Limerick man James Hurley took over a local contracting business near Askeaton a number of years ago. Today, the business rotates around baling, reseeding and slurry spreading. Up to last year, James was running a Krone 1250 baler/wrapper combi unit. He noted that it was a good machine, but was old and lacking in output. After making the decision to move to a new machine, James carefully looked at all machines on the market before purchasing a new Kverneland FastBale.

Kverneland FastBale

He said: “I worked four silage seasons in New Zealand and completed two in Australia. Each year, I would travel home and work the alternate season here at home in Limerick. So over the years I’ve operated and seen a lot of different balers in action. I’ve been keeping an eye on the Kverneland FastBale for the past few years. I was very intrigued by its concept.

“I make 15,000 bales each year. I’m in the position where I either have one really busy baler or try to put out two outfits, which I don’t think my business can justify. Looking at it from a distance, the FastBale ticked all the boxes for me. I wanted a high-output baler and I felt it was the way forward for my business.”

The FastBale features two bale chambers. One is a full sized main chamber and the other is known as a pre-chamber which is about two thirds of the size of the main chamber.

Pickup

The FastBale has a 2.2m wide pickup reel. Interestingly, this five-tine bar reel has a cam track at both ends of the pickup. Kverneland claims this reduces cam loadings by 50%, leading to more durability. The guide wheels don’t need to be removed or folded for transport. The intake rotor is equipped with 50 hardox tines. James runs 25 knives in the baler, but uses the selectable knife floor. This means he has only 12 or 13 knives up at any one time.

“I really like the pickup on the FastBale. I lift all 20ft and 30ft swaths – it’s no bother to it. The pickup sits almost underneath the rotor, so there’s no dead spot for any short grass to sit. It’s also fitted with a monster of a rotor. Even in difficult wet grass which has been tedded and raked, the FastBale is well able to handle it,” explained James.

The FastBale is equipped with a 1,000rpm PTO input speed. The bale chamber drives feature 1¼in pitch drive chains, while the rotor drive is equipped with a 1¼in chain. The rollers are fitted with 50mm diameter bearings, with double-row roller bearings on the drive side. Meanwhile, the bale chamber rollers and rotor bearings are lubricated by an automatic greasing system, while an oiler system looks after the chains.

“I really like the pick-up on the FastBale," noted James.

How does non-stop baling work?

The FastBale features two bale chambers. One is a full-sized main chamber and the other is known as a pre-chamber which is about two-thirds of the size of the main chamber.

The baling process starts the same as any other baler, with the main chamber producing the first bale. Once the bale is fully formed, instead of having to stop to apply the net, it diverts the crop flow to the pre-chamber. This in turn allows the net to be applied to the bale in the main chamber, before being ejected onto the wrapper. When the pre-chamber is full, the incoming crop flow, together with the pre-compressed crop are both then transferred into the main bale chamber. Here the bale is formed to its final size and density.

James said: “The concept is actually very simple. To be honest, I was a little sceptical at first, but I’m delighted with how it’s performed. It will pump out a bale every 31-33 seconds. The only thing is that you need to have a uniform swath to produce a good bale.”

The wraparound rear frame eliminates the possibility of bales rolling off the wrapper when working on slopes.

Wrapping system

Once the bale is netted, it’s discharged directly from the bale chamber on to the wrapper. The wrapper is then raised, allowing the twin satellites to wrap the bale. The twin satellite system wraps at up to 50rpm. The wraparound rear frame eliminates the possibility of bales rolling off the wrapper when working on slopes. Once wrapped, the bales are discharged by raising the rear roller.

James said: “I’ve never had any hassle with bales not going onto the wrapping table while going up, down or even working across the sides of hills. There’s a sensor on the wrapping table that won’t allow the back door to close unless the bale is on the table. The transfer is also quite quick.”

When it comes to replacing the wrap, like other combi machines, it’s done from the left-hand side of the machine. The FastBale has the capacity to store 10 rolls of wrap, including the two on the rear dispensers.

Controls

Like most balers nowadays, the FastBale works fully automatically from start to finish. It comes with a touchscreen Tellus GO terminal or an optional double-screen Tellus Pro terminal. The animated display shows the real-time status of both the pre and main baling chambers and the wrapper. The operator can see the status at each stage of the baling process. James has a built-in camera set up on his machine.

If baling dry crops such as hay or straw, the wrapper can be put in a raised position, allowing the bales to be discharged directly out of the main bale chamber. The FastBale is also Isobus compatible as standard, meaning it can be operated on any Isobus-compatible tractor without the need for a terminal.

Verdict

“Overall, I’ve been very impressed with the FastBale. I initially bought the machine without seeing it working. A lot of lads were saying it wouldn’t work in Irish conditions but it does, and very well. It’s built very heavy but what it’ll be like after 80,000 bales I don’t know. It’s still a relatively new concept in Ireland,”said James.

“Weighing in at 8t empty, it’s a very heavy machine. If working on good land, I wouldn’t think twice about buying another one. However, if I was on soft or hilly land, I would have to think hard about it. I run it on a Claas Arion 640 that offers 180hp on the shaft and it’s well able to handle it. I took delivery in June and clocked up 12,000 bales last season. In fairness, it didn’t miss a beat. Pumping out a bale every 32 seconds, I think it goes unrivalled in terms of output.”

The spec

Model: FastBale

Knives: 25-knife, with selectable floor - 6/12/13/25

Rollers: 17 main chamber, 14 pre-chamber (11 + 3 rollers shared)

Net capacity: two rolls (1 in use, 1 spare)

Film capacity: 10 rolls (two in use, eight spare)

Weight: 7,990kg

Wheel size: 710/50-26.5in

List price: €100,000 plus VAT

Top likes

  • Very simple to use
  • Surprisingly maneuverable
  • Super high output
  • Very good ground clearance

    • Top dislikes:

  • Very heavy
  • Difficult to access knife bank
  • Panels are bulky and open out sideways
  • A lot of debris builds around the bale transfer area