City Of Kelowna Relies On Elgin Broom Bears For Spring Sweep

Dec 5, 2023 - one year ago

The city of Kelowna in British Columbia, Canada sits in a valley with the neighborhoods spanning up into the hills surrounding the city. Each winter, the city uses 14,000-15,000 tons of sand to keep its nearly 150,000 citizens safe on the snow-covered roadways. Then come spring, that sand along with all the winter debris requires pick-up.

That’s when the Elgin Broom Bear street sweeper is put into action.

“We ran our three Broom Bear units for 20 hours a day for eight weeks, and we had no issues at all other than regular oil changes and maintenance intervals,” said Andrew Schwerdtfeger, Roadways Operations Manager for the City of Kelowna. “They handled it like champs. Our previous sweepers needed 6-8 passes. The new Broom Bears did it in three passes – maybe four in the worst conditions. That’s pretty outstanding. They pick up quicker and better.”

City Of Kelowna Relies On Elgin Broom Bears For Spring Sweep

With the help of their three Elgin Broom Bear sweepers, the municipality of Kelowna cut down its spring sweep from 12 weeks to 8 weeks. The City of Kelowna purchased its first Elgin Broom Bear about four years ago and then purchased two more about two years ago. The city utilizes them from March through December.

City Of Kelowna Relies On Elgin Broom Bears For Spring Sweep

“Our operators love them,” said Schwerdtfeger. “They’re comfortable, quiet machines. They pick up really well, and maintenance has been limited. Less downtime means we like them.”

Utilizing a Freightliner chassis, which is what the City of Kelowna uses for its fleet, enables an easy crossover and availability of parts. It’s a big relief compared to the City of Kelowna’s previous sweepers, which were another brand and much older. A contractor that helps with sweeping as needed in the city and runs Elgin Broom Bears recommended Elgin.

“They’re good reliable, productive units,” said Schwerdtfeger. “They pick up well. The feedback has been really positive.”

The City of Kelowna worked with Vimar Equipment Ltd for its Broom Bear sweepers. Elgin’s extensive dealer network helps customers for the life of the sweeper.

Source: Elgin Sweepers