Specify the route result before selecting hopper size
Map kerbs, parked vehicles, turning space, gradients and surfaces with the debris found on each section. Loose dust, leaves and heavier material may need different collection arrangements. Ask suppliers to identify suitable modes and exclusions for those cases.
Estimate a shift using travel, useful sweeping, refilling, unloading and cleaning time. Effective width matters only at a speed that achieves the agreed collection result. A larger hopper cannot compensate for a route that repeatedly runs out of water or usable payload.
Make the acceptance trial representative of daily work
Bucher’s discussion of water, hopper, payload and fuel balance is a useful planning framework. Its capacities and particulate claims belong to that model. Require evidence for the offered truck and a trial section that exposes the route’s actual constraints.
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| Decision | What to establish | Condition or limit |
|---|---|---|
| Pickup method | Compare the offered vacuum, brush and washing functions against each debris and surface condition. | Road washing moves or loosens material; it is not automatically equivalent to collecting it in a hopper. |
| Working width and speed | Record the width that actually collects material at the agreed cleaning quality and speed. | Maximum brush reach and maximum travel speed are not a demonstrated production rate. |
| Hopper and payload | Compare useful debris capacity against completed mass, water carried and axle limits. | Dense or wet debris can reach the mass limit before the hopper is full. |
| Water and route time | Include refill, discharge and return travel when estimating productive sweeping time. | A larger water tank can change payload; recirculation must be quoted and evidenced if required. |
| Dust management | List the proposed wetting points, pickup enclosure and any filtration or recirculation equipment, then agree how dust escaping during the route trial will be recorded. | Visible wetting does not establish fine-particle capture or compliance with a particulate standard; require a configuration-specific report for such claims. |
| Maintenance access | Check access to brushes, suction paths, filters or screens and water nozzles, plus local replacement availability. | An attractive purchase price may omit wear parts and daily cleaning time. |
Agree the route, conditions and recorded result
Include residual debris, repeat passes, water use and elapsed time in the acceptance plan. Verify discharge and service access as well as pickup, and record which equipment and operating conditions produced the result.
Information to prepare for this review
- Route length, road width, kerb sides, access restrictions and disposal or refill locations
- Representative debris, loading variation and the required cleanliness outcome
- Permitted working windows, travel distances, crew and shift length
- Water availability, environmental discharge controls and cold-weather requirements
- Chassis, axle limits and expected debris density or measured representative loads
- Trial route, witness, recording method and agreed acceptance criteria
Records to request and keep
- Approved configuration listing pickup system, brush arrangement, water system, hopper and optional attachments
- Completed-vehicle mass and axle documentation for the agreed water and debris loading cases
- Witnessed route trial recording surface, debris condition, weather, water use, working settings and remaining material
- Time record separating sweeping, travel, refill, discharge and end-of-shift cleaning
- Functional record for hopper opening and discharge, safety supports, controls and interlocks under the approved procedure
- Wear-parts list, maintenance access demonstration, cleaning instructions and operator handover
- Any required noise or particulate report matched to model, test method and configuration
Common mistakes and what to check instead
- Estimating output from brochure width multiplied by top speed: Use a witnessed working trial and include non-sweeping time.
- Treating hopper volume as legal carrying capacity: Check the mass and axle effect of water, equipment and representative debris.
- Using another manufacturer's dust certification: Request a report applicable to the exact offered configuration and the destination requirement.
Scope of this guide
A route trial demonstrates only its recorded conditions; seasonal debris and road conditions may require additional agreed cases.
This guide does not assign a productivity, noise or particulate rating to a KEEYAK sweeper.
Resolve pickup shortfalls, loading limits and discharge access before accepting a fleet productivity commitment.
Sources and applicability
OEM example of the relationship between hopper, water, payload and on-station time. All capacities, environmental claims and options on that page belong to that OEM model.