Choosing a sweeper: brush sweeper or suction road sweeper?

The short version: for yards, footpaths and industrial areas, a walk-behind or ride-on brush sweeper is enough. If the machine is going out on public roads and streets, with dust capture requirements and a hopper that does not need emptying every quarter of an hour, you need a suction road sweeper.

Brush sweepers: width and capacity

The GS series machines are brush sweepers. They sweep the material aside or into a collector, and the capacity is given in square metres per hour. The working width is determined by the brush width:

• GS 0700R — 70 cm working width, 3.3 kW Honda GCV160 or 4.3 kW GX200
• GS 0750 — 75 cm, approx. 2 500 m² per hour
• GS 0850 — 85 cm, approx. 3 000 m² per hour, forwards and backwards
• GS 1010 — 101 cm, approx. 4 000 m² per hour
• GS 1200 Pro — 6.3 kW Honda GX270, 100 or 120 cm sweeping unit as optional equipment
• GS 0900R Elektro — 90 cm, 450 W electric motor and 12 V / 66 Ah battery

Road sweepers: capacity determines the working day

The Bucher machines use suction. The hopper capacity determines how long the machine can work before it has to drive off and empty, and the width determines where it can get through. The range runs from 1.7 m³ to 12 m³:

• CityCat VR17e — 1.7 m³, 1200 mm wide, 3500 kg gross vehicle weight. Can be driven on an ordinary car driving licence
• C202 — 1.8 m³, 1315 mm wide, turning radius 2110 mm kerb to kerb with 4-wheel steering (option)
• CityCat V20 and V20e — 2 m³, 1300 mm wide, cleaning width 2100 mm (2700 mm with a third front brush)
• CityCat VR50 — 5.6 m³, 10 500 kg gross vehicle weight, cleaning width up to 3768 mm with three brushes
• MaxPowa V120 — 12 m³ on a 26-tonne chassis, 5200 litres of water, sweeping width up to 3600 mm

Dust is a requirement, not a detail

Bucher states a four-star rating in the PM10 and PM2.5 certification for C202, CityCat V20, V20e, VR17e, VR50 and VR50e and for MaxPowa V50, V65 and V80. Where the client sets requirements for particle emissions from the sweeping itself, this is the certification you can refer to. For the GS brush sweepers, the data sheets list no such certification.

Three deciding questions

• How narrow is the narrowest point the machine has to get through? That sets an upper limit on the width.
• How far is it to the tipping site? If it is close, a small hopper will do; if it is far, a larger capacity pays for itself.
• Does the contract set requirements for dust certification or emissions? If so, the answer is settled before you compare anything else.

We can help you choose

Tell us where the machine will work, how many hours a day it will run, and whether there are any tight spots. We will then suggest two or three models rather than the whole range.