Road sweeper with a 2 or 5.6 m³ hopper: which is right?

The CityCat VR50 and VR50e, with 5.6 m³, can go longer before emptying but need more space.

Among the compact Bucher road sweepers in the catalogue, there is no size in between the two. In addition, there are the truck-mounted MaxPowa sweepers: V50 with 5.0 m³, V65 with 6.5 m³, V80 with 8.0 m³ and V120 with a 12 m³ hopper for 26-tonne chassis.

The models in each class

Hopper capacity and payload from the data sheets:

• CityCat VR17e — 1.7 m³ in aluminium, 1400 kg payload
• Bucher C202 — 1.8 m³ in stainless steel, 1650 kg payload
• CityCat V20 and V20e — 2.0 m³ in stainless steel, 2100 kg payload
• CityCat VR50 — 5.6 m³ in stainless steel, 5000 kg payload (4900 kg in the 80 km/h version)
• CityCat VR50e — 5.6 m³ in stainless steel, 4700 kg payload

Volume and payload are not the same limit

A hopper either fills up or gets too heavy, and which happens first depends on what you are sweeping. Leaves and light waste fill the volume long before the weight limit is reached. Gritting sand, gravel and wet material are heavy, and with these the payload can be the limit before the hopper is full.

So look at both figures. The VR17e takes 1400 kg in 1.7 m³, while the V20 takes 2100 kg in 2.0 m³. Bucher itself points out that the aluminium hopper in the VR17e keeps the weight down and increases the payload.

Emptying: where the material goes

The discharge height decides whether the material can be tipped straight into a container, or has to be dumped on the ground and reloaded:

• VR17e — discharge height 1350 mm
• C202 — 1545 mm, which Bucher states is suitable for containers and waste bins
• V20 and V20e — 1555 mm, with 1043 mm discharge width
• VR50 and VR50e — 930 mm with low discharge and 1550 mm with high discharge, 1700 mm discharge width and 51° tipping angle. With the optional high discharge, the VR50 can empty straight into large containers or refuse collection vehicles without reducing the hopper capacity

Bigger hopper, bigger machine

The volume has to fit somewhere. The VR50 and VR50e are 4980 mm long, 1798 mm wide and 2500 mm high. The V20 series is 4200 mm long, 1300 mm wide and 1999 mm high.

In return, the large machine sweeps wider: 2533 mm with two brushes, 3520 mm with three and 3768 mm with the RCB set-up, compared with 2100 mm on the V20 and 2700 mm with a third front brush. The VR50 has hydrostatic four-wheel steering that can be switched on and off, with a turning radius of 2950 mm.

The working speed is stated as 0–20 km/h on the VR50 and 0–15 km/h on the V20. If jobs are far apart, it is worth knowing that the VR50 is available in a version with a transport speed of up to 80 km/h, compared with 0–50 km/h on the V20.

What runs out first?

A large volume is of little help if the water for dust suppression runs out first. The VR50 and VR50e have 880 l of fresh water, or 2000 l with an extra tank that reduces the hopper capacity, while the V20 series has 425 l in total and the VR17e 235 l with water recycling as standard.

Bucher writes of the C202 that it has enough water, enough hopper capacity, enough payload and enough fuel to last the whole shift, while other machines have to return to base. That is the right question to ask about all the models: what forces the machine back — a full hopper, a full load or an empty water tank?

When you contact us

Bring this information, and we can work out what runs out first — the space, the weight or the water:

• Where you sweep: town centre, multi-storey car park, footpath and cycle path, street or industrial area
• What is swept most: leaves, gritting sand, gravel or mixed waste
• The distance to the emptying site, and what you empty into: container, waste bin or refuse collection vehicle
• Where you can top up with water along the way
• The narrowest passage and lowest headroom on the route
• Whether the machine will be moved between jobs that are far apart