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Beach cleaning machines manufactured by H. Barber & Sons, Inc. are the most widely used beach cleaning equipment in the US domestic market and the international beach cleaning machine market. Pioneers in beach cleaning methods, Barber has manufactured beach cleaning equipment for more than 50 years.
The Barber SURF RAKE is the world’s most popular beach cleaning machine and is used in over 90 countries on 6 continents. As a tractor-towed machine, it is ideal for cleaning medium to large beaches and removes all of the most problematic types of beach debris. It comes in four models.
Barber beach cleaning machines are effective in removing beach pollution such as seaweed, dead fish, glass, syringes, plastic, cans, cigarettes, shells, stone, wood and virtually any unwanted debris. Barber beach cleaning machines are even used to effectively remove oil and tar balls from beach sand after oil spill disasters.
Learn more about the SURF RAKE’s beach cleaning applications, models, or options to discover how Barber’s beach cleaning equipment can help you clean your beach.
Barber offers two beach cleaning machines lines: the Surf Rakes, tractor-towed machines for medium to large beaches, and the Sand Man 850, a self-propelled walk-behind machine for small beaches and congested sandy areas.
The Surf Rake is a tractor-towed beach cleaning machine designed for medium to large beaches, cleaning up to 15 acres per hour. The Sand Man is a self-propelled, walk-behind machine for small beaches, resort pool-deck sand areas, and congested environments where a tractor cannot maneuver. If you have a large open beach and access to a tractor, the Surf Rake is the right choice. For a small cove, pool-deck sand area, or tight congested environment, the Sand Man is often the better fit. You can review specific applications and use cases on their respective pages — or you can contact us and we’ll help you determine the best match for your beach.
Our beach cleaning machines remove seaweed, dead fish, plastic waste, glass, syringes, cans, cigarette butts, shells, stones, wood, and virtually any solid surface contaminant. Our machines have also been deployed for tar ball and oil spill cleanup. The specific debris range varies by model — You can review common applications on each machine’s ‘Applications’ page.
A mechanical beach cleaner makes sense when cleaning demands are too large or frequent for a manual crew — daily visitor traffic in peak season, regular seaweed or debris deposits, or a beach surface too large to clean efficiently by hand. For small, infrequently-visited beaches with minimal debris, manual tools may be sufficient. We’re happy to assess your situation and give you an honest recommendation.
Tractor-towed machines like the Surf Rake are best for medium to large beaches where speed and capacity justify the equipment overhead. The Sand Man is better for small beaches, pool-side sand areas, and heavily congested beach areas with furniture and obstacles.
The main factors are beach size and required cleaning speed, the types of debris you face (light litter vs. heavy seaweed vs. mixed), whether you have tractor access, and your total budget including tractor cost if needed. Tractor-towed machines offer the highest capacity; walk-behind models suit smaller and more congested areas. Our Resources section includes buying guides and tools to help narrow the decision — or contact us directly for a recommendation.
Yes. We beach cleaning machines are trusted by resorts, municipalities, and park departments worldwide and dominate approximately 90% of the domestic US beach cleaning market.
The largest microplastics can be removed by certain machines, but smaller microplastics are near-impossible to remove.For targeted microplastic reduction, our resources section includes dedicated guidance on building a beach cleaning program specifically addressing microplastics. We generally recommend removing secondary sources of microplastics with normal beach cleaning machines and then employing targeted machines & screen setups for removing the largest microplastics.
Our machines are engineered for harsh saltwater environments and built to last for decades. We have refined the same core mechanical design and metalurgy since 1966, and many customers report machines lasting 20+ years with proper maintenance.
