Kioti DK-40 HST & Front sweeper broom- anyone use one?

[Coyote machine]

Looking to see if anyone owns or has used a front rotating broom on their loader, either hydraulically driven from the tractor's existing hydraulic reservoir, or with an auxiliary tank mounted on the back to power a hydraulic broom. It seems Sweepster is the dominant brand of such implements, and they require 8-18 GPM and 2-2.5K pressure to power the broom.

Even if you have used a different brand broom I'd be interested. I get huge driveway gravel/stone spread out to 20' or more from my plow guys each Spring. And yes, they are in the landscape/clean-up business too, so I'm sorta screwed by their wanting the extra work. I've done the clean-up for too many years and am so tired of using rakes, power brooms on a weed-eater head, etc. At 66 my back and body just can't take the stresses.

Any help, suggestions, reports on the loader attached tractor sweeper brooms would be appreciated.

TIA.

CM

 

[Rustyiron]

I have a sweeper/bucket as in the (web) picture. It does a nice job removing your driveway from your lawn!
A light touch is required as it can be, let's say aggressive to your grass.
This is opinion, but I thing a "bucket broom" as I know them would be a little more forgiving or controllable than a broom alone. I have used a broom (or sweeper) only on pavement.

 

[XSKIER]

I too like to plow snow off my 1 acre gravel lot into huge piles 20 feet into the grass. I've had two front brooms in the past. A John Deere frame mounted, PTO drive, 52 incher, and a Sweepster loader mounted, three point hydropack drive, 72 incher. I would not own either of them again. Now I have a Stihl power broom, and pay someone 50 bux to run it.

 

[crazyal]

I would love to know how well it works. Kubota makes a broom for their front mount snow blower sub frame but it only spins to throw the stones forward. for removing stuff from the lawn I would want it to spin in reverse so I wouldn't have to drive far onto the lawn. The best I have come up with so far is to use my loader before the snow melts to move the piles to places where I don't mind gravel piling up so I can recapture it. Since I do my own snow removal I don't mind spending a little extra time to avoid putting snow on the grass to begin with. But if you don't have places to put snow where the gravel isn't an issue I guess you are stuck in the spring dealing with the mess.

 

[Coyote machine]

Hi all, I'm going to red text questions about your replies, in your quotes below, to make it easier to follow what I'm looking for:

I have a sweeper/bucket as in the (web) picture. It does a nice job removing your driveway from your lawn!

Rusty, what HP tractor are you using it with, where'd you get it? What cost to buy? Does it allow you to go forward on your lawn and run the broom backward toward the tractor to 'pull' the stones toward you. I would imagine so, due to the 'bucket' attached to the broom/bucket, but I want to know for sure.
Do you have enough hydraulics to run it off the tractor without an aux hyd tank?

A light touch is required as it can be, let's say aggressive to your grass.

This is opinion, but I thing a "bucket broom" as I know them would be a little more forgiving or controllable than a broom alone.

What leads you to that conclusion?

I have used a broom (or sweeper) only on pavement.

What type bristles have you used on either broom and broom/bucket?

View attachment 552420

I too like to plow snow off my 1 acre gravel lot into huge piles 20 feet into the grass. I've had two front brooms in the past. A John Deere frame mounted, PTO drive, 52 incher, and a Sweepster loader mounted, three point hydropack drive, 72 incher. I would not own either of them again.

XSkier, Ok. So you have used a PTO and 3 PH hydropack drive; both front mounted? If they're PTO drive, and front mounted are they run off a mid-mount PTO?
Why switch to manual use powerbroom and operator at 50 bux/hr?! I take it the hydropack is an aux hydraulic supply tank? What tractor and HP were you using in either case? Thx. CM

Now I have a Stihl power broom, and pay someone 50 bux to run it.

I would love to know how well it works. Kubota makes a broom for their front mount snow blower sub frame but it only spins to throw the stones forward. for removing stuff from the lawn I would want it to spin in reverse so I wouldn't have to drive far onto the lawn.

Crazyal, my thinking exactly! I used to do my own snow removal, but now I'm away during bulk of Winter and come back to the nightmare of cleanup at two houses, barn, several sheds, long driveway and perimeter lawns. I don't have the strength to bust my back with the hand held powerbroom etc. anymore, nor the desire to bust myself each Spring.

The best I have come up with so far is to use my loader before the snow melts to move the piles to places where I don't mind gravel piling up so I can recapture it. Since I do my own snow removal I don't mind spending a little extra time to avoid putting snow on the grass to begin with.

I've been doing the same early Winter when I'm home, then when I return, depending on how much snow is remaining, but I tend to dig into the lawn because the piles are imprecise and the lawn is not a golf course - good thing, or it would look like *****!

But if you don't have places to put snow where the gravel isn't an issue I guess you are stuck in the spring dealing with the mess.

I want to run a broom off my FEL with existing aux hyd lines controlled by my 'joystick' FEL lever, without an aux hyd tank. The DK-40se/HST has a total of 16.8 GPM from the sump. I don't know if that would allow a broom enough power to run without an aux tank to supply more fluid for cooling and running the broom?

Any thought on this question would be appreciated as well as answers to the questions in red above.

TIA to those who've already contributed to this thread...:thumbsup:

 

[davedj1]

Homemade rotary broom for tractor bucket on Kubota BX - YouTube

 

[Rustyiron]

CM, I use the broom on asphalt and have only swept a grassy spot really "just to see" and not purposefully remove gravel from a big grass area. I use it on a large skid steer. The bucket broom I pictured carry a $3500+ price, before that type of investment I would rent one. If you cant find one at a rental house, look at Bobcat/Cat dealers. They are more of a SS attachment than a tractor and if your serious about a purchase, a dealer should allow a demo.
They have nylon bristles and you can sweep (on a hard surface) either direction. I would only sweep grass in reverse.
My comment on a bucket broom (b/b) being better over a sweeper is that I think there is less mechanism - weight on the brushes with a b/b than a sweeper and would be more gentle on the grass. Also your the gravel is swept into the bucket rather than accumulating into a bigger & bigger pile (with a sweeper) resulting in a slower travel speed being harder on the grass.

This is what I'm calling a sweeper.


I think your tractor will handle a broom, but again with any luck you can find one to rent for your results.

 

[XSKIER]

@Coyote Machine,

The John Deere 52 Quick Hitch Broom is built by sweepster, designed by Deere to fit the front quick hitch on their subcompact tractors. The front PTO is just an extension shaft from the mid PTO to a carrier bearing on the quick hitch support. I had it mounted on my 1026R, mounted easy, great maneuverability, and easy to finesse. I never had much use for it, it was over $3g to buy new, and didn't store very easily. Sold it for $2g after a year.

The sweepster 72" broom was loader mounted, hydraulic drive, and hydraulic angle. There was a 25 gallon three point mounted hydraulic resivour, and a PTO mounted pump with a 15' pair of 1" ID hoses that ran to the broom. The angling was done with the third hydraulic valve. I had it mounted on my old 4310 Deere, which was kinda light for the setup. I had a bunch of use for it, but couldn't live with it. It was difficult to mount, difficult to finesse the brushing height, difficult to replace the brush wafers, over $2g to buy well used, and didn't store very easily. Sold it for $1.5g after two years.

The Stihl power broom gets the job done, was around $.5g to buy new, and stores easily. 50 bux is the annual labor rate. In fact, this year's labor rate was covered in exchange for lending the broom to it's operator for a day to broom his own grass. I won the Stihl Broom at a snowmobile race, otherwise would not have thought to go out and buy one. After owning it for three years now, I would not hesitate to buy another.

You could probably afford to pay 50 bux an hour labor rate if you supplied a $13 garden rake and still be money ahead of owning a tractor mounted broom.

If you just want a new big toy, then go for it! I'm sure it will do the job.

 

[Coyote machine]

Thanks again to all who contributed.:thumbsup: I think this thread and the details you guys gave will help me and others who are, or might consider a bucket broom or sweeper broom. I'm going to likely stick to paying others to do the 'grunt' paddle broom hand held job I've done until this year on my adjacent properties. At $35/hr/man it is done fairly quickly and I have replaced back pain with a slight decrease in the fatness of my wallet!
Carry on!

Thanks,
CM