Power on the land

The 1290XD or ‘Extra Density’ model in the Fendt square baler range.

A new name arriving in UK fields this summer is Knoll, a company based in Holland and specialising in balers and bale wrappers. It began making machinery in 2001, when it introduced a wrapping machine for small conventional bales to meet the needs of equestrian centres and hobby farms.

Product development continued at Knoll, and in 2008 the new MiniVario Combi baler and wrapper combination was added to the product range, making small wrapped bales measuring 90 x 85cm. This is larger than the company’s original mini bale wrapper, bringing improved handling efficiency and work rates, but it is still small enough to be handled manually through doorways and the entrance to pens, and the MiniVario Combi also needs only one operator for the complete baling, wrapping and discharge sequence.

This baler-wrapper combination made by the Knoll company in Holland will be available here this year.

The Knoll product range also includes Multibalers developed to produce wrapped bales of loose materials such as chopped maize and grass, and they are also used to bale and wrap some waste materials. The Multibaler’s overseas sales success has helped to boost Knoll’s list of export markets to more than 60 countries.

Kuhn is not a new name on UK farms, as the French-based company has been a popular choice for many years with round and big square baler customers. There are five square baler models, starting with the LSB870 making 80 x 70cm bales with a single knotting system, and the others all have double knotting. They include the SB890, which makes 80 x 90cm bales and the range-topping SB1290 bale size is 120 x 90cm, using design features to maintain optimum bale density.

A special performance feature on Kuhn’s range-topping VB7100 series variable chamber round balers is that the tailgate is claimed to have the fastest cycle times available, helping to increase output in the field with 30t per hour work rate attainable. Two VB7100 models are available, both with a 230cm pick-up reel width and offering densities up to 140kg/m3 in straw.

Krone offers one of the biggest baler choices available, with more than 30 different models, starting with two entry level Bellima fixed chamber models making bales with 1.4m diameter. Pick-up reel width is 1.4m on the Bellima F125, increasing to 1.8m for the F130 model, and both balers have a modest 34hp minimum tractor requirement. Special design features on Vari Pack and Vari Pack Plus ranges include a 1.9m maximum bale diameter, the pick-up reels do not have a cam track, and the XC crop chopping system can have up to 26 blades. Krone’s round baler category also includes the Comprima and Comprima Plus baler and wrapper combinations, with up to 1.5m bale diameter and available with the XCut chopping system using 17 or 26 knives, plus the camless pick-up reel. The top model in Krone’s square baler range has a 120 x 130cm chamber size and the crop cutting options can include 51-blade cassettes.

This year’s new arrival in the Kubota baler range is the BF3500 model, using a fixed chamber to make 1.25m diameter bales. The standard specification includes a 2.3m pick-up equipped with twin cam tracks and five tine bars, and a cutting unit with 19 knives is available. Kubota’s fixed chamber round balers also include the FB1000 model featuring non-stop baling, achieved by using a pre-chamber. Avoiding the need to stop for wrapping and releasing achieves an estimated 15–18 second time saving on each bale made. For variable chamber customers, Kubota offers the BV5160 and BV5200 models, and both feature an updated specification including pick-up reel improvements to increase efficiency and the drive chains to the pick-up and to the main chamber are strengthened. Three different bale core densities can be selected from the cab, cutting units with 14 or 25 knives are available and the balers can be supplied in net or net-plus-twine versions. Plus, versions are offered as a Flexiwrap baler and wrapper combination.

Recent Case IH baler developments include a new high output model at the top of its square baler range. The recently introduced LB436 HD baler is claimed to have a 40t/hour work rate – a 15% increase compared with the previous LBXL baler series – and this is partly due to a 22% increase in the maximum bale density. The minimum power requirement is 250hp, and the new performance features include a two-speed gearbox.

The New Holland baler automation system was selected for one of the Silver Medal for Innovation awards presented last year by the DLG agricultural society in Germany. The feature that won the award was the Baler Automation System, achieving an industry first by enabling the operator to set a required bale weight. The control system is then left to constantly measure the size and the shape of the swath, using this and other data including GPS to automatically produce bales that meet the weight requirement while reducing fuel and other operating costs per bale.

An image showing information sources supplying data for the New Holland automated baler guidance and control technology.

The first of the Fendt square balers was announced in Germany 20 years ago, and since then the Squadra range of balers has developed and increased, with a choice of five different models now offered. The entry level Squadra is the 990 model, producing bales with width and height dimensions of 80 and 90cm, and the other four models all have a 129cm bale width with height measurements ranging from 70–130cm. The range also includes a 1290XD model, with XD standing for Extra Density, and this model has special design features to cope with a big increase in bale density and weight. Fendt also offers the Rotana range of round balers with both variable and fixed chamber versions available, and at the top of the Rotana range is the F130 Combi model with integrated baling and wrapping.

A new arrival in the Massey Ferguson baler range is the RB3130F ProTec model, with ProTec referring to the integrated wrapping unit providing immediate weather protection for the newly wrapped bales. The baler/wrapper combination is designed to make 1.25m diameter bales, and special design features include reduced overall height to lower the centre of gravity and improve stability on slopes, and there are also improvements to achieve more precise bale positioning on the wrapping table. As well as a full range of round and square balers plus the combi bale/wrappers, the MF range also includes the 1840 small square baler for tractors of 50hp+, plus there is the TW series trailed bale wrapper with 41–51hp power requirement.

Manitou is a French-based company with products that boost handling efficiency while helping to make an important contribution to big bale popularity. The company was established in 1958 and its first telescopic loader was produced in 1981, starting a success story that resulted in sales that had reached 500,000 total by 2015. The current Manitou range of telescopic loaders covers a wide range of different industries but agriculture – and bale handling in particular – remains one of its biggest markets. The current Manitou range covers 19 different agricultural models which offer lift capacities ranging from 2,500– 6,000kg and there is a choice of maximum lift heights up to 9m. An important performance feature for bale handling equipment is the outreach or horizontal reach, the distance available when moving bales into or out of the stack, and the outreach figures are prominently quoted in the Manitou sales information.

Pro-Straw Systems was introduced by the Reed family as an addition to their Suffolk-based farming and contracting business. Available since 2016, it provides weather protection for stacked straw bales, but with mechanical handling to avoid the risk of injury caused by a fall from the top of the stack. Prices are from £1,595 and the expected working life of the sheets is 5–10 years. Pro-Straw is also the UK importer for the Parkland range of bale accumulators from Denmark, available in a range of models to suit both midi- and maxi-sized big bales. A new development this year is a drawbar option for towing the accumulators, improving manoeuvrability in field entrances and other places where access is restricted.