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A hydraulically actuated “squeezer” grabs, lifts and rotates the bales up onto the trailer.
While the task of moving wrapped bales in New Zealand normally falls to trucks of flat bed trailers, in Europe, probably due to very strict secure load regulations, many trailer manufacturers are now offering more specialised trailers with hydraulically clamped side bars to keep load secure.
Those looking for greater daily outputs and greater load security are starting to see even more dedicated solutions.
Irish company SAMCO, regular visitors to the Irish Pavilion at National Fieldays and well known for their machines for sowing maize under plastic, have recently released details of the new CTS1600 Bale Chaser.
Said to enable one operator to load 16 netted or wrapped bales, without the need for a loader, in around eight minutes, a hydraulically actuated “squeezer” grabs, lifts and rotates the bales up onto the trailer. Designed to “load” itself automatically, the machine places two bales side by side and two bales high, before the “stack” is moved rearwards along the trailer body, using rollers.
Once loaded, the 16 bales are held securely by caged sides that squeeze inwards to secure the load, working in combination with gripping bars along the upper edge and the rear, to keep the load safe during transport.
Using a Danfoss load sensing hydraulic system to control the main functions, eight bales (four stacks of two bales) can be unloaded simultaneously, before the trailers needs to move forwards to discharge the remaining eight bales.
With an overall length of 7.3 metres, the chaser is fitted with tandem, air-braked ADR axles, with a range of options including oversize tyre and a steering axle set-up.
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With the biannual Italian EIMA machinery Expo less than a month away, Case IH has taken out a Technical Evolution award for the Advanced Vehicle Suspension system available on its Optum 360–440 series tractors.
The Advanced Vehicle Suspension system, available on Optum 360, 390, and 440 models, responds to changing conditions, automatically adjusting how the suspension reacts to absorbs shocks and controlling vehicle movement.
In operation, sensors monitor the vibrations transmitted from the tractor chassis to the operator cabin, allowing the system to adjust suspension damping in real time. The control system incorporates key priorities, such as comfort at lower speeds and stability as speed increases, while also reacting to factors such as lower tyre pressures, where the tyres absorb more of the initial shock.
Case IH said as suspension requirements change throughout the working day, as tractors move between the paddock and road transport, the system manages suspension response in the background as tasks, speeds and conditions change, leaving the operator without the need to make manual adjustments.
Richard Hollins, Optum series tractors global product manager, said: “Pioneering technology must earn its place in the working day. Farmers and contractors will judge an investment by what it delivers, including manageable ownership costs, dependable up-time and the versatility to tackle different jobs. With AVS, we are putting intelligent control to work for comfort and stability, without giving the operator another setting to manage.”
Organised by FederUnacoma, the Italian Agricultural Machinery Manufacturers Federation, the contest has been part of EIMA since 1986, with the Technical Evolution distinction awarded to products that introduce original improvements to solutions already manufactured or patented.
www.caseih.com
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