The first Krone Big X 1180 in Ireland landed into Dublin Port this week.

The 1180 is the world’s most powerful forage harvester.

The Irish Farmers Journal understands that not one, but two Big X 1180s have actually been sold on the island and will be working here in two different contractor fleets for the 2021 silage season.

Although the Big X 1180 was launched back in September 2018, this marks the arrival of the first of these machines on to Irish soil.

Farmhand, the Irish importer of Krone, would not confirm the contractors who have made the purchases, but we believe that both units have been sold north of the border where they will be used to harvest grass, whole crop and maize.

Price

This big machine comes with a hefty price tag. Punters considering a change of career or forager upgrade will have to meet the list price of €550,000 plus VAT.

The wide-body machine sources a massive power output of 1,156hp from a 24l Liebherr V12 engine.

The Big X 1180 replaced the 1,100hp Big X 1100 model in September 2018.

Krone continues to hold the title of the world’s highest horsepower forager, with its nearest competitor machine in terms of power being the John Deere 9900, with an output of 970hp.

Meanwhile, at 925hp, the 990 is the most powerful forager offering from Claas.

Features

The 1180 is packed with technology and features. The forager is even capable of measuring the temperature inside the bearings and displaying it on the terminal in the cab.

It is also available with the Krone lift cab, for increased visibility when harvesting tall crops like maize.

The machine has the option of installing ‘AgriNIR’ online sensors.

These sensors supply accurate data on the crop’s moisture and nutrient levels, including dry matter, starch, crude protein, crude ash, crude fat, acid detergent fibres, and neutral detergent fibres.

This data will then be stored in the machine’s terminal and can be assigned to the individual field.