Tag Archive for: Tomcat

What’s New and Exciting with Tomcat Floor Scrubbers?

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Here at the Rhiel Supply Company we have been selling floor cleaning equipment for about as long as floor equipment has been around.  Industrial/Commercial automatic sweepers and automatic floor scrubbers have been a main part of our product line for years.  One of the best lines we have ever sold is manufactured by Tomcat, a division of the RPS Corporation.  This has been some of the best equipment on the market since it was introduced.  We have been a full service sales, parts, and service distributor for over 15 years and the results have been great for us.  One of the big reasons we have had so much success with Tomcat is the durability and reliability that is built into every one of the machines.  They are built on a solid steel frame, unlike many of their competitors who use lightweight plastic.  This means they can be rebuilt over and over again when subjected to harsh applications.  They make great rental machines and have boosted our rental business significantly.  These sweepers and scrubbers are hard working machines that last longer than any I’ve seen in the market in the 35 years I’ve been selling and servicing commercial floor cleaning equipment.

Recently Tomcat has undergone a bit of a face lift.  They committed to a redesign of their top automatic floor scrubbers and the results are even better than I expected.  The new models have more features, more labor saving devices and are simpler to use. All these models perform extremely well while maintaining the high quality, reliability and durability standards we have come to expect from Tomcat.  Let’s take a look at some features that I think make these new models the best on the market.  I’ve been doing this for 35 years and these are the improvements that I believe make these the best there are out there.  This is not an exhaustive study, just a few of the notable features that make these scrubbers the best option to clean, scrub, and prep your floors, no matter what type of facility you may have. Not all of these features are new but they do make Tomcat one of the best floor scrubber lines I have ever used.  Let’s start at the front of the Scrubbers and move to the rear.

Scrub Brushes

All the scrubbers have multiple scrub head options depending on your application.  They all have protective corner rollers and up to 250 lbs. of down pressure.

The standard rotary brush head that incorporates standard pads or rotary brushes have Heavy Duty Motors and the standard Metal Plate Frame.  Aluminum Brush decks resists corrosion.  Gimbal Mounted Brushes insure optimal cleaning on uneven surfaces.

Cylindrical brush heads are great for areas where you need to pick up a lot of debris while you are scrubbing.  This eliminates the need to sweep before you scrub in many instances.  These brushes turn at 750 rpms and do a great job with uneven surfaces like cleaning tile and grout.  They can eliminate the need to dust mop before scrubbing.

EDGE Flat Surface Scrub Heads are great for cleaning relatively flat surfaces on a regular basis.  Full contact pad presser allows you to scrub your floor and gives consistent results without swirl marks.  These scrub heads use 70% less water, allow you to strip floors without chemicals, prep and screen gym floors, reduce slip and fall incidents, and earn LEED Credits.

Vacuum Protection System

This new system provides optimal protection for your vacuum motor.  This means vacuum suction is maintained and water pick-up remains good at all times.   When the dirty water is picked up from the floor it enters the recovery tank through a vacuum hose.  The new Tomcat System runs the water through a drain saver basket before it hits the tank.  This traps any large debris from filling the dirty water tank.  There is also an oversized filter screen and a white vacuum filter cleaning the air of foam and debris.  The air flow then enters a baffling system that eliminates any water or moisture left in the lines from getting to the vacuum motor. This protects the vacuum motor and reduces the risk of premature failure from moisture buildup inside the vac motor.

Solution and Recovery Tanks

Increased tank sizes mean less time stopping to drain and refill.  Tomcat has increased the size of the tanks without reducing the maneuverability of the scrubber.  Tank sizes can be ordered on a new walk-behind scrubber as big as 37 gallons.  This is a significant labor reducing feature when coupled with an EDGE Scrub head which uses 70% less water.

Squeegee Replacement

Squeegees can be a hassle to remove or change.  Now, with a new quick change feature, changing squeegees takes only minutes.  One lever removes the squeegee retainer bracket.  You can then remove, replace, or change squeegee sides and replace the bracket quickly, efficiently, and the squeegee assembly will be level and ready for use.

Wheels

Drive wheels, tires and casters come in a variety of options.  Solid, Non-Marking, Pneumatic and Foam Filled are available.  The proper tire will depend on your floor surface.  Caster wheels are also available in different materials depending on your application.

Frame

The frames on Tomcat Scrubbers are all steel plate.  They are coated in corrosion resistant material.  But the frames can also be completely undercoated for more protection or constructed out of a stainless steel plate if you application requires.

Control Panel

The operator’s control panel can be configured in a variety of choices.  Key switches, Lock out Devices, or rocker switches can be used to manage water solution usage, brush down pressure, brush speed, chemical usage, clean out spray jet pumps and a variety of other options to make your scrubber more productive and efficient in your application.

To see one of the new Tomcat models is to believe what they can do.  They provide a better choice for cleaning floors with less labor, less chemical and water usage, reduced brush and pad wear, and less downtime.  Contact us at Rhiel Supply and we’ll demonstrate the appropriate model in your facility.  You can see for yourself how they have earned their reputation.


Tomcat Automatic Floor Scrubbers


The Dawn of The Automatic Floor Scrubber

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The Advance Machine Company began manufacturing terrazzo floor grinding machines in 1924. In 1928 they started making the first Automatic floor scrubbers that put down water, scrubbed the floor, and vacuumed the floor dry in the same operation. Advance made their first Convertamatic floor scrubber in 1958. These models came in 26B, 32B, 38B, 260BHD, 320BHD & 380BHD.

Clarke started the manufacture of bar sanders in 1916. In the 1920’s they put a stick on the sander to do floors. In the 1950’s they introduced floor machines and in 1958 they introduced their first automatic floor scrubber. In 1963 Clarke started manufacturing their best yet, TB28 and TB32 series of floor scrubbers. In my opinion these 2 scrubbers are two of the best automatic floor scrubbers ever made. I’ve been selling and servicing automatic floor scrubbers since 1983. I hope I have established some credibility in this field over the last 33 years.

These companies are not the only ones to pioneer this industry but in my opinion the Advance Convertamatic and the Clarke TB series scrubbers were 2 of the best. They worked well, they were heavy, durable, relatively easy to operate, and built to last a lifetime.

Both companies have since been purchased by other companies. Acquired a couple of times actually. But they are both still in the market selling their current version of a machine that scrubs and dries floors.

These machines were the beast of the era. They performed well with minimum downtime. What else can you ask? Since then there have been a number of improvements made by companies that weren’t even around when Clarke and Advance were founded.
Once again, this is only my 33 years of experience influencing me, but I believe one of the best alternatives if you are looking for a scrubber to do it all, meet all your expectations and provide clean, dry floors, in any situation, the answer is Factory Cat/Tomcat.

These machines have taken floor cleaning to a whole new level. These are state of the art, computer controlled, productive, efficient, and built to last. These machines cannot only scrub the floor; they can sweep up debris like a sweeper at the same time. They have filters that filter the clean water before it touches the floor, filters that filter the dirty water to prevent clogs and variable solenoids that control water flow. They have state of the art on-board computer systems that monitor all functions of the machine and draw amps off the batteries in the smallest amount required to operate the machine productively. It monitors the brush motors, vacuum motors, drive motors so as to provide the power needed at any one time while providing maximum efficiency and providing longer running time. This reduces wear on the batteries and provides maximum run time. If the owner of the machine does not like the factory settings for speed control, water control, brush speed, down pressure,  or many other variables, the on board computer may be adjusted by simply plugging in a laptop to the on-board computer and making the necessary adjustments. All this means is that you will get the cleanest floors possible, with the least amount of amp draw, and providing the longest run time and battery life attainable. It also means you no longer need a big guy running the scrubber. Because of the smooth computer controls, anyone can operate this equipment and not suffer fatigue from running the machine.

Tomcat/Factory Cat Scrubbers are available in Models that range from 17″ to 46″ Scrub Paths in Walk-Behind and Riding machines. They carry a 3 year warranty, and if you purchase our scrubber approved chemical from us to clean your floors there are many items that we will cover for the life of the machine.

All this makes Factory Cat/Tomcat one of the best options available on the market today if you are in the market to find the most productive, efficient way to clean your floors with a minimum amount of downtime.

Give us a call. We’ll demonstrate a machine in your facility at your convenience.

 

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Can a Tomcat Floor Scrubber Make Your Life Easier?

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The Tomcat Orbital Scrubber series of machines are quite possibly the most productive, efficient floor cleaning machines on the market today. Not only are they great everyday floor scrubbers, they offer the ability to strip your floors without using traditional strippers or harsh chemicals. Here are a few advantages you can realize from a Tomcat EDGE:

Square Corners – Gives you the ability to scrub directly into corners and along wall edges that are missed by traditional round pads. They don’t leave the round swirl marks left by round pads.

Durability – Tomcat Edge Machines are made of solid steel and stainless steel fasteners. The orbital motors operate at as much as 2 times the rpm of other machines. They provide more down pressure and strip floors faster.

Environmentally Friendly – depending on the model these machines can be used dry or with water only. That means no harsh chemicals are flushed down the drain. They use 70% less water than traditional scrubbers. Less water, no chemicals means safer for the environment. These are all LEEDS Certified.

Liability – Everyone knows how slippery floors are when using traditional strippers. No chemicals mean reduced slip & fall incidents, reduced injuries and claims, and lower liability costs.

Productivity – Operators can be trained in a matter of minutes. Traditional stripping methods require the experience of using rotary machines and chemical strippers. Tomcat EDGE machines can reduce the time by 75% or more and the floor are clean, prepped and ready for new finish immediately. No rinsing required since no chemicals are used. The finish is removed and vacuumed up immediately. No stripper or finish is splashed on the baseboards. This means less clean up and removal of stripper and finish from the walls.

Cost Savings – Time is money. With the EDGE Series machines from Tomcat, 1 person can do what used to take an entire cleaning crew. And do it in less time. This leaves time for your maintenance staff to perform more important functions.

Informed Buyer's Guide to Automatic Floor Scrubbers