Not All Mechanical Street Sweepers Are Created Equal

Any mechanical sweeper should do a good job picking up a wide variety of road debris. From heavy bulky material, trash, fines and leaves, a mechanical sweeper needs to be versatile in its performance. However, how the unit picks up material is as important as how much it picks up. If you could do the same job with a unit that provides less time required for maintenance and offers up to a 50% reduction in fuel consumption, wouldn’t that be worth investing in?

A mechanical sweeper’s elevator is the most critical system the unit has. It operates in the harshest of environments where it is constantly bombarded with various types of dirt and debris as well as moisture. The Global M3, MX3 and M4 purpose built sweepers employ a belt and sprocket system with aluminum flights and corded rubber squeegees that handle these conditions with excellent results. It is a system that is designed not only to provide high performance, but an increased life cycle and superior ease of maintenance compared to a full width belt conveyor system.

Imagine sweeping up a large item or something that is sharp. There is great potential to cut or tear the full width conveyor belt in a mechanical sweeper.

Now your elevator system is down and in need of repair leading to not only the expense of replacing the entire conveyor, but the cost of all the down time to pull that conveyor out and install the new one. With the Global design, if you find yourself in a similar circumstance and happen to bend one of the flights, removing two easily accessible bolts allows you to remove the damaged flight and the machine can go right back to sweeping. Often times the unit can be serviced on the route and the down time is a matter of minutes versus a matter of days. The cost of replacing the flight is negligible compared to the cost of an entire belt.

Additionally, the Global elevator system is positively engaged on heavy duty, hardened metal sprockets. A full width belt rides on rollers that can be difficult to clean. Material drops to the bottom and can get trapped on the lower roller. Build up occurs quickly and the belt has a propensity to stretch or wander on the rollers. Cleaning the rollers on the full width conveyor with an elevator flusher is an option, however, once those rollers are wet they lose friction with the belt and tends to slip. Global belts are designed with “teeth” that are positively engaged on the sprockets, the Global system ensures that excessive material will not build up on the backside of the belts and engagement with the elevator drive system will be maintained regardless of how wet the environment the unit is operating in. The entire elevator in the Global unit opens up when the hopper is in the dump position making accessibility for cleaning and maintenance achievable in a matter of seconds.

A mechanical sweeper’s elevator system isn’t the only critical component that is susceptible to high maintenance costs. A sweeper’s dirt shoes are in constant contact with the road surface, helping to funnel highly abrasive material into the path of the main pickup broom. The dirt shoes are not only exposed to potential damaged by the road surface beneath them or material they encounter head on, but from the side load they encounter when the machine is turning or sweeping around vehicles and other obstructions.

Global M3 MX3 and M4 sweepers are the only machines that are outfitted with full polyurethane dirt shoes that provide up to 1000 hours of sweeping life. These shoes are highly flexible and forgiving when they experience side load pressure from encountering manhole covers, drainage grates and imperfections in the road surface while turning and maneuvering. Traditional metal dirt shoes, even those with carbide inserts, are prone to bend, twist and become permanently damaged before they reach the end of their life cycle. Again, the cost of prematurely replacing or repairing those dirt shoes can be considerable when compared to the maintenance free polyurethane dirt shoe that is standard on every Global purpose built sweeper.

Is operator safety and comfort something that is important to you in the purchase of your next street sweeper? What about pedestrian safety and comfort? The inherent design of the centered and cab forward layout the Global M3, MX3 and M4 offers, creates unsurpassed visibility that sets the standard for the industry. This design allows the operator to sweep either side of the street without ever having to change operator stations. Simply put, there is no sweeper that offers the operator the visibility to road debris, oncoming traffic and pedestrians that the Global does, without the use of excessive glass in the cab.

Because the engine in the Global sweeper is all the way to the rear, located at the furthest point from the operator, the Global provides reduced engine heat in the cab and the quietest operator environment attainable in a mechanical sweeper. Couple this with the ergonomically designed controls and the standard “return to sweep switch” that allows the operator to turn off and on all sweeping functions with the touch of a single button and you have a sweeper that provides a safe and comfortable environment for not only the operator, but those that are on the streets and sidewalks near the sweeper.

Now, all of these advantages are available on a sweeping platform that offers you the fuel savings of not only single engine sweeper, but is also available in traditional diesel, CNG or with Diesel Electric Hybrid technology, a technology that can provide you with up to a 50% fuel savings over your current diesel powered sweepers. If you are considering a mechanical sweeper for your next street sweeper purchase, please contact Global Environmental Products at: 909-713-1600 or info@globalsweeper.com for more information. Or, better yet, come see us at the National APWA show in Chicago, August 24th – 27th at Booth #1217.