Battery-Powered Blowers: Ready to Meet the Sweeping Industry's Needs?
In February of 2019 we conducted a survey with some leading contractors located in various parts of the United States, as well as sweeper manufacturers, on the topic of backpack and hand-held blowers. What we wanted to find out on behalf of our readership is if there are any backpack blowers with sufficient battery life and CFM to supplant the traditional, primarily two-stroke gasoline units in widespread use. We do know that by far most contractors and municipalities hadn't yet given battery-powered units a try. With the info we provide in this article, we predict that may soon change.Read and learn.
Piranha Brushes Carving Out Market Niche
Near Montreal, Canada, the sweeping contractor owner of Balais Nomad Sweeping developed an innovative set of heavy duty gutter broom add-on segments that extend bristle life, take a load off hydraulics and aggressively scrub caked-down material and eliminate weedy curblines. Now these patent-pending broom segments are in use and being praised by over 40 cities in the U.S. and Canada. Read the story.
NiteHawk Sweepers Pioneers Alternative Fuel Parking Area Sweepers
NiteHawk's single-engine alternative fuel sweepers offer a number of advantages that have made them an attractive option for sweeping contractors. For sweeping contractors, the only choice in parking area sweeper fuel has long been gasoline or diesel. Now, though, two new alternative fuel sources, liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) and compressed natural gas (CNG, more commonly known as propane) are available choices on NiteHawk's single-engine sweepers. Read the story.
Mini Sweepers Finding Their Place in the American Marketplace
A fine snapshot of what the mini class of sweepers – a relatively new class of sweepers to the U.S. – can do. In light of the niche these mini machines fill, it's a good reminder to fleet managers to evaluate how their own sweeper mix might benefit from utilizing the mini class of machines. Read the story.
Tips on Purchasing Non-OEM Sweeper Parts
Gabriel Charky was a principal in the Allianz/Madvac sweeping company for over 20 years. In this brief article, Charky offers his insight on how to evaluate companies that provide non-OEM parts for sweepers. Read the story.
Highway Large Debris Removal Machine Introduced by Gator Industries, Inc.
The Gator Getter product will pick up a wide variety of large items from a highway, and do so at what amounts to normal highway speed. Plus, because the items are being picked up by someone operating a vehicle, with no need to slow down significantly or get out of there vehicle, there are enormous positive safety implications.
In this article, Walt 'Gator' Hopkins, President of Gator Industries, Inc., discusses the machine he designed with the intent of providing a more safe method for removing large items of debris from highways.
An Overview on Isuzu's 2010 Emissions Technology and Chassis Changes
The emission reduction changes mandated for 2010 U.S. diesel chassis are on the horizon. A number of significant differences between 2009 and 2010 chassis will impact everyone in the supply chain, from the makers of the chassis to sweeper manufacturers to the people who buy them.
In this article, Rob Cadle, Manager of Product Planning for Isuzu Commercial Truck of America, offers an in-depth analysis of the changes in his company's 2010 chassis, as well as an overview of the 2010 regulations and how they will affect chassis cost and vehicle longevity.
(In its December 2009 edition, Better Roads magazine also offers a great chassis comparison article.)
The Essential Information You Need About Pressure Washers
They're a necessity, not an option. Read the story.
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Getting Ready for Electric-Powered Sweepers
Electric-powered sweepers and chassis won't soon be available: they're here now. In the course of the coming year you should expect a number of makes and models to become available in the US, a country that is actually lagging behind Europe and Asia in the availability and adoption of electric vehicles, including sweepers. Read and ready.
Carefully Consider Chassis' Feature Set When Choosing a Sweeper
In this article written in conjunction with WorldSweeper's editor, Eric Fullan, Safety Officer for the City of Hillsboro, Oregon, weighs in with considerations he feels would improve the comfort and safety of sweeper operators. His suggestion is that at least as much consideration should be given to the chassis a sweeper is mounted onto as to the sweeper itself. Read the story.
Buying vs. Leasing Your Sweepers
Determine whether buying or leasing is your best purchase option. Read the story.
What to Look For When Purchasing a Used Sweeper
If you're considering the purchase of a used sweeper, here's what you need to know courtesy of the World Sweeping Association. Read the info.
GPS: Is Now the Time?
GPS systems have come into their own as sweeper tracking devices. Here's an overview of the current marketplace, as well as what others have learned to look for in a GPS and its accompanying management software.Read the story.
Beach Cleaning in Pensacola a Never-ending Process
Beach cleaning is an area of the sweeping industry that is often overlooked. However, in municipalities with public beaches the process can be laborious and never-ending. Here is an overview of how one such entity, the Santa Rosa Island Authority, has been handling its beach cleaning process. Read the story.
Care and Feeding of Your Backpack Blower
Five experienced sweeping contractors discuss what they look for in a backpack blower, as well as how they maximize the service life of their blowers. Read about it.
Onboard Computers Combine Science and Sweeping
Somewhat dated overview of what's available for keeping track of your sweeper and operator. A more recent article, GPS: Is Now the Time?, provides a more up-to-date coverage of this topic. Read about it.
Sweeper Fan CFM Ratings: Are You Getting What You Think You Are?
There's more to an air sweeper's fan system than a cubic feet per minute (CFM) rating. Fan pro, Leon Drake, provides insight into what to look for and how to keep your machine sweeping at top efficiency.Read the story.
Gutter Broom 101
Roy Hedstrom, one-time Elgin marketing manager and now broom wholesaler to the manufacturers, gives his slant to choosing a curb or main broom and then getting the longest service life from them. Read about it.
Choosing a Gutter Broom
Jack Moran, of Keystone Plastics, provides the lowdown on what to look for in a choosing a gutter broom. Read about it.
Study Shows Backpack Blowers Highly Cost-Effective
Story written in conjunction with Robin Pendergrast, ECHO blower consultant, shows that use of backpack blowers is cost-effective when compared to other methods for doing the same work. Read about it.
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