Rotary Broom

RBA50

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Equipment
B2320, LA304 loader (B1658 QA), B2789 snowblower, RCK54-29B MMM, HF quick hitch
Apr 29, 2013
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Goldendale, WA
Brooms will work well for light fluffy snow, less well for wet snow. A couple inches of either is not going to be a big problem, as long as you plan ahead for the next snowfall. Just as with plowing, you'll need to push (or sweep) the first snow well back away from the cleared area to make room for the second, third, etc., unless of course you are absolutely certain the first one will melt before the second one happens!

Nice thing about brooms is they tend to get all the snow right down to the bare ground.
 
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Oct 24, 2019
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So I'm still struggling with actually finding models numbers that will work on the BX. Does Kubota or Land Pride make them for front-mount on the BX?
 

North Idaho Wolfman

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Brooms are great if they stay cold.
If it gets warm ( and they can just from rubbing the ground) the snow will stick to it, then if it gets cold again it will freeze into the broom, becomes a big mess.
 

DustyRusty

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2020 BX23S, BX2822 Snowblower, Curtis Deluxe Cab,
Nov 8, 2015
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North East CT
I have a broom, and it is OK for light fluffy snow, but usually when we get snow, it is a lot of it. I have used the broom to clean up after I blow the snow off the driveway, so what is left doesn't freeze and turn into ice.
They work great for clearing the leaves off the lawn!
 
Oct 24, 2019
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I have a broom, and it is OK for light fluffy snow, but usually when we get snow, it is a lot of it. I have used the broom to clean up after I blow the snow off the driveway, so what is left doesn't freeze and turn into ice.
They work great for clearing the leaves off the lawn!
My area is the opposite. Many more light snows, and rarely deep snows. We also seem to get enough melts between snow events that worrying about making room for more and more snow clearing is not really needed.

Of course snow types vary, but where do you start to draw the line, in terms of depth, for when a sweeper isn't worth it?
 
Oct 24, 2019
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Bumping this thread to ask another broom question: does anyone know if the bristles on the brooms are removable in pieces or sections? I'm worried that a 60" broom might be too wide for 60" sidewalks. I've read that angling the broom doesn't necessarily make it less wide (I think, because it's less a blade shape and more of a box shape). Of course, with enough angle, it becomes less wide, but I don't know how much these things angle.

I'm thinking, if a bristle section could be removed, kind of like I could remove some tines from a tiller, then I could fix that issue, if it becomes an issue.
Specifically, I'd be looking at the BX2814 sweeper.

The answer to this question may also help me understand how the bristles could be replaced when needed.
 

orange crusher

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BX 2680
Sep 30, 2017
356
479
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ontario canada
Removing bristles is relatively easy although I do not know whether you can run it doing what you are proposing. To me it would just be easier to just power angle it one way or the other to reduce the width.
 
Oct 24, 2019
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Removing bristles is relatively easy although I do not know whether you can run it doing what you are proposing. To me it would just be easier to just power angle it one way or the other to reduce the width.
Angling is a much better solution, I just can't find any specs on how much you can angle the BX2814 broom. Kubota is terrible at posting specs. Land Pride is amazing at posting specs. I have one fuzzy answer that the broom can angle to the point of having a 48" path, which would mean a 39 degree angle.
 

Tim Horton

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Mar 22, 2018
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Lake Superior
Many years ago I used a fixed angle, 3pt, broom on a small (1600 Ford?) on side walks and clearing corners around parking lots. Worked well...

Go for it..

Papa Dells pizza still there ??
 
Oct 24, 2019
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I continue to be amazed at how hard it can be to get specs on some Kubota stuff.
 
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orange crusher

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BX 2680
Sep 30, 2017
356
479
63
ontario canada
I continue to be amazed at how hard it can be to get specs on some Kubota stuff. The closest thing I can find to show the broom angle is at 0:42 in this video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aJouNmjbar8

Not sure if that's the maximum angle in the video, but it doesn't seem like the broom is any less wide at that angle. You can see the bristles have near 1ft of contact width, so when you rotate the broom, you're rotating a 1x5ft rectangle.

A couple spots in that video, you see the broom casting a cloud of snow 15+ feet up into the air. That is not what I want (maybe it was really windy?). Any reason the broom can't be run at lower rpm's?

I run mine @ 2000 and I find it works just as well, minus the excessive flinging of snow and also thatch and leaves on the lawn.
 

North Idaho Wolfman

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The broom is in sections, 31 poly or 15 steel, but it would not be logical or easy to remove one or more sections of the broom.
 
Oct 24, 2019
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Another question: on the BX, can the front hitch with PTO shaft stay on while the front loader is being used? I'm just thinking that after the mower deck is taken off in the fall, it would be nice to put the front hitch system on and just leave it there for the winter, ready for the broom (or snowblower) as needed. I guess something would have to be done with the hydraulic lines from the quick hitch when the loader gets connected.
 
Oct 24, 2019
228
8
18
IN
The broom is in sections, 31 poly or 15 steel, but it would not be logical or easy to remove one or more sections of the broom.
I'm really struggling to understand if the 60" broom can feasibly be used on 60" sidewalks. In many areas, I think it will be fine. In other areas, there are issues like small (6-12" high) retaining walls right up at the edge of the sidewalk. That would mean for the sweeper to safely pass by, I'd be off the other edge, possibly hitting grass or other landscaping.
 

North Idaho Wolfman

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Staff member
Lifetime Member

Equipment
L3450DT-GST, Woods FEL, B7100 HSD, FEL, 60" SB, 743 Bobcat with V2203, and more
Jun 9, 2013
28,605
5,066
113
Sandpoint, ID
I'm really struggling to understand if the 60" broom can feasibly be used on 60" sidewalks. In many areas, I think it will be fine. In other areas, there are issues like small (6-12" high) retaining walls right up at the edge of the sidewalk. That would mean for the sweeper to safely pass by, I'd be off the other edge, possibly hitting grass or other landscaping.
It's not only the bristles of the broom, but the frame for the broom that could hinder your use anywhere near a 12" rise.

As far as sweeping the grass, very little damage will be done with a poly brush, many use them to sweep up leaves off of lawns.