New Vögele VF 500 and VF 600 front-mounted extending screeds

Vögele screeds are renowned in the industry worldwide for their high precision and robustness. On the North American market, another attribute is key: high paving speeds to handle widely varying working widths. Vögele has for many years been offering the VF 500 and VF 600 screeds, featuring front-mounted hydraulic bolt-on extensions, to meet those needs. Both models have now been extensively upgraded with lots of new benefits for contractors and users.

Benefits based on the example of the VF 600

Rapid response to varying pave widths

Conceived for the North American market, the VF 500 and VF 600 have a key outstanding attribute: speed. Both consistently meet the demands of paving at high speed and across widely varying pave widths. The telescopic guidance system, for example, enables very smooth and precise width adjustment. The L-shaped frame also provides high rigidity in longitudinal and transverse directions, while allowing controlled torsion. This means the screeds can be adapted very well to a wide variety of paving situations, including when installing speed bumps. The hydraulic bolt-on extensions also enable the paving team to vary the working width quickly and precisely.

The VF screeds originate from the same development department and factory as the SUPER paver models, so they are perfectly matched to the tractor units. The VF 500 is an 8 ft class screed, and can be extended hydraulically up to 15 ft 6 in. With bolt-on extensions, it even allows pave widths of up to 19 ft 6 in. It can be combined with a Vögele SUPER 1700-3i or SUPER 1703-3i paver. The larger VF 600, a 10 ft class screed, can be hydraulically extended to 19 ft 6 in. and, with attachments, achieves a maximum pave width of25 ft 5 in. It works in conjunction with the SUPER 2000-3i or SUPER 2003-3i.

Wide range of innovations enhance user-friendliness

Vögele's developers have introduced lots of technical innovations and user-friendly new features into the upgraded products, including a further improvement of the screeds' floating behavior. To achieve that, their weight was reduced and the material flow in front of the screed optimized. This prevents material build-up, minimizes wear and tear, and makes cleaning much easier.

High quality and user-friendliness were also the key drivers of the other improvements made: The maintenance and servicing work required has been significantly reduced overall. The VF 500 and VF 600 are now even quicker and easier to clean. And the screed plates and heating rods are now much more readily accessible, so very easy to swap out when servicing. Highly practical features include conveniently placed tool holders, as well as cup holders for the screed operators' drinks.

Electric screed heater and ergonomic working

The new benefits add to the existing tried and tested technical features that users around the world love about Vögele screeds, including the electric screed heater. It quickly brings the screed plates and all parts coming into contact with the material up to temperature. Its key benefit is uniform heating across the entire screed plate - a crucial factor in achieving high paving quality.

With their compact, clear design and great ease of use, the VF screeds are also closely tailored to users' needs. The highly intuitive ErgoPlus 3 operating concept - comprising an ergonomic paver operator's platform with one operator console and two screed control consoles - provides a clear layout of all functions and symbols. It enables the operator to set, monitor and change all relevant paving parameters, including for the Niveltronic Plus system for automated grade and slope control. The screed width can be conveniently adjusted with the SmartWheel - either slowly for precision control, such as along a curb edge, or rapidly, for driveways and at junctions. In addition to the screed control consoles, Vögele provide users with two remote control units featuring practical magnetic fixings, so they can operate the key screed functions from the best location at all times.

Practical test: High precision across the entire pave width

But what do the upgraded features and functions of the new Vögele front-mounted extending screeds bring to the job? A construction site in Holmes County, Mississippi gave the answer: Contractor APAC-Mississippi, Inc. opted for the new VF 600 along with its purchase of the Vögele SUPER 2003-3i. Its first deployment was on a ten-mile stretch of US highway 51. Between Pickens and Durant, the APAC team laid a 0.37 in. Superpave surface course with a 12 ft working width and 1.5 in. thickness. The Vögele wheeled paver, together with the VF 600, performed superbly right from the get-go, and also made job site operations much more efficient.

A big benefit was the ability to quickly and easily vary the working width of the VF 600. The paver's powerful hydraulics control the two extensions separately, so very evenly. "There are a lot of driveways and junctions on this section, so we have to change the working width frequently.," reports one of APAC's screed operators, Fred Course Jr. Paver operator Ricky Morgan is also a big fan: „We are ready to go to work in no time with our new paver and the VF 600 screed.“