Recently Vredo has produced and put into action their prototype, SSU, The Vredo umbilical unit. A self-supporting unit with a universal slurry injector attachment in the form of a three point hitch and optional Multifaster. The unit is equipped with its own control unit and load sensing hydraulics. The first umbilical unit has been attached to a Vredo Profi 12m slurry injector with V shape disc and pneumatic GPS section control.

Multifunctional

Thanks to the new Vredo SSU concept, all non-front foldable injectors up to 18m can be linked thanks to the three point hitch. With the Vredo SSU it is possible to use your very own injector, normally used behind a tank or self-propelled, with the umbilical slurry injecting technique.

Compact and user friendly

The umbilical unit is compact and weighs 1515kg. Because of the minimal length increase of 12 cm in comparison to the normal three point hitch length, the centre of gravity of the combination stays close to the tractor and therefore has a optimal weight distribution. The pivoting point of the arm is close to the tractor, thanks to that and the automatic pull mechanism of the umbilical system the combination is easy to steer and manoeuvre. The pivot point of the arm is at the height of the trailer hitch, so that by pulling there isn’t any weight transfer to the back.

Flexible

The Vredo SSU rotates at 2 joints in the arm, making it possible to drive in reverse, with the supply hose positioned next to the towing vehicle without causing extreme forces on the supply hose and/or the construction of the umbilical unit.

The arm mounted on the umbilical unit rotates over the injector, so the supply hose never pulls at the injector itself. Slurry is also incorporated over the entire working width at an equal row distance, because the supply hose is not an obstacle.

Market desire

With this umbilical unit, Vredo is focusing on the increasing request and desire from the market for an umbilical injector in combination with the proven quality of the Vredo slurry injector concept, which brings the slurry to the root of the plants and also gives the desired ammonia reduction. An additional major advantage of the Vredo slurry injector technology in combination with the umbilical unit is that the manure is deposited in the cut and that no contamination (and therefore no extra ammonia emissions) takes place from the supply hose.

Ease of operation

The SSU is easy to operate, when lifting at the headland, the injector automatically folds up a bit and the hose is pulled up. As soon as the tractor is almost straight on the headland, the SSU automatically releases the supply hose again, so that there is no lateral pulling force on the tractor.

The last bend of the arm will always straighten by itself under pretension, and the main arm can rotate freely under the pretension, but can also be steered in a desired direction by means of the operating lever. The flow meter linked to the GPS gives you an exact image of the amount of slurry that has been and is being applied.

Option

Optionally, the umbilical unit can be supplied with ISOBUS control and front tank connection. This allows the operation of the SSU, readout of the dosage and if necessary, section-control completely via the VT/ISOBUS controller.