Image what it would take to keep 2,200 miles of road clean on a daily basis! In the early morning hours, before 6:00 am, New York City sanitation workers are inspecting their street sweepers and prepping for the long road ahead. The NYC Sanitation Department’s Manhattan District 7 Garage on West 57th Street will cover these 2,200 miles of road every single day with their fleet of 430 street sweepers.
In this area, the drivers will coast at about 15 miles per hour while sweeping the streets. They will try to stay about 1 inch away from the side of the sidewalk. This is only if there are no standing zones or things blocking the roads. The average route can take up to 6 hours or more based on how many slowdowns and blockages there are on the road. Sometimes, the route is slowed down so much, it can’t be finished on the same day. It’s important to respect your city’s street sweeping rules and schedules so that the sweepers can do their jobs and keep your streets looking beautiful.
How it works
The way the street sweeper works is at the bottom, towards the front, there are two circular brooms, known as gutter brooms. These gutter brooms are the ones that cozy on up to the curb collecting all the debris it can find. The brooms move dirt and debris inwards towards the middle. Subsequently, another brush called a main broom or center broom uses gravity to sweep the dirt and debris into a tank. On an average day, it is normal for the brushes to pick up over one ton of debris!
To keep dust from filling the air in the dry seasons, the sweeper vehicle will occasionally stop at a water hydrant and fill up with water. Then at the end of the day, the trash is brought to a truck that brings all the trash and debris to a location for final disposal.
It would not be possible to maintain such clean streets without the high-quality brooms and brushes made to fit these street sweepers. A great many of major cities rely on these gutter and main brooms to stay clean. The booms are a vital piece of the street sweeper and Smith Equipment want to make sure your street sweeper has the best quality gutter brooms and main tube brooms around!