Why Buy a Used Street Sweeper?

Whether you set your sights on an air sweeper or a rotary broom sweeper, it would benefit you in the long run to purchase a used street sweeper that can provide the same level of performance.

They’re cost effective

Preserve your business capital by not investing in a brand-new unit. Instead, buy a used sweeper truck for a fraction of the price of a new one. This means you can buy more for the price of one and run your business more effectively.

Why Your Neighborhood Needs Street Sweeping

Roads in any community collect dust, debris, and garbage almost every day. From garbage scattered by stray animals to soil and mud left by passing vehicles, roads are in a constant battle against dirt and its harmful effect. Dirt and debris not only make roads look messy, but they can also degrade their integrity. Furthermore, garbage left on the roads can go straight into the drainage system, either clogging the sewers and causing floods or emptying into the nearest river or lake.

The Different Functions of a Street Sweeper

Street sweeper trucks hold the important function of cleaning roads and streets that people drive or walk on. While a very simple and straightforward purpose, the street sweeper use many tools to fulfill this. Water sprays, vacuums, and brushes, are among the mechanisms for tidying roads. Other versions even use jets of air to remove dirt and debris from the road.

Street Clutter – Who Ya Gonna Call? Street Sweepers!

Ever wondered where street debris end up and who (or what) cleans them? Two words: street sweepers. Get to know the machines behind your streets' daily unclogging project.

Street sweepers go as far back as the Industrial Revolution. Its inventor, however, remains a point of debate. Some researchers say that the first fully-mechanized street sweeper was invented in 1849 by C.S. Bishop. However, this fact is contested by the claim that C.B. Brookes, inventor of the paper puncher, was the first one to introduce the vehicle in 1896.

Solution for CA’s Polluted Waterways

Water might be one of the world’s most widely available resources, but creating safe, potable water isn’t always free nor endlessly accessible, which explains the shortage problem plaguing populous and sprawling states like California. What exactly can state government and locals do to help prevent this problem from escalating any further?

Water pollution is caused by many factors; one of these is the accumulation of waste or junk collected from streets and gutters. When these roadway pollutants enter the waterways, they eventually reach creeks, beaches, bays and rivers. The result can be deadly not only to the marine habitat, but also to the drinking water system.

One of the most effective ways to eliminate road trash and debris such as leaves, paper, or other particles found in gutters, is street sweeping. This method improves air quality and prevents pollutants from entering stormwater systems and streams.

A street sweeper works by using forced air and a high-powered vacuum unit to collect particles or dirt. When high pressure air is blown onto the road, the vacuum lifts the particles and sends them into the machine's hopper. These machines are also recommended for general street maintenance to improve the quality of stormwater runoff.

History of Mechanical Street Sweepers

The mechanical type of street sweeper may not be as old as the streets they are cleaning, but it may be a surprise to some that this equipment dates back to the 19^th Century.

In fact, it was in March 17, 1896 that C.B. Brooks invented the very first street sweeper. During his time, streets were cleaned by workers who manually picked up trash and used brooms to sweep the streets. His invention consisted of a truck that had brushes that pushed debris on the side of the road. However, some people also claim that it was C.S. Bishop who invented the first mechanical street sweeper in September 4, 1849, which had rotating disks and/or drums that were covered with wire bristles.

During the fall of 1911, John M. Murphy called the office of the American Tower and Tank Company in Elgin, Illinois about his plan of building a motor driven street sweeper. The company then decided to hire John M. Murphy because of his plan, and then started the Elgin Sweeper Company.

It was only during the early 20^th century that automobile became widely available in the US, but street sweepers were already in the scene before this. In 1914, city officials in Boise, Idaho bought the first ever Elgin street sweeper, and since then, the company has been a familiar name in the industry. 

The Ever-changing Street Sweeper

The Industrial Revolution caught on with the United States gradually, but when it became widespread, the manufacturing sector displaced many people whose skills could be replicated by machinery more efficiently. However, the introduction of the mechanical sweeper in both England and the United States in the 1840s did not replace the human street sweeper, largely because the innovation did not seem anything revolutionary back then,

Things changed with the introduction of a motor-driven pickup street sweeper by Elgin Sweeper in Illinois, which was first purchased in Boise, Idaho in 1913 right after a demonstration. For Boise's street commissioner, the selling point was the amount the city would save. A horse-drawn sweeper would cost $2,716.77 more. Patents to an enhanced version of the original sweeper were not filed and issued until 1917.

It was in the 1970s, however, when the street sweepers received a major upgrade. Until then, the sweeper can only collect large particles such as fallen leaves and various urban refuse. The roads looked neat, but they remain dirty with smaller particles that mix with rainwater when showers come.

Therefore, it was the need to minimize pollution in water collected by storm drains that pushed the street sweepers of today to be more sophisticated and effective as they are now able to collect small particles of debris. Nowadays, Elgin street sweepers are also equipped with water tanks and sprayers to help the sweeping devices to reduce dust. 

Street Sweepers: Efficient Cleaning Systems

Keeping the city or town streets clean is everyone's responsibility, not just the municipal authorities'. Every home has a piece of road to keep clean, and it's the homeowner's responsibility to prevent the mess from clogging the waterways at a desperate hour. For a more thorough cleaning job, however, the municipal authorities deploy street sweepers to collect even the tiniest debris and stop them from tainting the water the city or town uses. Street sweepers may be slow and a bit noisy, but they get the job done.

Street sweepers are bristling with brushes underneath them, which are designed to collect particles a normal broom may not be able to collect. Spinning brushes collect more dirt and particles, as the vehicle slowly moves along the road. A pair of sweepers narrow down the line of dirt and dust, while a third sweeper at the back collects and disposes of the dirt and dust on an internal conveyer belt. The heavy scrubbing action ensures that cleaning is thorough.

Mechanical brush sweepers are just one of several kinds of street sweepers in use today. Technology gives the street sweeper other variants designed for cleaning even tougher messes such as oil leaks and other viscous substances. Not only are these street sweepers used on miles of roads, they are also used in parking lots and the tarmac of airports.