Walk behind a sweeper that just finished a curb line. Look at the edge of the cleaned strip.
If there’s a line of debris left along the gutter — that’s the gutter broom’s fault. And it’s usually the last thing the operator checks.
Here’s what you need to know about the side brush that does the dirtiest job on the machine.
1. What the Dulevo Gutter Broom Actually Does
The gutter broom (side broom) is the disc-shaped brush mounted at the front corners of a street sweeper. It does two jobs:
It sweeps debris out of the gutter. Road edges, curbs, drainage channels, and corners collect what the main broom can’t reach. The side brush pushes that material into the path of the main brush.
It sets the sweeper’s cleaning width. The main broom covers the vehicle’s width. The side brooms extend coverage beyond it — into the curb zone where most street litter accumulates.
Every sweeper has them. Most sweeper owners replace them late.
2. Why the Gutter Broom Wears First
The side broom is the hardest-working brush on the machine:
It runs at an angle, pressing bristle tips against asphalt with constant friction
It contacts the curb face — abrasive concrete and stone — on every pass
It picks up the dirtiest material: sand, gravel, broken glass, metal fragments
It runs whenever the sweeper sweeps, often with more RPM than the main broom
Result: gutter brooms typically wear out 2–3× faster than main brooms. The bristles shorten, the disc loses its sweep pattern, and the curb line starts collecting debris again.
3. Poly, Wire, or Mixed: The Material Question
Side brooms come in three bristle configurations. The right choice depends on what your routes look like.
For airport runways and finished surfaces, poly only — metal fragments are never acceptable. For heavy construction zones, a wire-heavy mix cuts through what poly slides over.
4. Three Signs It’s Time to Replace
You don’t need a micrometer to know when a gutter broom is done. Three signs tell you:
Bristle length is visibly uneven. If one side of the disc has noticeably shorter bristles than the other, the wear pattern has broken. The broom is no longer sweeping at the designed angle.
The curb line is getting worse. Compare the edge of the swept path week to week. When the trail of debris starts appearing, the side broom is past its useful life.
You can see the backing plate. Bristles worn down to the disc core means the broom has been running bare — and the metal or plastic backing is now grinding against the curb.
Replacing on schedule is cheaper than replacing the curb damage — or re-running routes.
5. Fit and Sourcing
Gutter brooms are machine-specific. The mounting pattern, disc diameter, and bristle trim must match your sweeper model — Elgin, Schwarze, TYMCO, Dulevo, or any other OEM.
We manufacture replacement gutter brooms across our sweeper brushes — including the Dulevo 3000/5000/6000 side brooms with exact ID/OD and bristle specs. Our replacement tube and gutter brooms for road sweepers page lists the standard configurations.
When you order, have three numbers ready: disc diameter, center hole size, and bristle trim length. That’s all the factory needs to match your machine.
The main broom gets the credit. The gutter broom does the work nobody notices — until it stops.
Check your side brooms on the same schedule as your oil changes. The curb line will tell you the rest.