Uniscrub out buckets
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• No longer is the smaller operator faced with the choice of a dirty vehicle or splashing about with bucket and brush. The Uniscrub MW 150 is claimed to clean an articulated vehicle from stem to stern in five minutes, and to a higher standard than can be achieved by a drive-through cleaning system.
The Uniscrub uses a rotary brush similar to those in a drive-through cleansing plant, but can be driven to and concentrated on the dirtiest parts of the vehicle. Perhaps more important to the operator, the cab is surrounded on three of its four sides with shatterproof windscreens, that are kept clean with wipers.
Power comes from a singlecylinder Kubota diesel engine, which drives a hydraulic pump ta run the rotary brush, and the single driving wheel. A separate diaphragm pump lifts and mixes the 570 litres of water and 115 litres of soap stored in the machine's tank.
The Uniscrub was designed and developed in New Zealand, and has been sold in New Zealand, Australia and America, and is now being introduced into the UK. Previous customers have included Pepsi in America, and the New Zealand railways.
To support the outrigged weight of the spinning brush, the machine needs a weighted chassis, but rather than use additional weights, the Uniscrub chassis is made from 6.35mm steel plate. The entire chassis and its fittings have been hot dipped/galvanised to protect against rust.
The brush has a vertical movement of one metre, and rotates at 600rpm, tilts 12° through the vertical, and swings through 90°. The brush is held against the side of the vehicle by an 11.3kg spring, which can be overridden by a hydraulic ram.
All of these operations can be performed from the cab, where there are comprehensive controls. There are three well sealed spotlights for working after dark.
Powered and steered by the same single wheel, the Uniscrub turns easily on its own axis, and apart from the highpressure hose for cleaning wheels and chassis members there is no reason for the operator to leave the cab.
Priced at 214,500, the Uniscrub is not cheap, but it is solidly built to the extent of being engineered. Compared to the cost of a static wash, the Uniscrub offers a cheap, and potentially more effective alternative. For the operator with a tighter budget Uniscrub is introducing the MW 140, which is essentially the same device, but without cab or wheels, and intended to fit onto a forklift truck. This will cost around 28,000.
Uniscrub Turbo 71