Krone baler holds wrap-and-roll world record

Krone Combi Comprima Extreme Series CF 155XC HD

The EasyFlow pickup is simple by design and does without a cam track and has few moving parts. Not only is the camless pickup low maintenance, it also runs 30% faster than anything else on the market. This allows the baler to hold the world record for making 149 bales of straw in one hour.

The crop intake on the Xtreme Comprima is class-leading in size terms. This impressive intake is achieved by the close arrangement of the pickup and the rotor cutter combine to boost the machine’s overall intake capacity and ensure a consistent flow of crop – even in wet silage.

Krone has prioritised the chop quality as an important feature from the Roundpack days and the new Xtreme Comprima is no exception. This is achieved via the double tines.

They pull the crop consistently through the knife and the grass is chopped in a scissor-like action.

The F155 range of balers can make 4ft to 5ft bales, depending on size preference. These larger bales reduce handling and plastic usage. Furthermore, they can give contractors a competitive edge by allowing them to make a slightly larger bale than other balers. When the chamber is empty, it is 3ft in diameter. As soon as you start baling, you fill and pack this chamber first which gives a tight core even at a high forward speed. Then the chamber increases as the bale is tightened up to over 4ft.

Fixed-chamber balers only tighten the bale from the outside. NovoGrip combines the best of two worlds – the effective bale feed obtained from chain and slat elevators and the quiet running of belt systems. To form high-density, well-shaped bales, the NovoGrip relies on an endless elevator, the slats of which are mounted in rubber/fabric belts. The extra wide and strong belt used in the new Xtreme Comprimas allow a long life cycle even in heavy Irish silage.

The Krone Combi range has developed the film-on-film system over the past number of seasons with a number of Irish customers very happy with how it works.

Claas Rollant Uniwrap

The Rollant Uniwrap balers from Claas offer two baler/wrapper combinations within their fixed-chamber range – the top-of-the-range Rollant 455 Uniwrap and the Rollant 375 Uniwrap which is the lower-output and specification alternative. Both balers create a 1.25m x 1.2m sized bale and incorporate the well-proven Claas Roto Cut chopping unit.

The high-capacity, top-of-the-range 455 is designed to offer optimum bale density and a rapid wrapping speed in order to maintain high outputs even in heavy, dense silage crops. A particular feature of the 455 Uniwrap is the Roto Cut chopping unit, which is designed to provide a high-quality chop in all conditions.

The Roto Cut chopping unit is fitted with a total of 25 knives that can be selected in combinations of 0; 12; 13 or all 25 blades giving a minimum chop length of 4.8cm. In Irish silage conditions, where a shorter chop is required for feeding into a diet feeder, then this can be achieved by engaging all the blades. Alternatively, the operator can opt for a longer chop length by engaging half the blades and once these need re-sharpening, the second half set can then be used, so prolonging production time in the field.

By comparison, the Roto Cut chopping unit in the 375 is fitted with 16 knives, which again can be selected in various combinations.

Both Uniwrap models are also fitted with the PRO hydraulically lowered floor, which automatically lowers by up to 30mm to allow lumps to pass through into the chamber and avoid blockages.

For even greater bale density, the Rollant 455 is equipped with the proven Claas MPS Plus pivoting roller system and heavier-duty drive chains and roller bearings. On both balers, the chamber incorporates 16 heavy-duty rollers, supported by reinforced bearings and driven by heavy-duty chains that are automatically lubricated.

In addition to incorporating a ramp to facilitate loading net wrap rolls, the net wrap system on the Uniwrap also features an electromagnetic brake system. As the net wrap is used, the braking pressure is altered to ensure that optimum and uniform-wrapping tension is maintained. The wrapping unit on the 455 and 375 is fully integrated and structurally reinforced. It incorporates a new hydraulic motor for a higher orbital arm speed, which results in less time to wrap each bale and ensures that the bale has finished wrapping before the next bale is ready to leave the chamber.

For accuracy and speed, large guide rollers are fitted to ensure the bale is placed centrally on the table when working on hillsides.

The Uniwrap also incorporates new heavy-duty knives for greater reliability and to ensure a consistent, clean cut. Film overlap is 52% and film pre-stretch is 67% with the option of 82%. On the Rollant 455 Uniwrap, the higher arm speed combined with a quicker transfer time from baler to wrapper means that the whole wrapping cycle is up to 30% faster, giving it the potential to bale and wrap around 60 bales an hour.

All the main functions are controlled from the cab using either the Claas Communicator II or Operator Isobus terminals. Alternatively, they can be operated via an iPad using the easy on-board app or from any Isobus compatible terminal. The specification also includes two hydraulically operated film storage boxes capable of holding a total of 14 (R455) or 12 (R375) rolls of film. To keep ground damage to a minimum, the Rollant 455 Uniwrap is carried on 550/60-22.5 tyres, with the option of larger 620/55 R26.5 tyres. As standard, the smaller Rollant 375 Uniwrap is fitted with 560/45-22.5 tyres.