Cleaning Barn Aisles - Beyond the Broom and Blower

[xitmom]

The latest posts on this topic appear to be 7+ years old. Are there any vacuums and/or sweepers that are working well in barns? We have a lot of aisle way and are currently using a battery operated commercial leaf blower to blow out the sand, dust, shavings and hay after all of the stalls are cleaned. We only use it when horses are already in turnout and before doing water buckets in the stalls. The problem is the massive amount of dust that surely is not healthy for anyone in the barn at the time and it leaves everything with a coating of dust when finished.

The older posts that I have seen mention Billy Goat vacuums and a few other brands. How have these worked out? Do they still spread the dust everywhere? The salesperson who I talked with said that they would not hold up well with all of the sand going through the impeller. If you have one working well, what model do you use?

The walk behind version of this product:

Industrial Vacuum Sweepers | Controlled Air Design

looks amazing but they come at quite a price.

Are there any other options out there that aren’t enormously expensive that work well in a barn?

[Xanthoria]

I’d be tempted to try this. I have a Ryobi leaf blower and it’s great but haven’t tried this vacuum

https://www.homedepot.com/p/RYOBI-40V-Cordless-110-MPH-525-CFM-Cordless-Leaf-Blower-and-Cordless-Leaf-Vacuum-Mulcher-w-2-Batteries-and-2-Chargers-RY40451-BL/319508370?source=shoppingads&locale=en-US&&mtc=SHOPPING-BF-CDP-GGL-D28I-028_032_PORTABLE-NA-NA-NA-SMART-NA-NA-NA-NA-NBR-NA-NA-NA-SMART_SHP&cm_mmc=SHOPPING-BF-CDP-GGL-D28I-028_032_PORTABLE-NA-NA-NA-SMART-NA-NA-NA-NA-NBR-NA-NA-NA-SMART_SHP-71700000080837630-58700006820161822-92700071652991328&gbraid=0AAAAADq61UeMQH-8pnvPbS9xxL1ET1jOs&gbraid=0AAAAADq61UeMQH-8pnvPbS9xxL1ET1jOs&gclid=Cj0KCQiA4uCcBhDdARIsAH5jyUlV3UT6Ec1eVhFdZOXA1W7MDaaHpeTrsv0BFPtttS9vOefah9W1VOgaAqQ8EALw_wcB&gclsrc=aw.ds

[clanter]

@xitmom

Are there any vacuums and/or sweepers that are working well in barns?

we have Katie, a volunteer neighbor who wanted to be around the horses. She does a very good job of sweeping up the barn in exchange to be around the horses as an invited guest

[sascha]

Both Bissell and Kärcher make push sweepers that collect the dirt in a (several gallon) reservoir and require absolutely no power beyond a human walking behind them. I’m sure there are other companies too, but those are the two off the top of my head.

[LCDR]

A big Dewalt shop vac. I use a bag with it just to keep from having to often replace the expensive filters. Generic bags are pretty cheap on Amazon. I used a blower for years but it just relocated the dust. Amazingly my horses seem not to be bothered by either vacuum or blower.

[ASB_Stars]

I have a shop vac that I use, and I understand the idea about the filters. I’d just like to mention that if the shop vac can suck up water, it can also have the filter washed and re-used. I’ve been doing that with mine for several years. Wash out thoroughly, which is icky, and then let it dry out. Works great!

[xitmom]

Oh the Bissell sweepers look cool. 38” wide would get the job done pretty quickly. Does anyone have one of these who can comment on how hard they are to push on a flat concrete floor?

38 in Cleaning Path Wd, Manual, Walk Behind Sweeper

[scislandsprite]

@xitmom

Oh the Bissell sweepers look cool. 38” wide would get the job done pretty quickly. Does anyone have one of these who can comment on how hard they are to push on a flat concrete floor?

Grainger

38 in Cleaning Path Wd, Manual, Walk Behind Sweeper

Looking for BISSELL COMMERCIAL, 38 in Cleaning Path Wd, Walk Behind Sweeper? Find it at Grainger.com®. With over 1.6M products and 24/7 customer service we have supplies and solutions for every industry.

Looks like it’s only 43lbs which probably wouldn’t be too bad since it’s pushed on wheels, maybe around the same weight as a light weight push lawn mower?

Also found some less expensive alternatives that are similar:

• Bissell Commercial BG-355 Deluxe Turbo 21" Triple Brush Manual Power Sweeper for 399.99 USD which isn’t terrible and supposedly free shipping with the 48 mainland US states. Shipping weight is 14.8 lbs
• Kärcher Push Sweeper S 4 Twin for 149.99 USD right now, normally 189.99. Total weight including packaging is 27.1 lbs

[OverandOnward]

@clanter

we have Katie, a volunteer neighbor who wanted to be around the horses. She does a very good job of sweeping up the barn in exchange to be around the horses as an invited guest

Where can we get more Katie’s … ?

[clanter]

@OverandOnward

Where can we get more Katie’s … ?

I suspect there are many who want to learn about horses who are near you. She stopped one day as she rode by on her bicycle saying she wanted to learn abut caring for horses. Overtime she has developed into a trusted visitor who we work with showing how to care for the horses. Normally she is here three times a week for several hours, she may be doing nothing more than picking manure out of the paddocks or she may be brushing one of the horses (Bonnie is her favorite). Being an invite guest she falls under our homeowner’s liability coverage.

There is also Fallon who comes by to work with the goats, granddaughters are teaching her how to care for goats and training of the goats… several of their goats have been taught a lot of tricks (well over twenty). Fallon will spend hours cleaning the goat pens while she “works” with the goats

[walktrot]

We had an aisleway that was 200’ long and 14’ wide, poured concrete with a lot of texture. Many years ago one of the fathers thought it would be much easier to finish cleaning the aisleway with a machine. He bought one that was supposed to be heavy-duty. It was a nice idea. No matter how carefully we swept, however, it almost always found enough hay, in suitable lengths, to wrap around whatever moving parts there were. It as such a PITA to get the hay removed that we gave it up.

[WoodsRun]

Several years ago I worked at a private barn that was cleaner than my home, and we used a Billy Goat at the end of each shift. It worked like a charm. It was loud, but relatively easy to use and left the aisle way beautiful. I’m sure there are newer models out there now, but my that thing was at the time my favorite piece of equipment ever.

[LCDR]

Do you recall which model of Billy Goat? Sounds interesting but when I just checked they range from $500 to $5000.

[walktrot]

Hmmmm. On the way home there is this house with a lot of shrubs, brush, sumacs and all sorts of ugly weeds along the road. One day there was a metal fence with the square holes and a sign that said Watch out for the GOATS! You couldn’t see anything. It was like that for at least 3 weeks. Then one day thngs looked like they had thinned out a bit in one little area. Then one day I got a brief look at something with hair, but I wasn’t sure it was a goat. There were four of them, and when they really got things under control people were pulling over to take a good loo and watch for a few minuters. They did a great job. They should be rehired.