Here comes the BaleTrain - raking, baling in one pass
We've all heard of road trains, soul train and gravy trains, but German machinery manufacturer Krone has come up with a novel word for the agricultural sector.
It features increased performance in the intake and wrapping areas, while also offering automatic oil and grease lubrication as standard specification for minimum service and maintenance.
The machines are fitted with a camless pick-up with helical tines, sourced from the company’s forage wagons and round balers. The come with a patented arrangement seeing the tines aligned in five wavy rows to ensure a consistent and full-width flow to the rotor cutter for better cutting performance and reduced peak loads.
The XCut rotor cutter, manufactured from tempered steel, incorporates a helix layout, which distributes material uniformly across the full width of the feed chamber.
This ensures firm edges to the bale in all types of crop. The cutting system is available with 17 or 26 blades that cut to 42mm and 64mm nominal lengths. This can be selected in groups of 17/8/9/0 and 26/13/13/0 blades, said to offer greater flexibility in various crops.
Consistent bale rotation is carried out using a combination of the belts Novogrip and horizontal slats.
Meanwhile, an electric density control allows operators to adjust density from the seat and respond rapidly to varying crop materials.
The solo Comprima V 150 XC Plus, offers bales from 1.00–1.50 metres, while the CV 150 XC Plus is a combined baler/wrapper combination. In the case of the latter, the combi boasts twin dispensers that orbit around the bale at 36rpm for shorter wrapping cycles.
Bale transfer is carried out by the integral bale lifter onto a wrapping table made up of tubes and chains.
All Comprima Plus machines can either take film or net wrapping and a weighing system is available for the CV model.
The machine can also store up to 12 film rolls in dedicated compartments where they are protected from the ingress of dirt.
Those who are working long hours can equip the baler with optional LED lights, which help operators monitor the wrapper and the net application system.
There are more LEDs under the panels make servicing easier. Additional options include tyres up to size 500/60 22.5, the KRONE Comfort control unit or the CCI ISOBUS terminal as an option.
Although the standard specification is the TIM (tractor implement management) system, this reduces operator stress by automating such functions as opening and closing the rear door.
