By: Allen Zeyher
In the immortal words of Travis Bickle of Taxi Driver fame, "Someday
a real rain will come and wash all the scum off the streets." Until then
we have street sweepers to help keep the streets from being choked with leaves
and various other trash. Here are some of the latest street cleaning machines.
Sweep like a pro
Rear steering makes the SweepPro from Rosco Manufacturing,
Madison, S.D., extremely maneuverable in tight spaces, while its front-mounted
broom with joystick controls gives the operator excellent brush control during
sweeping.
One person using the quick-change brush system can change
the 8-ft, front-mounted brush core easily and quickly in about five minutes.
The brush is available in poly or a poly-steel combination, with a 150-gal
brush watering system. Rosco's exclusive variable brush down-pressure system
reduces brush wear and maximizes brush life.
SweepPro is powered by an 85-hp Cummins diesel engine with
hydrostatic drive.
Wet or dry broom attachment
Designed for cleanup of all wet or dry materials, the SweepEx
MegaPlus broom attachment series from TrynEx International, Warren, Mich.,
features task packages catering to multiple service vehicles and a two-year
warranty covering the entire broom.
The MegaPlus package contains the hardware and accessories
for a skid-steer sweeper, a forklift sweeper or a three-point-hitch sweeper.
The skid-steer sweeper comes standard with a quick-tach plate that fits most
major skid-steer loaders and a hydraulic-angle mechanism and edge marker kit.
The forklift sweeper attaches to most fork tines and also is standard with edge
markers. The three-point-hitch sweeper hooks directly to equipment with
traditional three-point hitches.
Attach this
The Multi-Sweep line of heavy-duty sweeper attachments is
designed to attach quickly and easily to a wide range of prime movers with
forks, including lift trucks, skid-steer loaders, wheel loaders, backhoe
loaders, tool carriers and telescoping material handlers. Four Multi-Sweep
models from Midland Machinery Co. Inc., Tonawanda, N.Y., are available in
widths of 46, 59, 80 and 98 in.
The design allows the forks to float up and down.
Large-diameter, heavy-duty caster wheels guide the unit over the roughest
ground, keeping the weight of the unit off of the brushes while maintaining
proper brush contact at the surface.
A field-proven mix of 50% wire and 50% poly rotating sweeper
brushes pick up anything from fine granular materials to construction debris
and mud. The 22-in.-diam. brush height adjusts quickly for proper ground
contact, wear reduction and jobsite conditions, and the long-lasting brush
wafers are easy to change when necessary.
In the bag
The Madvac PS300 litter collection system is a simple and
cost-effective way to collect litter and simultaneously help maximize
productivity, according to Madvac Inc., Longueuil, Quebec, Canada. With a flip
of a switch on the operator's control panel, the hydraulic debris dumping
system raises the debris hopper and dumps out the debris into a regular plastic
garbage bag.
Two self-leveling brushes sweep a 48-in. path. The unit has
a two-step dust filtering system that captures dust down to 2 microns. The
machine is powered by a 14-hp diesel engine, travels up to 6.5 mph and runs
eight to 10 hours on a tank of fuel. It provides easy access for routine
maintenance and changing the collection bag and has a 30-gal litter container.
The PS300 will even disinfect as it sweeps, with a
combination water and disinfectant spray system.
Power sweeping
Power steering enhances maneuverability in the 6600 line of
Power Sweepers from Tennant Co., Minneapolis. Dual dust side-skirts tightly
seal the main brush door compartment to prevent dust and debris from escaping.
The 6650 offers an optional SB2 auxiliary side-brush that cleans areas not
accessible to regular sweepers, including up on the curb. The 6650 also has an
optional 4-in.-diam. vacuum wand to pick up trash from remote locations.
The 6650XP offers optional dual side-brushes, increasing the
sweep path to 76 in.
Heavy sweep
The Heavy Sweep package on the J 3000 sweepers from Johnston
Sweeper Co., Chino, Calif., delivers additional power to the main broom and
elevator when sweeping in extreme conditions. With the Heavy Sweep package, each
system has its own dedicated pump, which effectively doubles the power to both
the elevator and the main broom and practically eliminates slowing or stalling.
Having 11 elevator flights instead of seven ensures quick and efficient loading
of the heaviest debris into the hopper.
The J 3000 has a tight inside turning radius of 10 ft. The
forward-mounted cab gives the operator a panoramic field of vision. The
5.6-cu-yd, center-mounted hopper contributes stability and even weight
distribution. Air conditioning is provided as standard equipment.
Waterless sweeping
The waterless Pelican is the first waterless dust control
sweeper in the history of Elgin Sweeper Co., Elgin, Ill. It began rolling off
the assembly line last August. The waterless Pelican maintains all the popular
features and sweep quality that have made the Pelican Elgin's best-selling
sweeper while offering dustless, waterless, all-temperature sweeping. The
100-hp, three-wheel sweeper meets all California fugitive dust control
standards in water and waterless dust control modes.
"We have addressed the need for water conservation
across the country with a machine that we believe will prove to be more
efficient and more effective in sweeping streets and roadways," said Product
Manager Brian Giles.
Heavy-duty broom
The Sweepster SB and the FFC Attachments Hopper Broom have
combined to form the SB Hopper Broom. This attachment is an excellent choice
for heavy-duty cleanup. The SB Hopper Broom from FFC Attachments, Lee, Ill.,
easily picks up asphalt milling spoils, gravel, construction debris and other
heavy materials, moving the debris into the large hopper for disposal. To pick
up dirt and lighter material, simply reverse the broom and the lighter material
is collected in the hopper.
Drive-by sweeping
The huge hopper on the Model 4000 from Masco Sweepers Inc.,
San Jose, Calif., allows it to hold large debris, leaves and large quantities
of trash. The sweeper can dump into a 5-ft bin or dumpster for easy removal of
debris. The vehicle comes equipped with a large, high-performance 32-in. vacuum
fan able to vacuum up large rocks (2 in.), sand, gravel, weeds and dirt as well
as bottles, cans and other trash. A digger-type curb broom can dig up weeds, dirt
and rocks from pavement cracks.
About The Author: Allen Zeyher is associate editor of Roads & Bridges.
