[GENERAL SYSTEM DESCRIPTION]

The Schwarze A4000 series regenerative air sweeper is mounted on a standard production truck chassis, providing the operator with convenience and comfort. Several options are available, including air conditioning and dual steering.

This air sweeper utilizes a ‘closed loop’ airflow system via a sweeping head to accomplish debris pickup. A portion of the system’s air may be vented-off to increase the sweeper’s vacuum power. The remaining air is recirculated, producing the blast force under the sweeping head.

The sweeper unit is powered by an auxiliary engine mounted on the sweeper frame to the rear of the truck cab. It is fueled from the truck’s main fuel tank. To provide power to the sweeper, the engine propels a fan by use of a drive belt connected to a bearing-mounted drive shaft. The balanced, abrasion-resistant, fan draws air from inside the hopper and forces it out of the fan housing. To protect the fan housing from excessive wear, all Schwarze sweepers are equipped with a replaceable rubber liner.

The fan forces air drawn from the hopper down the pressure hose, through an opening in the top of the sweeper head, and into the upper/rear pressure chamber. This air is then funneled across the front of the chamber, and out a slot, called the ‘blast orifice.’ As the air is pushed through the blast orifice, it is transformed into a high velocity stream that blasts forward and downward onto the sweeping surface in the sweeping head’s lower/front chamber.

The sheer force of this air loosens debris, picks it up, and pushes it across the lower/front chamber of the sweeping head in a spiraling motion and moves it towards the suction inlet on the vacuum side of the sweeping head. A series of flexible rubber flaps, called ‘curtains,’ are bolted on the front and back of the sweeping head. These curtains, along with the metal skid plates on each end, contain the high velocity air within the sweeping head. Due to the vacuum inside the hopper caused by the fan's draw of air, the debris is pulled up through the suction hose and into the hopper.

Once inside the hopper, a number of strategically placed water nozzles may be used to decrease the amount of airborne dust. As the dust comes into contact with the water spray, it becomes heavier. The dust and debris-laden air loses speed upon entering the large volume of the hopper, so heavier objects fall to the hopper bottom. The air is then drawn through a screen in the top of the hopper, which removes any remaining lighter objects. Only fine particles of dust remain to be pulled through the screen and into the dust separator in the front of the hopper. As air is pulled from the dust separator by the fan, it develops a spiraling action, and the resulting centrifugal force throws the remaining fine dust against the walls of the separator, returning it through slots to the hopper bottom. The fan then draws the cleaned air from the dust separator back into the fan housing and the cycle begins again.

For your convenience and safety, each Schwarze A4000 SERIES sweeper is controlled from a console in the truck cab. The console allows for remote operation of the hydraulic, dust suppression, and lighting systems, as well as the sweeper's auxiliary engine. Your new Schwarze A4000 SERIES sweeper may also be factory equipped with a number of options. In addition, some options may be added to the sweeper after leaving the factory. For more details about the many available options, contact a Schwarze Industries sales representative at 1-800-879-7933.


[HOPPER]

The hopper is designed to contain the debris picked up by the sweeping head. It is constructed of heavy gauge steel for years of trouble-free service. The hopper is mounted to a heavy duty frame which is fastened to the truck’s chassis. This provides a stable base to mount the hydraulic cylinders used to raise the hopper into the dump position. A door on each side of the hopper, often called an inspection door, provides easy access to clean the hopper after dumping. These doors can also be used to directly place objects into the hopper that are too large to be picked up by the sweeping head. A door has been installed on top of the hopper to provide easy access for cleaning the hopper’s intake screen.


[HYDRAULIC SYSTEMS]

Hydraulic fluid is pulled from the reservoir into the mechanically driven hydraulic pump mounted on the auxiliary engine. The pump passes the pressurized hydraulic fluid into the manifold, mounted above the left-hand-side water reservoir. Directional valves attached to the side of the manifold are operated electrically from the sweeper's in-cab console. These directional valves are used to channel fluid flow to the various sweeper functions (hopper dumping, the raising and lowering of the sweeper head, and gutter broom operation). A single solenoid on the end of the manifold may also be opened electrically, allowing operation of the hydraulic motor portion of the water pump.

An optional 12-volt auxiliary pump may be added. Because the pump is powered by the truck engine’s 12-volt battery, it can be used to dump the hopper or raise the sweeping head without running the sweeper engine.


[SWEEPING HEAD]

The sweeping head is the actual ‘sweeping component’ of the air sweeper. It is attached to the underside of the frame by a set of drag arms, tension springs and hydraulic cylinders mounted on both sides of the sweeping head. The hydraulic cylinders and tension springs control the vertical movement of the head. A switch mounted on the control console in the truck cab operates the lift cylinders.

The sweeping head is connected to the fan housing and hopper inlet tube by two hoses: one on the pressure side and one on the vacuum side. On the pressure side, the hose is connected from the fan housing to the pressure inlet tube on the head. One end of the vacuum hose is connected to the suction inlet tube on the head, and the other end to the transition ring which seals against the hopper inlet tube when the hopper is in the lowered position. Both hoses are held in place by metal band clamps located at the top and bottom of each hose.

The sweeping head is designed so that air pressure from the fan will produce the maximum cleaning performance. The fan forces air from the hopper down the pressure hose, and into the upper/rear pressure chamber of the sweeping head. This air is then funneled across the front of the chamber, and out a slot called the ‘blast orifice.’ As the air is pushed through the blast orifice, it is transformed into a high velocity airstream that is channeled forward and downward onto the sweeping surface in the sweeping head's lower/front chamber. The force of this air loosens debris and pushes it toward the suction inlet, which is located on the right side of the head. Skid plates at each end, plus a series of flexible rubber flaps in both front and rear, contain the powerful airstream beneath the sweeping head. As the debris-laden air nears the suction inlet, the vacuum in the hopper created by the fan pulls the debris out of the sweeping head and up through the suction hose.


[WATER SYSTEM]

To avoid unnecessary wear of the fan, fan housing, sweeping head and hopper, it is necessary to control the amount of airborne dust within the sweeper. This is accomplished by introducing water spray at various locations on both the inside and outside of the sweeper. The dust suppression system should be used whenever operating the sweeper, except when sweeping during wet conditions.

Water is drawn from the bottom of the sweeper's 130 gallon, durable, polyethylene water tanks, and flows through a ‘Y’ strainer. The ‘Y’ strainer traps debris in the water, reducing the chance of dust suppression system failure due to clogged water nozzles. The ‘Y’ strainer also contains a valve which may be opened to drain the water tank.

After having been filtered by the ‘Y’ strainer, the water is pulled into the centrifugal pump. Water is then forced through a hose and into a water manifold. Solenoid valves, attached to the manifold, may be electrically opened from the sweeper's console to operate the desired part of the dust suppression system.


[GUTTER BROOM]

The Schwarze A4000 SERIES’ rotating hydraulic gutter brooms have been designed to dig debris loose from the gutter or similar areas and direct it across, and in front of, the sweeping head where it can be picked up. The optional gutter brooms are mounted under the chassis to the rear of the truck cab on both the left and/or right sides of the sweeper. They are suspended from the frame on a hydraulically-controlled arm which is operated from the control console inside the truck cab. The hydraulic motors which turn the brooms’ bristles are mounted inside the disc that spins on the end of each arm. When not in use, the gutter brooms are hydraulically held and locked into position under the truck, up and off the pavement. This unique design enables the sweeper to have the largest possible sweeping width and, at the same time, provides maximum ground clearance and minimum width when the gutter brooms are in the travel position.


[HAND HOSE]

The hand hose is a valuable add-on that’s designed to clean areas where hard-to-get-to, light debris collects, for example shallow catch basins, parking islands and fence edges. These are otherwise inaccessible to the sweeping head. It is mounted at the rear of the hopper, at the upper right side. The hand hose operates on fan-produced vacuum from within the hopper. The hose measures 8 feet long and 5 inches in diameter, and is fitted with a 40-inch aluminum nozzle and is attached to a hinged transition plate. This transition plate pivots across a hole in the hopper and is latched into position. A handle attached to the nozzle provides greater control.


[DUAL STEERING]

Dual steering is an option which allows the operator of the sweeper to drive from the left or right hand side of the truck. Major components relative to vehicle operation – such as the steering wheel with self-cancelling turn signals, the brake pedal and the accelerator – are duplicated on both sides. Driving from the right hand side gives an operator better control of the sweeper while sweeping areas on the right side of the truck.


[LIGHTS, FLASHERS, ALARM]

To increase operational safety, the sweeper may be equipped with a number of optional electric lights and flashers.To enable the driver/operator to see well when operating at night, spotlights are available for the broom and hopper . A flashing warning barlight beacon, strobe or beacon may be positioned on the top of the cab. These are used to alert motorists and pedestrians of the presence of the relatively slow moving sweeping machine. An additional rear stop light is positioned in the center of the hopper back panel for added safety. All lights are controlled by toggle switches mounted on the console inside the truck cab. Always keep all lights operating properly.

In addition to other safety features, a backup warning alarm is standard. The high pitched backup alarm warns bystanders that the sweeper is moving backwards so that they know to stand clear.


[MAGNETIC PICKUP BAR]

To remove metal objects which could damage truck tires, an optional magnetic pickup bar may be mounted to the front of the sweeper. It is controlled by a switch mounted on the control console. This switch operates an electric actuator to raise and lower the pickup bar. Use of the magnetic pickup bar has been shown to increase tire life while at the same time decreasing downtime caused by tire failure.


[CAMERA SYSTEM]

The optional camera system may be used to increase an operators field of vision. One camera is mounted below the right water reservoir just behind the gutter broom, and is positioned to point forward and down. This angle allows observation of the gutter broom’s operation as well as provides a view of approaching curb line obstacles. A second camera, mounted in the right tool box, views what is directly to the rear of the sweeper. When the sweeper is shifted into reverse, the picture on the dash-mounted monitor automatically switches to the rear view. Both cameras provide a wide field of vision.