Is the rotating broom a good tool fresh out of the box?
I assume it's rather easy to get carried away and bash it in a moment of haste, youthful exuberance or just poor judgement.
What steps might a new potential owner take to protect the sweeper from damage?
Any obstacle that may be hidden in the path, just slow down and confirm it's not a curb for one.
That will take out the stands right off the bat and fold them under the frame of the broom.
Speed and changing elevation is your worst enemy.
Allow no bouncing of broom in transport speed.
I have to instruct those running it all the time to keep broom in the air till machine is level after entering sloped entry point of sidewalk before setting it down.
Then turn around and broom off the corner.
But they think this takes too long.
6 seconds to rotate 180 is not that long. Get used to it.
It also creates a clean point for people to get on sidewalk.
Keep the hydraulic motor facing the street, never along the path of buildings on sidewalk.
Dead head to end of block out on the street. Driving on the snow with leave ice pack on walk otherwise.
Motor towards building/
It ends up in a blind view, and could get caught on doorway, or worse, extending fire hose access ports or natural gasline ports extending off the face of buildings.
If heading into a boxed in drive that faces building, slow the throttle down to idle before throwing salt laden snow up the side of someone's building.
It could cost you that account as quick as it happened.
Common sense for parked vehicles, mail boxes, etc.
After inspection, I've had to get out of truck and clean off the building and glass. It's now like concrete to scape off.
They get one warning and then to the whipping post.
Learning how to use float mode is a lost process by most.
If they say they can, most have no idea.
Those running them with front wheels in the air have not learned how to really run a cat yet.
Float mode in cats keeps all 4 wheels on the ground with bucket at all times back dragging.
And for broom, instead of it diving into the ground from wheels falling off the curb, or etc.
This works well with bucket for pulling snow off sidewalks and following down the the curb at the same time continuing out into the street to be removed further down the block.
No adjustments are necessary as the bucket just follows any shape it comes to with 4 wheels always on the ground for total control and traction.
Not in float mode/
This wears the bucket blades (in steep angle) off much quicker than necessary. Excess shock transmitted to the machine.
In float mode/
Only the weight of boom and tool are on the ground. More than enough.
Deviations is the surface are now kept in check when back dragging and less possible damage to the machine.
Sweeping arcs back-dragging with bucket is just like using angle blade.
This is the safest tactic when along side millions of dollars of vehicles, or skyscraper glass.
As you backup, you are creating more distance between cat and vehicle.
Going forward, one should not be doing ice removal tactic (bucket in steep angle) unless the area has totally perfect surface with no seam cracks and curbs to catch.
This is number one cause of broken booms, nose bleeds, and broken cylinder rams. I've seen my share.
I approached driver of cat, asked him why the glass was hanging out of the door.
He had no clue that he had been knocked out when his head hit the glass.
That day could of ended much differently.
Careless speed in known zone of cut off steel posts in parking lot.
Back-dragging this zone first would eliminate any problem right over the posts.
Another case of, 6 seconds too long syndrome.
That should give 5 years of service to your broom right out of the box with
only a broom fill each season. That's in heavy commercial use.
Packing in more brush sections will extend their life vs staggered fill.
I'll save some of the good removed ones to back up the new ones.
