A refuse vehicle includes a chassis, a series of tractive elements coupled to the chassis, a refuse compartment coupled to the chassis, a lift arm rotatably coupled to the chassis and configured to engage a refuse container, a lift arm actuator coupled to the chassis and configured to move the lift arm relative to the chassis to raise the refuse container and deposit refuse from the refuse container into the refuse compartment, and a lift assister configured to bias the lift arm to oppose downward movement of the lift arm through a range of positions in which gravity biases the lift arm to move away from the refuse compartment.