‘Whirlwind’ blows in on the UK sweeper market

The British market for municipal equipment, from RCVs to road sweeper continues to prove a magnet for overseas suppliers and manufacturers keen to prove the merits of their products before the critical gaze of local authority and waste management industry professionals. Those looking for new solutions among the stands at last month's CIWM Torbay exhibition will not have been disappointed as several new entrants to the UK scene set out their stalls. Most notable on the street cleansing front was the Douglas Elgin Whirlwind truck mounted sweeper range, making its debut on this side of the Atlantic but drawing on a pedigree dating back to 1971 in the United States. LAWE Editor Alexander Catto reports on this new contender for the big prizes in the roadsweeper stakes.

Published 1st July 2004

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Available in the UK through Cheltenham-based Douglas Equipment Ltd, best known for its airport tugs, the Douglas Elgin Whirlwind is claimed “to set new standards for truck mounted sweepers.”

Backed by the confidence in their product proven by market leadership in the United States, and the knowledge that Elgin is a subsidiary of the major Federal Signal Corporation, the high powered Anglo-American team promoting this new entry into the competitive British sweeper market is determined that the machine will make its mark.

The Whirlwind is set to go “head to head” with Johnston’s 600 series and the aim is to sell 20-30 units into the UK market in the first year.

Engineered to be fitted to a range of chassis, including Scania, Iveco, Volvo, Leyland DAF, MAN, Renault, Mercedes, ERF and others, the Douglas Elgin Whirlwind is stated to offer many standard features, which may be offered as options elsewhere.
The company says that even in heavy cleaning applications with both gutter brushes down, the machine sweeps efficiently up to 10mph, against what may be accepted as a conventional industry standard of 1-2mph.


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