At a recent press camp in Hungary, Krone took the opportunity to showcase its latest developments in baler technology. This included the full round baler range, but more importantly the latest Big Pack models which included the 870, 890 and flagship 1290 HDP XC.

Krone machines are becoming popular in Ireland as their reputation for quality and engineering is becoming more widespread.

Interestingly, this is also the case in the large square baler market worldwide as Krone’s Stefan Niehof confirmed that in 2015 one out of every 10 balers sold worldwide was a Krone. This goes to show the family-owned German company’s investment in research and development along with its “listen to the customers” attitude has paid off.

More flexibility in a big baler

Krone showcased its ever-popular Big Pack 870 HDP (High Density Press) XC (Xtra Cut) at the event. Krone’s Manuel Wick spoke about how this baler ticks all the boxes, closing the gap between the established small high-density balers and today’s conventional big balers, allowing farmers to produce big bales in the field while the MultiBale allows the farmer to split them into up to nine small bales back at the farm.

MultiBale

The 870 has a bale chamber that is 80cm wide and 70cm high and is fitted with five double knotters instead of the usual four on previous models. In MultiBale mode, two knotters knot the small bales while the three others tie the big bale, which can be between 1m and 2.7m in length. The advantages are that only a few big bales need to be collected in the field while back at the farm the small bales are easy to separate manually by snipping through three threads and are also easily moved around the farmyard manually.

High-density bales

Alternatively, if very high bale densities are required, the baling pressure can be increased up to the familiar HDP level via the control box. This enables the Big Pack 870 HDP to achieve densities of up to 25% more than standard balers which is a handy feature when you consider straw haulage where the bales often have to be transported over long distances. The five double knotters in this case ensure the bales are held together securely.

Pickup

The Big Pack 870 comes with the Active Pickup as standard, which adds a powered feed roller to the camless EasyFlow pickup. Working width is either 195cm or 235cm dependent on the pickup option fitted.

Controls

The 870 is fitted with Krone’s Comfort electronic system as standard. This system allows the operator to control a large number of functions from the in-cab terminal. The system also features upper thread control. Another handy feature with this system is that the X-Cut cutting system is lowered hydraulically from the terminal.

Access to the knives is convenient as you simply pull out a drawer from either side of the machine. Krone also offers a range of optional extras for the 870 such as moisture sensors on either side of the bale chamber which measure the moisture content of the bales and calculate averages which the operator can read on the terminal.

Another optional extra is the weighing system integrated into the bale chute, which measures the bale weight with the help of four weighing cells. Krone claim that the accuracy of this system is +/- 2%.

The Big Pack 870 HDP XC has a minimum horsepower requirement of 163 and is listed at €141,000 plus VAT which includes MultiBale and is fitted with a tandem axle.

Square baler aims to produced high-density, stable bales at high ground speeds

Krone also took the opportunity to display its flagship large square baler, the Big Pack 1290 HDP XC. Thomas Gress from the Krone development team said the Big Pack 1290 is the largest model the company offers and has a 120cm by 90cm bale chamber which, coupled with its HDP capabilities, can allow 70% higher throughput or 10% higher bale density than the Big Pack 870 HDP.

Direct drive

All the power is transmitted from the tractor to the 1290 via drive shafts, gearboxes and overload protection clutches. No chains or shear pins are used in this high-output machine. For a smooth start, it is equipped with a hydraulic start assist system which consists of two hydro motors that accelerate the baler’s flywheel before the tractor’s PTO is engaged. There is also an intermediate gearbox fitted to the drawbar that has two main advantages – it reduces wear on the straight drive shaft while also boosting the PTO speed in order to help maximise the flywheel’s inertia.

Pickup and rotor

The 1290 is fitted with a large 7ft 8.5in pickup which is powered directly from the main gearbox and drive shaft which has an integrated cam clutch to protect the pickup from potential overload. The pickup and rotor on the 1290 fitted with Xtra Cut (XC) is powered by a separate four-groove poly belt which shuts off automatically in the event of a blockage. To save power, the pickup and rotor are only engaged after the plunger starts.

The 1290 is fitted with a 30% bigger rotor cutter which features five rows of tines in order to achieve higher throughputs. These V-shaped tines pull the crop through the blades with a minimum of input power and also help to keep the bale chamber consistently filled up.

High output

High-density, stable bales produced at high ground speeds is a major challenge for any baler, especially when it comes to the knotter and twine. To overcome this, Krone worked closely with German manufacturing company Rasspe to develop a brand new patented knotter system especially for the 1290. This system comprises eight slim double-knotters which expose the individual twines to minimal pull. This enables them to hold even denser packs.

Convenience

The 1290 Big Pack can carry 27 bales of twine on each side of the machine – that is a total of 54 bales of twine to keep the machine working longer, with fewer stops. The twine boxes can be folded down hydraulically from the cab for easy refilling and access to service points on the machine itself which is also fitted with LED lights for greater convenience when working in the dark.

The Big Pack 1290 HDP XC has a power requirement of 258HP and is listed at €182,000 + VAT.