Slurry applicators get no bigger, in Europe at least, than this whacking great Quad XL combination from Vervaet, the Dutch maker that specialises in all things supersized.

Of the five new self-propelled Quad 550’s that have landed on UK farms this spring, two have been married with a secondary trailed tanker to form the XL pairing.

This takes total carrying capacity to a whopping 40cu m (22cu m up front, 18cu m towed behind), meaning it can swallow an artic tanker load with room to spare, or be brimmed when using a large nurse tank.

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Demand for this monster outfit is particularly strong in the UK, says importer J Riley Beet Harvesters, with big contractors keen on having the slurry or digestate capacity to feed a 36m dribble bar.

The trailed tandem-axle tanker is designed to function as a buffer, which means it comes as standard with an on-board centrifugal pump for loading and subsequently discharging the slurry into the Quad 550’s main tank.

This keeps things relatively simple, with the rate control and linkage-mounted application system – most likely a 36m Vogelsang SwingMix dribble bar – fitted to the tractor unit.

© Vervaet

However, there’s also the option of kitting out the tanker with its own macerator, pump, manifold and control system to allow it to be used separately. Other versions are available, too, the smallest of which is roughly 8cu m and runs on a single axle.

Gross unladen train weight of 33t (22t for the Quad, 11t for the tanker), but the company hopes the addition of an electronically controlled steering system and a set of 800/70 R38 boots will keep soil compaction to a minimum. 

A central tyre inflation system is available as an extra.

The first two XLs have gone to Prestons Agricultural Contractors, based near Desford, Leicestershire, and R Hyslop & Son of Old Dalby, Melton Mowbray.

Prices vary according to spec but, as a guide, the basic Quad 550 (excluding the tanker) starts at £550,000.