Here are some essential tips from the Bucher brand’s top industry expert on pavement sweeper truck maintenance.
Bucher Municipal manufactures one of the industry’s leading sweeper truck lines, famous for safety, performance, ease of use, and comfort. Recently, Johnny Kidwell, Bucher Assembly Head and premier industry expert on Bucher pavement sweeper truck manufacturing and maintenance shared with us his key tips for proper care of Bucher equipment and generalized tips applicable to most or all major sweeper truck brands.
Kidwell has had a hand in building almost every one of the sweepers the company has produced out of Bucher Municipal North America, Inc. Here, we’re passing along these critical maintenance tips from the company’s top expert for Bucher sweeper truck owners and other operators in the industry who may be considering this great brand.
The Bucher Municipal Company
Bucher has built their reputation by combining the highest performance in modern pavement sweepers with a comparatively low cost of ownership. Bucher is further known for its leadership in the industry in green initiatives, including its line of 100% electric sweeper vehicles. Through Bucher’s innovative technology for generating smooth airflow and the manufacturer’s comprehensive product support services, the organization has risen to the top of the field in mechanical, vacuum, and regenerative air sweeper truck technologies.
Due to the exceptional design creativity and manufacturing skills of the Bucher team, including Kidwell’s leadership in Production, some Bucher Municipal sweeper trucks are still in operation after 15 years of routine use. This great milestone is nearly double the industry average of just 8 years. It serves as the sweeping business standard for maximum durability, reliability, and long-term productivity of the best sweeper trucks.
Johnny Kidwell, Bucher Assembly Head
Through John’s more than 13 years with Bucher Municipal, he has been instrumental in the development of all new Bucher sweeper truck functional designs and technological advancements. That would include Bucher’s truck-mounted sweepers, as well as its full range of compact vacuum sweeper sizes, truck-mounted machinery, and full-scale sweeper trucks.
Bucher Pavement Sweeping Truck Maintenance Tips
In a previous NAS article on Bucher equipment, Johnny commented on his findings from examining a well-functioning Bucher sweeper truck after many years of routine operation, ʺThe overall condition of the sweeper, including the hopper, is astonishing after 17 years. It’s as structurally sound as one of our brand-new hoppers. That’s amazing when you consider the corrosive and abrasive environment it works in every day.ʺ
Here are some of John Kidwell’s top maintenance tips to help you keep your Bucher sweeper truck(s) in that condition long-term:
Winterization Tips
These are especially important maintenance processes during wintertime in regions with cold temperatures:
- Drain water out of the equipment. This tip bears a backup step for thoroughness, therefore:
- Carefully double-check all spaces where water can become trapped to ensure that everything in each area is drained.
- Winterization is also controlled by JVM. Run through all the functions properly.
Regular Maintenance Tips
In our MaxPowa Truck Mounted V Series, the filter screen is allocated behind the rear tires. Necessary maintenance for this equipment includes the following:
- Check the grease points to ensure that we have enough grease (V series models have 27 grease points including for the wander hose).
- Check the Fluid Levels (Oil, cooling & hydraulic level).
- Check wear & tear parts (If we do not make the regular parts changes for wear-and-tear items, this will decrease the suction performance).
- For gutter brooms and main brooms, the frequency of change should be based on usage, sweeping habits, and the debris swept.
- Check the nozzle rubbers.
- Check the screen inside the hopper to ensure it does not have any holes in it.
- Check the fan case seals.
- Check the Main Suction Intake for wear.
Before Sweeping Tips
Year-round, in addition to the regular periodic maintenance tips above, perform these critical steps every time you use your sweeper truck before you begin sweeping with it:
- Check the Wide sweep broom adjustment. This is one of the most important pre-sweeping checklist items. The sweeper misses a lot if used without making the right adjustment.
- Check Suction Nozzles to ensure that no tires are missed, as this can create major damage to the suction nozzle!
Bucher Sweeper Truck Manufacturing and Maintenance
Bucher Municipal pavement sweeping equipment is unsurpassed in performance and long-term durability. As John Kidwell has pointed out, considering the longevity of so many of the critical components of some of the oldest Bucher equipment customers are still using in their daily operations are original, ʺThat speaks to the quality of the OEM Johnston/Bucher parts.ʺ
The way to ensure maximum longevity of your Bucher equipment is first to identify the model that best fits your street sweeping service’s needs. For guidance, start by obtaining a free copy of this helpful industry report by Bucher: “The 5 Things You Must Know Before Buying a Street Sweeper” at www.buchermunicipal.com.
For information about Bucher Municipal North America Inc., Mooresville, NC, its pavement sweeper products, or equipment maintenance recommendations, call (704) 658-1333, or visit https://www.buchermunicipal.com/us/en/contact-support.
Sources
Ref article: NAS: The Secret to Street Sweeper Longevity? https://nasweeper.com/?p=1257