Hose runner saves time and effort
Rakaia-based equipment manufacturer Pluck’s Engineering will soon start production of a new machine designed to simplify the deployment and retrieval of temporary water troughs used in winter break feeding.
In mainland Europe and increasingly in the UK, Dutch manufacturer Vervaet, based at Biervliet, builds between 75 and 100 self-propelled effluent tankers each year, including the flagship Quad 550.
Boasting statistics just as large as its bulk, the Quad 550 is powered by a 550hp, 6-cylinder Volvo Penta engine of 13 litre capacity, with massive torque output of 2650Nm at only 1200 engine revs. This is coupled to a hydro-mechanical transmission, that uses the hydro section to offer stepless speed changes between 5 and 15kph, while combining with the mechanical portion to offer mechanical drive efficiency.
The driveline also features separate gearboxes at each axle to deliver true four-wheel drive. Standard equipment also includes four-wheel steer and crab steer to keep wheels on different paths in poor ground conditions.
Looking at the business end of the machine, a 22 cubic metre capacity tank is equipped with Vogelsang or Borger effluent pumps to typically deliver9000l/min fill rates. For those looking for increased output, the SuperLoad fill system features 10-inch diameter pipework, that can be optioned with a 12,00l/ min or 13,500l/min Borger pump. The system also includes Vervaet Cyclone or Vogelsang macerators to eliminate potential blockages.
More recently, the company has also equipped several Quad 550’s, with an additional bespoke heavy-duty trailed tanker to create a Quad XL, created to satisfy demand from progressive contractors looking to move to a 36m boom plus additional tank capacity. In this guise the 22m³ Quad is combined with a trailed 18m³ tanker, which is made to Vervaet’ s specification especially for this role, to give an industry-leading total combined capacity of 40m³.
Indeed, the demand is certainly there, with the first two machines off the production-line being purchased by forwardthinking businesses in Central England.
The trailed tanker is designed as a capacityenhancing buffer tank, using an additional centrifugal pump for filling and emptying, with slurry supplied to the Quad, which as the primary vehicle, still handles the rate control and feeds the rear application tool which is carried by the tanker’s hydraulic linkage.
Both UK machines have been supplied with 36m Vogelsang SwingMax dribble bars, while to enhance manoeuvrability and ensure accurate tracking in tramlines for minimal crop damage, the tanker has an electronically controlled steering system. To help prevent soil compaction, the tanker is equipped with four 800/70R38 tyres that also offer a large rolling radius, making the tanker easier to pull.
While believed to be the highest-capacity tanker outfits in the UK, the manufacturer also suggests the layout is extremely flexible, with the additional capacity meaning the machine can empty a lorry tanker completely with room to spare, or it can be brimmed to full capacity if a large nurse tank is being used. A straightforward design allows the rear tanker to be easily dropped-off and the Quad used on its own either to tread lightly in borderline conditions, work with a strip-till machine, cultivator, or injector.
