In the middle of Zealand near Nørre Hyllinge, Verner Vincents has run Østervang Entreprenør og Maskinstation since 1984. He has owned a vacuum cleaner for almost as long.
"When I think back, I've probably had five vacuum cleaners in my time besides the GK 10 Vario I have now. I think it was in 1988 that I bought my first used Gøma, which was a 6,500 liter with a crane, and it was also around that time that I first drove a vacuum cleaner," says Verner Vincents, who since his son took over the contracting business in 2024 has mainly been responsible for the vacuum cleaner.
Over the years, Samson Agrolize has always been the choice when replacing a used vacuum cleaner.
"Karsten Kammer and I have been trading together for as long as he's been with Samson, and it's two years since his 35th anniversary. Before that, I traded with his uncle Ole, who had Gøma."
The experienced contractor is on a first-name basis with many of the employees at Samson Agrolize, which is one of the reasons why he has never switched to another brand.
"They have a great team in the workshop and warehouse, you can always call Martin the foreman if something unexpected happens and he'll come up with a solution right away. And if that doesn't help, it doesn't take many hours before they stop by our workshop, even though we're located on Zealand" - says Verner Vincents and continues:
"The people at Samson just have the same passion for it as the rest of us. You have to really get into it. And whether it's Tom with the parts, Martin the foreman or some of the fitters, they're passionate about it and take pride in making it work - just like the rest of us, and that's why I keep driving with Samson."
The contractor's current slurry tanker is a GK 10 Vario.
"Sometimes when I've shopped, I haven't seen the machine until I've bought it, because I know that everything is just fine when it arrives. Things are just in order and it's a matter of trust."
The sludge extractor at Østervang Entreprenør og Maskinstation is used by agricultural customers with, for example, field drains and blocked slurry pipes, but also for ordinary domestic sewers if a kitchen drain is blocked or the septic tank is full.
"Not many people have this type of vacuum cleaner on Zealand, so we have many special tasks - both with the washer and the vacuum cleaner."
For Verner Vincent, replacing the GK 8 with the GK 10 was a big improvement.
"The difference between the two is crazy, partly because I now have a removable divider. This means that when I run field wells for farmers, where we often suck up sand, it's nice to be able to set it to push the sand out instead of me having to stand and shovel it. I've done that a lot in the past, and I can't do that anymore."
"We also run a lot of water, for example if we have to flush a lot of field drains. Then it's a great advantage that I can move the separator and carry as much water as possible. But also when I need to move sludge or slurry, it's an advantage because then I have room for 10 cubic meters more. It has a completely different capacity."
The sludge extractor has also been fitted with a four-inch crane, which is also important to Verner Vincents.
Back in the 1990s, Verner Vincents had an employee who, inspired by the TV series Dallas, called the company's vacuum cleaner Sug-Ellen. A name that has stuck ever since.
"Since then, we've always referred to the vacuum cleaner as Sug-Ellen, and when we got the previous one, a GK 8, and we wanted to advertise on it, it was also going to say Sug-Ellen. On the other side was written Verner V's hot dog stand."
And although the GK 8 has been replaced with a newer GK 10 Vario, both names remain.
"We like the humor, and I prefer to drive a vacuum cleaner. That's where I feel best - even if it smells like shit sometimes."
