SHAWN HUTCHINGS
ASPHALT ANSWERS
Which sweeper
is Right for You ?
SHAWN HUTCHINGS
M ost jobsites require some sort of broom or sweeper to manage loose material or debris . These sweepers help contractors and municipalities with the cleanup task requiring less effort than a good old push broom and shovel . Even the smallest of jobs can benefit from a power broom . To dial in which sweeper would work best for your jobs you must understand that not all sweepers are the same . There are four main styles of sweepers ; mechanical pick-up , pure vacuum pick-up , regenerative pick-up , and mechanical non-pickup or side cast . Each of these styles can be configured in varies sizes and options to match a specific application . The mechanical pick-up unit can be found on most asphalt milling jobs behind a road mill . These units can pickup bigger size aggregate or debris with ease . The have a large pick-up brush that feeds a conveyor system to move material to a hopper . Although they are great at picking up large debris they often leave behind the small particles and require multiple passes to pick up everything . These units often offer high dump option to offload the picked up debris into the back of a dump truck , this is great for transporting the debris off the jobsite . Mechanical pickup units typically have the highest cost to operate . The sweeper that works best at picking up the fine dust is the Pure Vacuum sweeper . Although it ’ s the best at fine dust it also can handle heavier debris as well . It uses a vacuum to pull material into a hopper much like a large shop vac . These units do require water to help keep material from going through the fan system therefore they shouldn ’ t be operated in sub-freezing temperatures . These units typically don ’ t
have high dump options which can create challenges with transporting the debris from jobsite . These sweepers are best for uneven surfaces . The pure vacuum units usually carry a very low cost of operation associated with them . The Regenerative pick-up sweeper is a general maintenance sweeper that handles medium duty applications . The sweeper uses air as well to move debris across a pickup head to pickup the material . The pickup head requires a flatter surface to perform well . On uneven surface the air pushing the debris can be rerouted through the areas not making good contact with the pickup head lowering pickup performance . The regen sweeper also requires water and shouldn ’ t be ran in sub-freezing temperatures . The operating cost on the regenerative unit is in between the pure vacuum and mechanical pickup sweeper and can be costly when the pickup head needs replaced . Mechanical non-pickup or side cast brooms are used in many environments including but not limited to asphalt paving jobs , bike paths , lumber yards , feed lots , general construction sites , asphalt milling jobs , concrete plants , seal coat jobs , and race tracks ; the list is endless . The mechanical side cast broom has many configurations including the front mount broom , center mount broom , and the towable three-wheel broom . The front mount broom is great when you don ’ t want the machine running over the debris before the broom bristles reach it . A great example would be muddy debris or fresh ground asphalt . In both cases if a tire runs over the material , it will compact the debris into the ground making it harder to move . The front mount broom can move heavy debris fast and typically can change which side the material is moved to with a flip of a switch . The center mounted broom is perfect for heavy duty general sweeping or highway applications . The center mounting of the broom is more protected from getting hit and the operator has great visibility of the debris movement . This unit , like the front mount unit , can displace a large amount of material very fast and doesn ’ t have any issues with heavy debris . It also can switch which side the material can be cast . Three-wheel self-propelled towable brooms are designed to be a heavy-duty compact sweeper that the owner can tow without the use of an extra trailer . These units save operating cost with the absence of the trailer typically needed for towing the equipment . This unit is great for contractors or municipalities that mobilize their fleet multiple times a day or week . These units like the front mount and center mount can move material fast and efficiently side casting it to either left or right side . Mechanical non-pickup brooms have the lowest cost of operation out of all the sweepers and can rapidly manage the debris on your toughest of jobs . Determining which unit is best for you comes down to what application you ’ ll be using the sweeper 80 % of the time . Purchasing a sweeper that works best for 80 % of your jobs will get the most utilization from the purchase and have the biggest savings in the end . If you are still having questions on which sweepers is right for you , please don ’ t hesitate to contact me , I am here to help !
Shawn Hutchings is a Territory Sales Manager with LeeBoy . He can be reached at Shawn . Hutchings @ leeboy . com
[ 24 ] www . callape . com 1.800.210.5923