SYRACUSE’S NEW STREET SWEEPER

by Krista Norton | February 13, 2025

If you think you have seen a little spaceship on the streets around town, you are not alone. Many of us have wondered what this new contraption is and how it works. 
According to City Administrator, Brian Bloyd, it is the new Ravo R5 street sweeper. “This replaces the fifteen-year-old maintenance headache sweeper we have been using.” 
Searching for a replacement, the top of the list was something easy to maintain, efficient at cleaning the streets and operator friendly. “After reaching out to several manufacturers and demonstrating three different kinds, we feel like we have something that checked all the boxes,” said Bloyd. 
City employee, Jerrin Phillips, the main operator of the sweeper, is very pleased. “First, it is a lot smoother riding with a hydraulic suspension, and it stays level all the time and is very user friendly!”  
He explains the Ravo R5 is a different concept from the old sweeper which had a main broom in the middle which tossed material up on a conveyer belt, which threw it in the hopper at the front. 
“This has two gutter brooms which moves the debris to the middle. The debris is then sucked up into the hopper, which compacts it allowing for longer sweep time,” explained Phillips, “It can hold, nearly three times as much material.” 
There is also a third broom out front controlled remotely which can be used to clean stuck on debris and mud from street, gutters, and sidewalks.
“We can also sweep wet material, snow, about anything!” said Phillips, “This time of year is the hardest time to sweep because the leaves are hard to pick up, but this had no problem doing it.” 
One of the biggest advantages is it does the job in one pass. “I don’t have to make multiple passes to get the job done, it is slower pace but saves time not having to repeat the process more than once,” said Phillips.  
When it is full, the tailgate opens, tilts about 80 degrees and is emptied out. It also has an onboard high pressure water pump and spray hose for easy cleaning the hopper. “Once you lift the hopper to empty it, everything is right there, easy to reach and maintain,” explained Bloyd. 
When you see the sweeper, you may wonder what the thing is on top? Phillips explains it is an eight-inch suction hose with many uses. It can be detached from the back of the machine and used to suck up large piles of debris. clean out storm drains or used to do what is called pot holing. 
“If we are digging and have a lot of water lines near a water main, we can dig a hole the size of that pipe, utilizing the onboard water tank, we can turn the dirt to mud which allows us to see what water lines are below the ground,” Phillps explained, “Then suck the mud out of the ground instead of digging it out by hand.” 
The on-board pressure washer also allows them to clean gutters that have excessive leaves or dried mud. “The hose is not heavy, is user friendly with a spring taking on the majority of weight, it is an advantage when we need it,” said Phillips. 
It is not a speedster, with a maximum sweep speed of nine miles per hour. The water tank holds about 160 gallons of water and the hopper capacity is 6.5 yards of debris. 
Bloyd explains that the onboard telematics system allows the manufacturer to remote into the machine to diagnose issues, “Taking care of it from Saint Louis rather than a service call” said Bloyd, “We are super happy with it!”