Reduced scuffing when turning, a larger surface contact area and more comfort on the road are the main advantages of the Quad-shift axle on Premium line slurry tankers from Veenhuis.
The Dutch manufacturer first tested the four-wheeled single axle concept as long ago as 2004. This led to the development of the existing fixed arrangement still available on Premium line tankers from 11-14m³.
Having four-wheels spaced along a rigid axle helps spread the weight of the tanker over a larger footprint, but even then, the Dutch manufacturer looked at ways to catapult the outer two wheels to the sides to ensure tractor and tanker wheels ran in separate wheelings.
A handful of telescopic axle prototypes were tested, but none made it to the production stage. Convinced that the market is now ready for just such an axle, the R+D department were asked to resurrect the project and develop a system to further reduce soil pressure on wet grass and arable land in the spring.
They looked at the older telescopic-axle prototypes, but quickly decided none would pass current EU homologation. It was back to the engineering drawing board.
The result is the hydraulically-adjustable Quad-shift axle at the rear of the 15,850-litre capacity tanker. Pushing out the outer wheels by up to 65cm each side, Veenhuis reckons the four equally large wheels (620/80 R42) are a good alternative to single axle tankers on wide flotation tyres.
The independent hydraulic suspension system ensures that the pressure below each tyre is constant. It acts like a normal single-axle tanker on the road, is the claim, but the same suspension system provides additional driver comfort on the road.
Available with a rotary lobe pump or the Dutch firm’s vacuum/centrifugal version, the new tanker can be equipped with a short suction arm or a swiveling suction arm on the right side of the tank.
Standard features include ISObus controls, proportionally adjustable coulter pressure regulation from the cab and automatic dosage control. The options list includes GPS, automatic section control on the injector and the NutriFlow NIR sensor.
The planned launch of the Quad-shift was the DeLuTa (German contractor’s show) in December, which was cancelled due to the Corona pandemic. As things currently stand, the first possibility for the company to show it to a large audience might not be until Agritechnica 2021. In the meantime, Veenhuis is keen to bring a Quad-shift tanker to the UK.
