Alpha Magnetic Sweeper

This is the Alpha Magnetic Sweeper by Blue Streak Equipment. This magnetic sweeper is available in two different widths. We’ve got an 86-inch mounted on the back of this truck; it’s also available in a 98.

The 86-inch just sticks out slightly wider than the width of the truck, so it’s a good fit for this one.

This magnetic sweeper has a unique feature, as it has electric actuators to lift it up and down. So, on the end of each sweeper, you can see the blue rope coming out. We’ve got an electric actuator that’s inside a steel housing that also contains limit switches. What you can do is move this one limit switch position inwards, which will change the maximum lifting height.

The reason for that is so you can limit the maximum lifting height so that it doesn’t hit whatever’s above it when the sweeper is on the ground. At its lowest position, you don’t want any tension on these blue ropes; you want all of the weight hanging from the chains. On this model, the chains connect these outriggers. These outriggers are not only the connection points, but they’re also another set of wheels that is slightly below the bottom of the sweeper to prevent ground contact.

The actuators provide 7.5 inches of total lift, so to lift it up, you simply push the button. I’ve got them really slacked out there now. Now we’ll start lifting them. It takes about 20 seconds to lift it the full seven and a half inches. There’s indicator flags on the corners so you can see where the extremes of the magnet are. We’ve got ten-inch flat-proof wheels on each end. We’ve got a quick clean-off sleeve that you can pull off lengthwise to clean the metal debris off. To do that, you simply remove the clips on the wheel and the clip that holds the sleeve on, and that sleeve will come off lengthwise.

This magnet’s got a maximum pickup height of nine inches, so if this magnet was nine inches off the ground, it would pick up a two and a half inch nail at that height.

Each end has its own actuator. It’s a 12-volt system—we’re connected to the 12-volt system of this truck. It’s best to have it not on a standalone battery, but on a system that’s being constantly charged. The system pulls about 7 amps. The problem is if you have it on a battery that’s not being charged, as the voltage goes down, the amperage goes up, and you could damage the controls at some point. Right now, all of the controls are rated for twice the amperage of the operating system.

This blue AmSteel rope that’s on the end is the same rope that’s used on tug boats. It’s very strong. We use it as the winch lead on our Aardvark Magnetic Sweeper. You can also buy them aftermarket for ATVs. It’s a real high-quality item.

When this sweeper is in its down position—I’ll go ahead and show you—you want to have all the weight on these chains. I’ll lower it down. So now we’ve got slack on these ropes all the way down the chains; that provides a really stable sweeping position.

The sweeper is attached to our vehicle using bracket C, available from Blue Streak. We’ve also got the 2-inch receiver adapter. This adapter can be flipped upside down, and it’s adjustable to fit almost every 2-inch receiver hitch. If you’ve got a 2 and a half inch receiver hitch, we’ve got an adapter for that as well.

This can be rear or front mounted. It’s 12 volt with dual actuators. All around, a good magnet—provides a lot of performance, and it’s easy to lift it up and down when you’re traveling.