The creativity on the Farmhand stand at this year’s Ploughing didn’t fail to disappoint following on from its stand in 2019 when a Big M 450 was displayed on a 3.5m-high platform.

This year, the Krone importer showcased Krone’s flagship and world’s largest forage harvester, the Big X 1180, coupled with the X Collect maize header on a 1.5m-high ramp.

Background

Although the Big X 1180 was launched in September 2018, last year marked the arrival of the first machines on to Irish soil.

Now, two years working in Ireland, Farmhand, the Irish importer of Krone, confirmed that a total of seven of these flagship 1,180hp machines are working across the country.

The Big X 1180 replaced the 1,100hp Big X 1100 and 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.

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

While one may wonder what the need is for such a high horsepower machine, it is in fact aimed for use with the firm’s 48-knife chopping drum capable of chopping grass between 2mm and 12mm for the biogas industry.

Achieving a fine chop without comprising output is where the full 1,180 horses are required, the manufacturer believes.

Features

The 1180 is packed with a whole host of technology and features, including the option of a lift cab for increased visibility when harvesting tall crops such as 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 detergence fibres, and neutral detergence fibres.

It is even capable of measuring the temperature inside the bearings and displaying it on the terminal inside the cab.

The Big X 1180, to no surprise, comes with a hefty starting price tag of €480,000 plus VAT.