Bolstering a Sweeper Broom’s Longevity

A look at any Vactor truck will help you identify a number of common parts. These include the hopper of sizes dependent on the truck model, the hopper lift system, and the side and main brooms. However, the last two are the most active in the entire setup because of frequent contact with the surface. When the sweepers are the only ones capable of cleaning an entire area, keeping the brooms bristling for a long time takes a high priority.

The first and most important item on the maintenance list is to never scrimp on service options – meaning you never get similar but cheaper brushes from any seller aside from the truck’s supplier. In this respect, inspecting the filaments makes a difference because poor-quality filaments will only increase the wear rate.

Take time to look at the broom linkages to make sure they follow road contours – and reduce the wear and tear on the brushes. Have the operators familiarize themselves with the proper adjustment angles for the brushes; such may be possible if the truck actually had controls to help fix the angle on the fly. That's why some experts say that the sweep crews should practice on certain surfaces.