An associate of mine had a fleet of sweepers his company used on a daily basis. This company is in a concrete resurfacing business that resurfaces parking garages and lots which are located at colleges, sports stadiums, municipal facilities, etc. With a national presence, his fleet of equipment was large, to say the least. The sweepers in his fleet included American Lincoln Model 3366XP/Diesels, Tennant Models 385 and 810 gas sweepers.

        I was contacted on one occasion when he noticed that his sweeper started using main brooms like crazy. When I asked him what material he was using on his brush, he stated that a sweeper dealer told him to use poly because it was "cheap." My answer to that is, and always will be, cheap is not cheap when you’re in the middle of a job on a Saturday and your sweeper won’t sweep because the main broom is wore out.

        I want to share with you today, what list I have devised through the years for choosing the proper broom. Of course, other factors such as "down pressure" play a role in brush life. Keep in mind that this is for your SWEEPERS ONLY, not your scrubbers which have a different criteria.

Crinkle Wire (double row design) with cutting action for extra heavy duty sweeping of compacted dirt. Recommended for dry, low dust sweeping on unsealed surfaces. Preferred for sweeping higher temperature debris.

BRUSH LIFE: Fair to good.

Poly and Wire (double row design) is for slightly encrusted, medium to heavy, loose soil environment and light dust conditions. Good hopper loading performance. Not for sweeping higher temperature debris (use Crinkle Wire).

BRUSH LIFE: Very Good.

Union and Wire (double row design) for use on dry, slightly encrusted soil environment. For light dust conditions.

Nylon (double row design) is the most popular fill for sweeping most soil environments and surfaces. Nylon offers longer bristle life and good hopper loading performance. For medium dust conditions. Not for wet sweeping (use Poly).

BRUSH LIFE: Excellent

Poly (double row design) is for sweeping most soil environments and surfaces. Poly is economical and it retains its stiffness when wet For medium dust conditions. Not for sweeping higher temperature debris (use Nylon).

BRUSH LIFE: Good to very good.

Union (double row design) is for sweeping most soil environments and surfaces. For medium dust conditions.

BRUSH LIFE: Fair

Nylon Patrol (double row herringbone design) is for sweeping large indoor and outdoor areas at higher speeds. The "V" shaped pattern of bristles gives superior hopper loading of sand and larger items.

BRUSH LIFE: Excellent

Union and Wire (high density, single row design) combines wire and cutting of lightly compacted soilage with the use of Union fiber for heavy dust conditions.

BRUSH LIFE: Fair to good.

Nylon (high-density, single row design) is for sweeping severe dust and loose soil. Recommended for most surfaces. Has a longer bristle life. Not for wet sweeping (use double row Poly).

BRUSH LIFE: Excellent

Poly (high-density, single and double row designs) is available for select models. For loose soil environments.

BRUSH LIFE: Good

If you would like more information regarding this or previous articles, please call at 1-800-346-2319 or email me at mikec98423@yahoo.com.

Michael R. Creamer