Experience with Rotary Sweepers

[hwp]

I am thinking about buying a rotary sweeper to use for cleaning debris including light snow from my 400' driveway. My alternatives are to use a push broom and wheelbarrow for twigs, cherries, acorns, etc. and either the dozer blade or the snowblower on my tractor for moving snow. I have found a used unit that is made for my tractor for about $US1000 - about half the price of a new one, but it is two hours away. The seller says it in good shape but I haven't seen it yet. Does anyone have experience with this type of machine to suggest whether it has the potential of being a worthwhile investment?

 

[Anonymous Poster]

Sweeper + light snow = glare ice. The broom makes enough heat to melt the snow and with the right surphace temp, it refreezes on the pavement.
Sweeper + dirt = DUST. You get to wear, eat & breathe the dust.

 

[joecdeere]

I have an old one on my F-2000 Kubota, I think loose snow would be great, but packed or any that you run over will be hard to get up. Mine was free in a deal I was on, so I use it here in the south to rake pine needles and mainly as the best yard de-thacher (sp) you have ever seen! If it is like most, your swing for left and right are controlled with a hydraulic cylinder, so you will need the extra valve for that, and most stick out farther than the mower decks do, and this makes the rear VERY light ! I had to add 125lbs to the rear of mine to keep it from standing up when I stop. As said above, you will never eat so much dust as you will running it in anything but snow, but it will sweep like you've never seen. Brooms are not cheap, and the pivot tends to have a lot of wear (no bearings or bushings) so check it well.

 

[hwp]

Thanks Franz. Those are a couple of issues I hadn't thought about. The more I think about it, the less interested I get.

 

[hwp]

Thanks joecdeere for the input. I had heard about using them as a dethatcher but didn't take it very seriously. You make a good point about the pivot - I might not have thought about that. The unit I have a line on does not have hydraulic angling so I would have to modify it accordingly- not a big item as I have the hydraulic control circuit in place. I have five 50 pound suitcase weights that I hang on the back for ballast. When I am plowing fairly deep heavy wet snow, there is a lot of build up on the snowblower and the machine gets quite front heavy. Thanks again for the input.

 

[hwp]

Attached are a couple of photos the dealer sent me of the unit. Does anyone see anything that I should be concerned about?

 

[hwp]

From the other side

 

[Anonymous Poster]

The broom looks pretty beat up, and appears to have been reversed once.
On top of that, there aren't any dolly wheels to hold height of the broom, so it's always hanging from the hydraulics.
Check on what a replacement set of brushes are going to cost.

 

[DK35vince]

I have run power brooms on Kubota tractors and also skid steers.And I have never seen any with dolly wheels.

 

[joecdeere]

If you look close in the last picture you will see two brackets hanging down from the tractor frame that are attached to the arms. These set the sweep height, and take part of the load off the cylinder.
The brooms are not the best, but for what a set cost, you run them to nubs ! Mine look a lot worse than these. Again, as I told you above, the pivot is a weak spot with so much weight on it, also, my gearbox loves to work loose due to the shaft angles at full swing. You also need to go see this in person, swing it full left and right, watching for how much it leans (worn pivot again) and listen to both driveshafts, the gearbox, and the brush drive chain