the truck for superior visibility. Control handles shall not require lubrication. A “Grip Strut” serrated steel walk platform is included.
QUADSTICK® Mechanical Controls
Completely mechanical! No high maintenance electronics!
Joystick (dual walk-thru): Petersen mechanical QUADSTICK® controls. Each of the four joysticks has six functions to control loader operation. Outriggers are controlled by two joysticks at the center of the operator platform. When applicable, body dump is controlled by a single lever at the center of the operator platform.
PATENT #7,353,652 B2
OUTRIGGER PADS
4x12x12 rubber pads mounted on bottoms of outrigger feet help prevent outriggers from causing damage to curbs etc.
ALL PURPOSE TRASH GRAPPLE
Petersen’s trash bucket is actuated by a single double-acting cylinder and capable of continuous rotation with no need for physical stops. The bucket motor, Model RE, has a 5,500 in. lbs. torque rating. Petersen buckets have the capability to be rolled over on the load without damage to any components, allowing for a maximum load while keeping boom height within acceptable limits. An anti-scalping feature is standard and advantageous for jobs requiring increased precision (ex: sidewalk removal).
The bucket also incorporates:
- 3/16″ plate, smooth steel clamshell scoop for leaves and sand
- End plates minimum of 5/8″ thick and of A-572 grade 50, 50,000 psi steel
- A minimum of 5 ribs per side to handle branches, logs and appliances
- A trample ram in the center for compressing trash in body.
- Replaceable bolt-on bucket blades made of high impact tempered steel
The bucket is 4 ft. long with an opened width of 5 ft. between pickup blades. Anti-scalping bucket sides are pivot mounted to provide a horizontal closing action rather than a vertical digging motion. Sides are mechanically linked to single hydraulic cylinder to ensure both sides close and open together. There are no hydraulic hoses located below bucket rotator.
CRAB-FRONT LOAD CONTAINER ATTACHMENT
No more chains!
The crab attachment can lift all sizes of standard front loader containers.
PATENT PENDING
HEAD-MOUNTED DUAL STROBES
Dual strobes mounted on the pedestal head.
HOSE GUARDS/SHIELDS
Metal guards cover the valve bank and back of head assembly to protect operator on walk-thru platform from hydraulic fluid in the case that there is a leak at these connection points.
Hose sleeves also available.
Only on walk-thru type controls.
DOUBLE WIRE BRAIDED HOSE
3/8” 100R2 double wire braided hoses. 4,000 working pressure. 16,000 burst pressure.
GRATING HEAT SHIELD FOR WALK-THRU CONTROLS
Designed to shield operators from the radiant heat produced by the truck. Includes a flap of PVC belting that is bolted to the platform to cover the gap between the chassis cab and the platform, and two overlapping sheets of 18.5 inches wide, 14 gauge sheet metal installed below the walking area of the grip strut platform.
