Debris dumping and disposal issues

Depending on the type and quantity of debris, dumping and disposal can be issues that affect a sweeper purchase. For maximum convenience, look for sweepers that can raise the dump hopper high enough to clear the lip of a typical dumpster – usually about 130cm. Machines that have high capacity dump hoppers will minimize the unproductive time spent dumping debris and maximize productive sweeping time. The dirt container can be located either in the front or the rear part of a sweeper, and will receive the dirt thrown by the main brush or dust dropped by the filters. Its capacity may vary according to the size of the machine.

On larger machines, due to the larger filling capacity, it could become quite heavy when full. To overcome this problem, it should be mounted on wheels to reduce transportation fatigue, or equipped with a hydraulic dumping system

Equipment Maintenance

When a company owns and operates a sweeper, agreements need to be made for maintaining it. For long term performance, invest in equipment that is rugged, powerful and designed to meet the harsh demands of industrial and manufacturing applications. Also, look for equipment that offers easy routine maintenance and no-tool access to brooms, filters, engine and other parts. Regular maintenance by an authorised dealer is often a wise investment in equipment longevity and reliability.

Current practices, problems and issues

New sweeping solutions are often sought when current cleaning practices are not performing as well as you would like. Often, a company may want to move away from a small walk-behind sweeper to a ride-on sweeper because its needs have changed – the facility has expanded, cleaning time is too long, labour costs are high. Or, maybe the equipment you’re using is getting old and no longer performs up to specifications. In either of these cases, investing in larger and more efficient sweeping equipment will help reduce labour costs, which usually represents over 90% of the costs to clean. These changes in needs or insufficiencies often form the basis for selecting new equipment to solve problems that previous practices can’t handle.

Some recent entrants, for example, outperform their predecessors by offering complete hydraulic power, which means increased productivity and durability, a better filtration system, driving comfort refinement and increased value for money. Belts, pulleys and clutches, in most cases, have been completely eliminated. Fully hydraulic driven traction, container lift, brushes and vacuum fan, will enable the cleaning of the dirtiest floors very rapidly, and keep routine maintenance exceedingly simple, thus reducing downtime. We also know that, in many cases, humans can adapt to unsuitable conditions, but such adaptation leads often to inefficiency, errors, unacceptable stress, and physical or mental cost.

Such human irritations and inconveniences are not inevitable, but fine manufacturers have adopted a design approach that puts human needs and capabilities at the focus, when designing a new sweeper. The aim is to ensure that users and machines work in complete harmony, with the equipment and tasks aligned to human characteristics.

People size, shape, and strength, for example, have been largely taken into account, and this variability influenced the design process of some latest ride-on sweepers. In order to fit these variables to different users, these machines are equipped with adjustable seats, adjustable handle\steering wheels, soft touch controls, wheeled containers equipped with reduction boxes to reduce human fatigue.