Schwarze Industries, Inc. is proud to announce a breakthrough from its research and development team, the WhisperWheel^sm sweeping system. Although there is no noticeable external difference, the highly engineered blower fan, fan housing and airflow design have all been modified. From around the United States, those who have used the system are enthusiastic in their reports on the Schwarze-exclusive design. The WhisperWheel^sm sweeping system increases pickup power by 7%, provides auxiliary engine fuel savings of up to 20%, and reduces sound output by 73%.

We have conducted detailed sound tests throughout the spectrum, with and without gutter brooms, at a variety of rpm levels, etc., and results are very conclusive. As a result of our extensive testing process, we believe our WhisperWheel^sm system will virtually remove the "noise stigma" from air sweepers.

WhisperWheel^sm fan systems are now available on all Schwarze air sweepers, including the models A4000, A7000, A8000 and A9000 in our regenerative air municipal line, and our S343, S347, and S348 parking area sweeper models.

Because of the noise issues that exists throughout the United States, we believe time will prove this to be one of the most significant advances made in the industry in a long time. The addition of the WhisperWheel^sm system clearly solidifies Schwarze's position as the world's leader in sweeping innovative technology.


The Schwarze-exclusive WhisperWheel^sm fan design has 10 blades instead of the previous 6. Because it uses a backward-curved blade design, unfiltered "fines" material in the airstream don't strike the blade surface as hard. The new blades shape is such that any material left in the airstream doesn't exert as much force on the blade, which also reduces wear.

The changes are primarily design and engineering oriented. The fan and housing are still made from abrasion-resistant steel. The WhisperWheel^sm does constitute a whole new design, however, one which is not similar to the previous system. The fan wheel, housing and inlet have all been changed. Although there is also a slight performance increase, and a significant reported fuel savings, the big news is 73% noise reduction that has been achieved. Our customers tell us that noise output is the biggest problem in the industry, and we've done something very tangible to address that problem.

According to Schwarze engineering spokesman, Tony Libhart, the performance and decibel gains inherent in the WhisperWheel^sm design are nothing short of miraculous. "We worked on this for some time", said Libhart "and have employed a variety of innovative design ideas in order to put the package together. That's one thing that should be made quite clear: This is not simply one breakthrough, but, rather, a total redesign of the most central element of the air sweeper".

"One of the best parts, however, is that no exotic materials are being used. Instead, the accomplishment is the result of taking a whole new look at how the air sweeper pickup process might be accomplished. We were helped tremendously by the large, established base of dedicated users Schwarze has developed over time, and that we have such a good customer service feedback loop established with them. As a result of that, we were able to do the statistical modeling and in-field testing we needed much more quickly. Added to all that, however, is a heavy dose of cutting-edge technology from the Schwarze engineering and design teams."

"To date, we have established 2,500 data points using one of the more sophisticated sound and decibel meters in existence (a CEL Model 573.C2 Sound Level Meter with 1/3 octave band filter set), and the machine tells us that our WhisperWheel^sm equipped sweepers operate quieter across the board. Fan noise is big contributor to overall sweeper noise output, and we have reduced that factor tremendously. Testing will continue, as it does with every innovation we introduce. However, after extensive field time, to date, we have every reason to be quite optimistic about the WhisperWheel^sm system."