At Ballum Maskinstation, owner Flemming Nielsen is thrilled with his new SAMSON PG II 28 slurry tanker. - It's pretty much the same as the old one he used to spread 650,000 cubic meters of slurry for six years.

One of the few changes on a SAMSON PG II 28 is the new computer, but it is very similar to the previous version on Flemming Nielsen's old truck.

Flemming Nielsen has run Ballum Maskinstation since 1989 and for the past 16 years the one-man business has been able to provide slurry delivery.

- This is my 3rd SAMSON slurry tanker and I got it for this season. Almost identical to the previous one, which was a PG II 27, and this one is a brand new PG II 28. Or rather - it's not really new when it has driven out 92,000 cubic meters, he says.

But what about the tractor?

- Yes, I just got it. It's only been running for 10 hours, so now I'm good to go with everything," he says happily.

Transporting it all

In a radius of 10 kilometers in the flat landscape with clayey soil, Flemming Nielsen operates with approximately 140,000 cubic meters of slurry per year.

- None of my customers are more than 10 kilometers from home and they all have their land fairly close by, so none of the slurry I take out is trucked out. "All the 92,000 cubic meters of slurry I have spread this year with the new SAMSON slurry tanker have been collected in the tank and transported to the fields," he says.

The considerable spreading capacity therefore includes an initial 1,200 working hours of slurry transport and a small correction to the concept of a one-man business.

- That's right, I don't have any permanent employees, but I do have some casual labor during the high season. Truth be told, we ran two shifts for the entire month of April, so I didn't deliver all 1,200 hours. I also need to sleep a little sometimes," he says.

Long season

70 to 75 percent of the slurry Flemming Nielsen transports is cattle manure from the region's many farms.

- There's a lot of grass and hay here, so I've spread the work well throughout the year when I typically apply slurry after the plots. Including the last cut, otherwise they can't have the slurry over the winter.

The distribution is roughly as follows: 25 percent of the slurry is applied with black soil traps, while the remainder is either applied with a dragline boom or snake boom.

Better draft geometry

Among the changes when switching to the new truck is a slightly different design of the lift at the back of the slurry tanker.

- It's anchored a little lower on the new trolley and this has changed the geometry slightly so that the tool doesn't hang so far over the trolley when it's all the way up. And then I can set it so that it only lifts, for example, 60 percent of the maximum height when I lift the tool at the ends. It's plenty and therefore faster after a turnaround, Flemming Nielsen shows.

- During transportation, Flemming Nielsen doesn't have the trailer in the top position either, all controlled by a height sensor that can be set to exactly the lifting height and position I want the tool to be in.

Flemming Nielsen is very pleased with the height sensor and improved draft geometry on the new SAMSON PG II 28 slurry tanker he purchased for this season. - It is an advantage that the towing line with slightly lower anchored lift arms has improved, he says.

Good resale value

Inside the cabin, the screen is new, but with a functionality very similar to the previous one.

- Otherwise, it's a tried and tested vehicle you can be confident in. Not least, I emphasize that with a SAMSON trailer you get a good second-hand price when it's time to replace it.

Most important for Flemming Nielsen, however, is that there is a good service organization behind the SAMSON products. Firstly, I have the opportunity to pick up spare parts close by at A.P. Jørgensen in Ribe, which is a service partner for Samson Agrolize.

- I haven't needed it yet, but it's very reassuring that there is a well-functioning service organization behind it, which I feel there is with Samson Agrolize. I would also like to emphasize that a new SAMSON slurry tanker comes with a 3-year warranty. This means that I know my costs 3 years ahead. It's a reassurance for me as a contracting company that, with only one slurry tanker, is dependent on it working optimally all the time," says Flemming Nielsen.

Service trolley

After six seasons and 650,000 cubic meters of slurry spread, Flemming Nielsen, Ballum Maskinstation, chose to replace his previous SAMSON PG II 27 with a new SAMSON PG II 28. To complete the change, there is now also a brand new tractor in front.