Tornado® BD 20/11LT Traction-Drive Walk-Behind Floor Scrubber, 20", Battery Powered

It's hour three of the night shift. Your operator has already scrubbed the east corridor, the cafeteria and the long hallway past the gym, and there's still the whole main concourse to go. A loaded 20-inch scrubber weighs around 350 pounds, and on a brush-assist machine the operator's arms and back are what keep it moving, turning and backing out of corners. By the last hallway, the lines on the floor start to show it.

The Tornado BD 20/11LT is the traction-drive version of Tornado's 20-inch walk-behind floor scrubber. A 0.16 hp drive motor moves the machine, so your operator squeezes the drive lever, steers, and lets go to stop. Same 20-inch cleaning path, same 11-gallon solution and 12-gallon recovery tanks, same 48.5 lbs of brush pressure at 155 RPM as the brush-assist BD 20/11L. The difference is who does the pushing.

Tornado rates it at 18,837 square feet per hour in theory. Take off the usual 30% to 50% for turns, refills and edges and you're realistically covering about 9,400 to 13,200 square feet an hour, with 3 to 4 hours of runtime per charge from the on-board charger. It runs under 70 dB, so day cleaning in an occupied school or office is fine.

Pick it as a machine only, if you already have batteries, or with lead acid, AGM or TPPL batteries installed from Tornado.

Tornado's BD 20/11 overview covers both the brush-assist L and this traction-drive LT.

Which One Do I Need: BD 20/11LT Traction Drive or BD 20/11L Brush Assist?

Both are the same 20-inch Tornado scrubber: same tanks, same brush, same squeegee, same batteries and the same warranty. The only real difference is how the machine moves.

• BD 20/11LT traction drive (this page) for long runs and long shifts: school corridors, hospital and office hallways, retail aisles, warehouses and anyone cleaning more than an hour or two at a time. A drive motor moves the machine, so your operator steers instead of pushing. If different people run the machine every night, the lighter effort on the handle also matters.

• BD 20/11L brush assist for shorter jobs and flat floors: a restroom block, a lobby, a small store, a break room. The tilted brush pulls the machine forward and you guide it. It's about 30 pounds lighter and costs $451 less as a machine only, and $1,051 to $1,351 less with batteries.

An honest word on ramps. Tornado's manual for this model lists a 2% maximum working gradient and says there's no parking brake, so it shouldn't be parked on a slope. That covers the slight slopes you find in corridors, doorways and floor drains. It does not cover a loading dock ramp or an ADA ramp. You'll see higher gradeability figures on some other websites, but Tornado doesn't publish them for this model, so we go by the manual. If your route includes a real ramp, tell us the slope and we'll check with Tornado before you buy.

Want a self-propelled walk-behind for less? The Powr-Flite PS530, from Tornado's sister brand at Tacony, is $4,499 with lead acid batteries.

Choose your Battery Type

Lead Acid

Economical upfront cost.
Needs regular watering.

AGM

Sealed & maintenance-free.
The middle ground on price.

TPPL

Maintenance-free & spillproof.
Built for heavy daily use.

All three packs are two 12 V batteries (24 V system), installed under the recovery tank and charged by the on-board charger. Lead acid is the cheapest way in, but someone has to check the water level: Tornado's manual says every 20 charges. AGM is sealed, so nobody tops anything up. TPPL is also sealed and is the one to pick if the machine runs every day, or more than once a day. Our guide to floor scrubber batteries compares them in more detail.

Buying the machine only? It's built for two 12 V batteries in a 13.5 x 13.4 x 11.6 in compartment. Tornado's manual says the charger and battery gauge come set for lead acid, and a sealed gel-type battery needs the setting changed by an authorized service tech, so tell us what you're fitting and we'll confirm first.

I'll be straight with you: for a lot of buyers the brush-assist BD 20/11L is enough, and it's cheaper. If your crew scrubs a lobby and a few restrooms and is done in 45 minutes, the drive motor on the LT is money you don't need to spend. Where the LT earns its price is time on the handle. Three hours behind a 350-pound machine is a real workout, and the traction drive takes most of it off your operator's shoulders and lower back.

A few things worth knowing before you order. The machine stops when the operator lets go of the drive lever, which is exactly what you want in a hallway full of doors. Lift the squeegee before you back up, or you'll fold the blade. And the pad holder comes in the box, but a scrub brush doesn't, so if you want a brush rather than pads, add one to the order. Tornado lists six options, from a soft polypropylene brush for normal floors to a grit brush for heavy soil.

• Traction drive with a 0.16 hp motor. The machine moves itself, so long corridors don't wear out your operator.

• 48.5 lbs of brush pressure at 155 RPM. Enough bite to lift sticky soil in one pass instead of smearing it around.

• 11-gallon solution tank. Paired with the 12-gallon recovery tank, it means fewer trips to the sink between passes.

• Under 70 dB. Only a little louder than normal conversation (around 60 dB), so you can scrub while the building is open.

• Tool-free squeegee and brush changes. Swap a worn blade or brush in the closet instead of waiting on a service call.

• On-board charger. Park it by a 120 V outlet at the end of the shift, plug in, and it's ready tomorrow.

Your BD 20/11LT ships on a pallet at about 205 lbs, in a 46 x 26 x 47 in carton. If you bought a battery bundle, the batteries go under the recovery tank and are connected by a plug at the back of the machine. Fill the solution tank through the rear cap with clean water up to 122°F and a low-foam scrubber chemical.

Daily care is short: drain and rinse the recovery tank, rinse the suction filter, and wipe the squeegee blades. Once a week, turn or replace the rear squeegee blade and flush the squeegee hose. Replace a brush when the bristles are down to about 0.6 in (15 mm).

Part numbers from Tornado: pad holder with center lock 48802010 (included); brushes 48902050 (polypropylene 0.6, normal floors), 48902010 (PPL 0.3, uneven floors with deep joints), 48902020 and 48902030 (stiffer PPL for smooth floors with stubborn soil), 48902040 (grit brush for heavy soil on tough floors) and 48902060 (5-mix, all floors); rear squeegee blade 48405010, front squeegee blade 48405020, oil-resistant rear blade 48405030; replacement batteries (two needed) 99508 lead acid, 99555 AGM, NXS120 TPPL. Message us with the part number and we'll quote it.

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Pick your battery option above and add it to your cart, or message us first if you want help matching the machine to your floors.