With effluent becoming a more important part of farm management, particularly as an alternative to “bagged” fertiliser, the Fliegl range of tankers from the Power Farming Group looks to fit the bill in most situations.
Offering a range of sizes up to 27,500 litres, the German -built machines offer tandem and triple-axle layouts in the Maxx Line Plus and Alpha Line models. The former is equipped with tandem axles in 12,000, 14,000, 16,000, 18,000 and 20,000 litre capacities, while the larger triple-axled Alpha Line is offered in 23,000, 25,000 and 27,500 litre sizes, meaning that the two ranges can be towed with tractors from 100 to 250hp.
As the tankers are expected to carry heavy weights, suspension systems are an important consideration, so 12,000 and 14,000 litre Maxx Line Plus units are fitted with Fliegl’s Giant assembly, utilising springs and HD bearings to offer individual wheel guidance. The Giant Plus format, used on 16,000 to 20,00 litre machines, is maintenance-free, using rubber mounts and designed specifically for high axle loadings, using trailing arms for high speed and cornering stability.
On larger tankers of 23,000 litres and above, the Jumbo Giant Plus assembly features parabolic springs that help lower the centre of gravity by around 20cm, making them particularly suitable for hilly areas.
As an option, customers can specify air or hydraulic suspension that allows lift axles and helps reduce ground compaction.
Forced steering options can be specified to help manoeuvrability, particularly when reversing as well as helping to reduce tyre wear. At the heart of the system, K50 ball joints are connected to link arms situated on each side of the drawbar and connected to the tractor’s hydraulic system. The pressurised system forces the oil displaced to turn the steering axles in opposing directions, meaning the machine track closely follows that of the tractor.
With a move away from traditional splashplate applicators for distribution, configurations start with a unique screw type delivery manifold that removes foreign objects into traps at the end of a distribution trough, with reduced wear compared to bladed macerators and a uniform flow of material to the discharge outlets.
Final application is taken care of by dribble bar, trailing shoe or disc injection set ups, with operating widths from 6 to 18m, using 24 to 72 outlets, folding to a compact 2.6m for transport. The Skate trailing shoe features spring loaded injection shoes, mechanical or hydraulic section control and outlets spaced at 250mm. Offered in working widths of 9 to 21m, with 36 to 84 outlets, booms fold to less than 3m for transport.
The Vario Disc injection system is said to offer ideal placing effluent between 5 and 10cm below ground level, using 530mm diameter angled discs to offer operating widths of 3 to 7.5m with 11 to 28 discs respectively.
A range of options includes foam separators, suction nozzles with docking stations, turbo fillers and discharge accelerators.