News

Chesapeake Bay Fish Kill Cleaned with SURF RAKE

An unusually rapid cold snap caused the death of a million fish in the Chesapeake Bay in January. The SURF RAKE Model 600HD at Sandy Point State Park was called on to clean up the aftermath. "It only took us 4 hours to get all the fish off the beach using our existing Barber machine." Tons of dead fish were loaded by the SURF RAKE into large trucks and taken to a landfill.

SURF RAKE Picks Tons of Lettuce in New Zealand

The Barber SURF RAKE saved the day for many surfers in a competition at Mount Maunganui's Miami Beach! More than 140 tons of sea lettuce covered the beach area days before the weekend's Lion Foundation Surf League Competition. The sea lettuce was collected overnight from the shores of Tauranga's harbors and beaches, bringing the total quantity of sea lettuce removed last season to 1.100 tons! Sea Lettuce maintenance has been an ongoing issue for Matua Peninsula, however, with daily cleanup with the SURF RAKE, there has been nowhere near the usual number of complaints.

Barber SURF RAKE units in place for Oil Spill cleanup

Among many of the pre-emptive measures being taken to protect the Gulf Coast from the growing oil slick in the Gulf, Federal and Local interests in the region have acquired numerous Barber SURF RAKE units. These entities will be able to provide a quick clean up response should the regions beaches find themselves impacted by the oil slick.

The SURF RAKE has been used effectively in other spills in the US, Europe and the Middle East. The experience and success of the SURF RAKE in mitigating damage from oil spills around the globe have re-assured Gulf Coast jurisdictions that they are appropriately prepared in the unfortunate event that oil reaches the beaches.

Gulf of Mexico Oil Spill Clean Up

The BP offshore oil rig which exploded in the Gulf of Mexico will impact beaches throughout the Gulf coast region. Spill response teams are in contact with Barber and poised to move equipment to affected beaches. Experts are predicting that this could be the worst oil related environmental disaster to hit the United States, taking months and possibly years to clean up. Barber beach cleaning equipment has successfully been used to remove oil residue on beaches throughout the world. The SURF RAKE's played an important role in the clean up of the Prestige tanker spill in Spain and France in 2002.

Beaches cleaned by Barber rank in the Top 10!

Every year, the magazine Southern Living has an issue dedicated to the Readers’ Choice Awards. Readers from Texas all the way to Delaware weigh in on the topics and choose what they think should be the winners. In this years 2009 Readers’ Choice Awards Issue, one of the topics was Best Beach Destinations. It was no surprise that, of beaches in the top 10 that used mechanical cleaning methods, all were cleaned with Barber beach cleaning machines. These beaches are considered the most appealing, clean and enjoyable beaches to visit. They are ranked in order below:

1. Destin, Florida*
2. Myrtle Beach, South Carolina*
3. Orange Beach, Alabama*
4. Panama City Beach, Florida*
5. Hilton Head Island, South Carolina**
6. Pensacola, Florida*
7. Sanibel Island, Florida**
8. Outer Banks, North Carolina**
9. Virginia Beach, Virginia*
10. Isle of Palms, South Carolina**

New US Patent issued to BARBER for S-Belt sanitizing technology.

After an exhaustive multi-year patent review process, the US Patent office has granted BARBER the exclusive rights to manufacture this unique beach sanitizing process. The advanced S-Belt system was introduced in 2008 to immediate acclaim by beach managers and produces dramatically improved cleaning. The new S-belt innovatively combines sifting and raking along with a dynamic pinball action in one conveyor mechanism, which has never been possible before with any other method of cleaning. New S-Belt customers are excited about their ability to achieve extraordinary results, completely sanitizing their beaches without removing any sand. BARBER is the only manufacturer in the World with the rights to produce the new “S-Belt” technology. International patents are pending.

Barber’s New “Chicago Rake” Helps Reduce Beach Bacteria in Sand

In an effort to mitigate ecoli contamination at the beaches in Chicago, IL, the City of Chicago Parks District contacted Barber for help. Chicago explained the problem they were having and the fact that bacteria was buried in the sand, unable to get exposure to the sun which kills it.

Barber engineers brainstormed to create what is now referred to as the “Chicago Rake”. This new option was added to the back of their Barber SURF RAKE’s to increase the amount of sand exposed to the sun. The rakes on the back of the machine go down to 12 inches into the sand. This allows the sand to be pulled up and exposed to the sun, killing the bacteria in the process.

ChicagoRakeVideo.wmv

Going, going, almost gone

During a routine beach cleaning at Cleethorpes, North Promenade Beach in North East Lincolnshire, United Kingdom, high tide quickly covered the sand causing the SURF RAKE and tractor to become completely submerged under water.

Luckily, the SURF RAKE was pulled out of the water and survived the near drowning. The tractor, on the other hand, was not as lucky. The SURF RAKE received an oil change, new filter and breather. A few days later, when the SURF RAKE was completely dry it received another oil change. The machine is now running like brand new!

Even though the SURF RAKE was completely submerged for quite some time, there is no damage to the interior or exterior of the machine. The Barber SURF RAKE performs well in and out of the water!

Florida Beach officials vote Barber the best!

After demonstrations from 3 companies, Cocoa Beach, Cape Canaveral and the Brevard Tourist Development council agree the Barber SURF RAKE is the best at getting what they're after…cigarette butts. Cocoa Beach, Cape Canaveral and the Brevard Tourist Development council have decided to share the cost of the beach cleaner to clean trash off the beaches.

Barber introduces optional Sanitizing Belt

Barber now offers an optional "S-Belt" sanitizing conveyor which sifts and rakes. The newly patented S-Belt eliminates sand in the hopper. Additional advantages include: increased efficiency in cleaning small material like cigarette butts, easier cleaning of tines and simple replacement of individual tines.

Blackpool Upgrades to SURF RAKE

Blackpool England is the UK’s most popular seaside resort with more than 100,000 daily seasonal visitors. Blackpool’s “EnCam Seaside Award” winning beaches are the latest of the more than 50 beaches in the UK being cleaned with the Barber SURF RAKE.

CALTRANS Solution to Roadside Debris

California’s DOT was facing a growing problem. How could it get rid of an annual litter buildup of 170,000 cu yd from its 15,000 miles of state.

Litter Picking at JFK Airport

A seldom-mentioned aspect of airport maintenance is the difficult task of clearing unsightly and potentially hazardous debris from grassy regions.

Penn DOT tackles roadside litter

The amount of litter and debris along Pennsylvania's roadways was growing, and State authorities decided that the Highway System needed to do more to get rid of it...

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