Safe manoeuvring in narrow lanes: BPW Active Reverse Control for the "mobile sewer"

- Photos: BPW
- Date: 23.10.24
Due to the extreme topography in Wuppertal, many households are not connected to the public sewage network and the sewage is disposed of via the "mobile sewer". AGR-KAKO GmbH provides this service on site with its special suction-pressure vehicles. Not an easy task, as many septic tanks can only be reached backwards via narrow, steep paths. This is why AGR-KAKO uses the innovative Active Reverse Control (ARC) auxiliary steering system from BPW Bergische Achsen KG to relieve the strain on drivers and increase fleet productivity at the same time. The built-in self-steering axle and the electro-hydraulic auxiliary steering system allow the trailer to be manoeuvred confidently and even faster – both forwards and backwards.
Safe reversing even on steep farm tracks
The reversing manoeuvre is smooth and focused, either fully automatically or manually: if required, an AGR-KAKO driver can control the rear 10 t self-steering axle of his Schrader Super-Sauger 2800 by remote control with a steering angle of up to 18 degrees. They maintain visual contact with the movement of the two-axle semi-trailer by looking backwards out of the window while at the same time operating the steering wheel of the DAF. This allows confident driving manoeuvres even in the narrowest lanes and on steep farm tracks.
Active Reverse Control is an intelligent auxiliary steering system in combination with the BPW self-steering axle, which provides a forward and reverse steering function. The auxiliary steering system comprises factory-fitted sensors on the axle and an electro-hydraulic control unit with a gyroscopic sensor and specially developed software. Gyroscopic sensors, which are also installed in smartphones and ships, are used for precise position determination and support the complex control of the semi-trailer during manoeuvring.
High-Tech: the Super-Sauger 2800 from Schrader T+A Fahrzeugbau
AGR-KAKO has over 40 specialised vehicles of various sizes in its fleet for a wide variety of tasks. The Super-Sauger 2800 from the manufacturer Schrader T+A-Fahrzeugbau GmbH & Co. KG occupies a special position in this fleet: this prototype is not only equipped with BPW's Active Reverse Control, but also with an air-cooled Hibon blower that enables an output of 2,800 m3/h. This creates a vacuum in the up to 26,000 litre stainless steel tank, allowing the 150 metre long hose to suck the waste material directly into the tank without it coming into contact with the units. Klaus Mazurczyk, Managing Director of Schrader T+A Fahrzeugbau, is breaking into a new performance class with the Super-Sauger 2800: "The extremely high suction power is particularly necessary for industrial customers such as AGR-KAKO, where sewage sludge, drilling mud or the contents of large oil and grease separators have to be sucked up."
The Schrader Super-Sauger 2800 is a high-quality machine that can also carry out demanding cleaning and maintenance work. A piston operates in the cylindrical tank: to empty the tank, the cover at the rear is folded down and the piston pushes the contents out to the rear. Before this, the super vacuum cleaner must be manoeuvred backwards towards a somewhat angled part of the building on the AGR-KAKO site in Wuppertal-Elberfeld, which previously required a number of manoeuvres with conventional axles due to the tight conditions. "BPW's Active Reverse Control system means this can be done in one go", says André Wilmes, dispatcher at AGR-KAKO.
Active Reverse Control with active forward steering
"Since its introduction in 2019, Active Reverse Control has been installed in a wide variety of vehicle types around the world", says Ziya Albayrak from Product Management at BPW about the innovative steering technology, which is constantly being further developed. "This year, we have also been offering the active forward steering function for up to 10 km/h so that the wheels can be steered even more agilely when manoeuvring forwards."