World Sweeper Logo

A History of the Sweeping Industry... in Print


Brochure Collection of McKinley Page

Kenny Page Animation

McKinley "Kenny" Page has loved sweepers since he saw his first one at about the age of three or four. His fascination with street sweepers turned into a lifelong passion. The following brochures were provided to WorldSweeper by Kenny so they could be archived for the enjoyment of the power sweeping industry for years into the future.

If you don't already know the story of Kenny Page, you owe it to yourself to find out more about him.

We know you'll enjoy this collection of sweeper-related brochures printed material. Each has a link as shown or click on the brochure cover.


1982 Elgin Pelican Premier Sweeper Brochure

ElginPelicanPremierBrochure1982 In 1982 the Pelican Premier was called "A TOTAL CONCEPT IN SWEEPING – A special edition Pelican designed and built with standard features not even offered on many competitive machines. Clean, sharp lines, new striping, redesigned fenders and headlights. And loaded with standard features you don't have to pay extra for."

Elgin trademarked the term "Quiet-Zone"TM cab, which the brochure touts as being "designed for operator efficiency, comfort and safety... Increases operator control and productivity." The operating sound level was given as approximately 85 DB.

Take a look at the 12-page Elgin Pelican Premier brochure in PDF format.


Brochure for 1973 Three-wheel Wayne Model 900

WayneModel900Cover1973

In 1973, the Wayne organization offered a very competitive three-wheel street sweeper. The company called their series 900 model "America's choice in municipal sweepers and the standard by which all others are judged. Such leadership in environmental equipment is not due to a single advantage, but rather their proven ability to excel in every important street sweeping function."

Take a look at the 6-page brochure for the three-wheel Wayne 900 in PDF format.


Brochure for an Elgin Street King and Street King D

ElginStreetKingSpecSheetCover150w

New features listed on this Street King brochure included increased engine power, greater hopper capacity, dual rear wheels, power brakes and feather-touch power steering. The machine offered five forward speeds in addition to reverse.

the spec sheet for the Elgin Street King and Street King D in PDF format.


8-Page Brochure for the Elgin White Wing 2

Elgin White Wing 2 Cover

"The potential buyer of an Elgin White Wing will find in it a combination of three desirable rollable performance factors: (1) minimum first cost, (2) excellent sweeping ability, and (3) economical operation, service and maintenance." So states this Elgin White Wing brochure that, unfortunately, has no date. Plus, touts the brochure, the sweeper comes in both three- and four-cubic yard configurations.

The round-nosed Elgin White Wing was considered to be one of the most iconic sweepers ever built. If you're a history buff of the power sweeping industry, you will truly enjoy leafing through this 8-page brochure for the Elgin White Wing.

Take a look at the Elgin-Leach White Wing 8-Page brochure in PDF format.


An Early Elgin Pelican Sweeper Brochure

Elgin Pelican Imagine: A sweeper and a front-end-unloader... both in one machine! That's how the new Elgin Pelican – a New Concept in Modern Street Cleaning – was marketed in the linked early brochure for the new Elgin Leach Pelican. According to current Elgin personnel, the brochure was likely an introductory one for the machine, which was first introduced in 1964.

The new Pelican, the brochure goes on, says "One sweeper operator can now sweep the street and dispose of the sweepings without leaving his cab." Rather this new system offered a 3-step sequence, "sweeping... hopper elevated... dumping into truck." And, because "two-way radios are also being used by many sanitation departments... Operator can easily check the amount of fullness of hopper, then radio ahead for rendezvous spot with disposal unit." You will also be able to read about the newly introduced Pelican's "12 fully proven exclusive Elgin features and benefits... making this combination 'sweeper-unloader' the greatest advancement in the street sweeper industry in the past decade."

Take a look at the entire 12-page brochure in PDF format.


The Wayne FMC Series 900 3-Wheel Street Sweeper

Wayne FMC Series 900 The Wayne Series 900 was a 3-wheel sweeper designed for street sweeping. At the time this sweeper was built, 1973, the company called its model line "America's choice in municipal sweepers and the standard by which all others are judged... due to their proven ability to excel in every important street sweeping function.

The Series 900 was called "the safest, most maneuverable street sweeper available today," with a "record for durability and low maintenance unmatched in the industry." The machine sported a V-8 engine, power steering and power brakes in order to give the operator "complete and effortless control."

Take a look at the entire 6-page brochure in PDF format.


The Elgin Pelican Americana

Elgin Pelican Americana Elgin's 1979 Pelican Americana was called 'the sweeper that revolutionized an industry.' This machine replaced Elgin's previous 3-wheel sweeper, the Fleet Wing. The brochure for the Pelican Americana touted the machine's hydro-static drive, but the big innovation was a dumping system. The Americana's big breakthrough was the elimination of "double-handling" of debris. Although initially introduced in 1964, the Pelican Americana was termed a combination sweeper and front-end loader.

The foremost feature according to the brochure, which is linked below, was its "self-elevating, self-unloading hopper, capable of dumping automatically at any elevation from ground level up to 9 feet 6 inches high." If you're a 'sweeper person,' there's little doubt you won't be captivated by the linked 16-page brochure on the Elgin Pelican Americana!

Take a look at the entire 16-page brochure in PDF format.


The Austin-Western Model 40

Austin Western The Austin-Western sweeper was, for decades in the early 20th century, one of the most recognizable and photo-worthy sweepers in America. The mechanical broom-based sweeper looked like a combination of a large tractor in the front and a rickshaw in the back. The sweeper was touted as beign ideal for street surfaces of any kind, including cobblestone, wood block, concrete or asphalt, with no concern about whether the street was rough or smooth. However, the operator was out in the open since the Model 40 did not have an enclosed cab.

Looking through this brochure for the Austin-Western Model 40 is a walk back through time to how sweepers looked and were advertised in the early 1900s. The eight-page brochure is rich in photos and even has cutaways showing how the hopper and dumping system operate.

Take a look at the entire 8-page brochure in PDF format.


The Elgin Fleet Wing

Elgin Fleet Wing The Elgin Leach Corporation's Fleet Wing was the predecessor of today's Elgin's Pelican, still one of the leaders in the Elgin line of street sweepers. The brochure for the Fleet Wing touted the machine's "Expressway travel speeds" combined with "3-wheel maneuverability." That's because the sweeper could get up to a whopping 35mph! The conveyor system sported a "calenderized conveyor belt with integrally molded cleats" and the entire sweeping portion was run by PTO from the main transmission.

The gasoline tank was "terne-plated," a term one doesn't hear much anymore. In case you're not familiar, terneplate is an alloy of lead and tin, typically mixed in a ratio of four-to-one, that is used as a coating. Elgin Pelican owners and operators, especially, will enjoy comparing the features available on the Fleet Wing with those of today's Elgin Pelican.

Take a look at the specs for the Fleet Wing circa 1963 in PDF format.


A Look at the Iconic Elgin Street King

Street King Many sweeper old-timers would agree that one of the most notable and recognizable street sweepers ever produced was the Elgin Street King. In the middle of the 20th century the Street King sweeper – which Elgin marketing touted as 'The Very Finest in Street Sweeping Equipment – was on the job for public works departments throughout America. In a nod to the state of engineering at the time, the Street King was also proclaimed to be "built to give you all the advantages of hydraulic power."

Even the size of the Street King brochure – at a whopping 20 pages – gives an indication of how long ago the Street King was, ahem, 'King.' The brochure offers an enjoyable look back toward the roots of the street sweeping industry to a time when the visibility available to a sweeper operator – as just one example – was virtually unlimited. (Since the Street King didn't even have an enclosed cab...!)

Take a cruise through the whole 20-page brochure in PDF format.


The Wayne Sweeper Loader

Wayne Sweeper Loader The Wayne organization called its Model 993 Sweep Loader "The Fourth Dimension in Wayne's Total Sanitation Concept."

"Wayne's Total Sanitation Concept was built around the use of the Wayne Three-wheel street sweeper," the company's brochure copy explained, "the three-wheel SWEEP LOADER street sweeper, the four-wheel street sweeper and SANIVAC, the multi-purpose vacuum power unit. Working alone or in different combinations these four units can perform more than thirty-five different sanitation operations."

Even back then, though, sweepers were being sold for their ecological value in cleaning up the environment. The brochure continues to explain that "Street Sweeping and Sanitation operations are becoming more complex and demanding as today's ecology minded citizens ask for better pollution control."

Take a look at this multipurpose vehicle in PDF format.


World Sweeper Logo

© 2005 - 2022 World Sweeper
All rights reserved.

Back to History of the Sweeping Business
Site Map / Table of Contents