An updated design and new technologies pass on more jobsite efficiencies. Caterpillar’s latest generation C-Series angle and pickup brooms for fitment on skid steer- , compact track-, multi terrain- and compact wheel loaders are now available locally. These brooms come in two sweeping widths, with their drop core design enabling fast bristle replacement without the need to remove hydraulic hoses. A quick coupler facilitates easy work tool inter-changeability.
“Essentially, Cat enhanced the C-Series for improved durability, serviceability, efficiency and power delivery, ensuring optimum coverage when cleaning and removing dirt, rock and other debris in a variety of construction, industrial and landscape settings,” explains Barloworld Equipment product and application specialist, Craig Christie. (Barloworld Equipment is the Cat dealer for southern Africa.) He adds that these brooms are also ideal for paving, specialty trades, recycling, demolition, and airport maintenance applications.
Pickup brooms sweep and deposit material into an integrated hopper bucket for easy removal and dumping. Bidirectional travel is enabled. However, the optimum sweeping style is forward, resulting in over-the-brush pickup.
The Cat BP115C and BP118C pickup brooms replace the BP15B and BP18B with notable changes in terms of overall width and height, greater unit weight and improved hydraulic flow range. Unit weights for the BP115C and BP118C are 526 kg and 570 kg (previously 435 kg and 468 kg respectively) and overall width 1 990 mm and 2 295 mm (previously 1 912 mm and 2 217 mm). The required hydraulic flow range (L/min) is now 42-86 for both units compared to 30-86 on the B-Series. Brush speed is also marginally up across the board.
WINDROW ACTION
Angle brooms use a windrowing action to move loose debris ahead and to the side of the surface being swept. They can be oriented straight or angled up to 30° left or right of centre in forward travel. Like the BP (pick-up broom models) the Cat BA118C angle broom has also undergone some increased dimensional changes, although in this case the unit weight is now down from 417 kg on the BA18 to 401 kg on the BA118C.
Alongside the BP (pickup) and BA (angle) broom models, Caterpillar continues to field the utility broom series for skid steers and other compact machines, namely the Cat BU115 and BU118. Their role is essentially to sweep and collect light debris on smooth surfaces in forward or reverse travel. They can also be adjusted for greater bristle down-force in tough applications, such as sweeping course material out of a cold planer cut.
“Succinctly put, a clean work site offers more than just aesthetic value: removing debris results in improved productivity and a safer working environment,” Christie adds.