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.
With commercial production starting in 2003, the company offered the Big X-V8, powered by a Mercedes Benz OM 502, delivering 605hp and the BiG X-V12 featuring the larger MB OM 444, with a mighty 780hp under the hood.
Selling around 200 machines over the next two years, 2005 marked the release of a rather special BiG X, which became the world’s first SPFH prototype that pushed through the 1000hp mark. Until recently, only John Deere has hit that mark, while market leader Claas still sits in the 900hp sector.
To achieve the 1000hp, the Krone was equipped with twin, synchronised six-cylinder motors, while over the next few years, the second- generation machines offered power outputs from 500hp to 1100hp.
In 2010, the third-generation arrived and twin engines disappeared, to be replaced by larger, single engines with the BiG X 700 using a V8 and the BiG X 850 and 1100’s running V12 engines.
In 2013, the company addressed the lower horsepower segment, launching the BiG X 480 and 580, both featuring a narrower 630mm chopping drum and the introduction of an independent rear wishbone suspension, alongside improved rear visibility and manoeuvrability.
Alongside the small series, which were complemented in 2015 by the BiG X 530 and 630 in 2015, the company also presented new maize headers at Agritechnica 2013, with its first six-row maize header - the Easy- Collect 450-2, offering a working width of 4.5m.
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The company did not neglect the high horsepower end of the market though, and the fourth-generation of harvesters was launched in 2017, with the range-topping BiG X 1180(1156hp) being added the following year. Another innovation was the LiftCab, which raised the cabin by 70cm, alongside the arrival BiG X 980 and BiG X 1080 in 2022, in response to global demand in the 900-1000hp power range.
Today, two series offer a total of 10 models, with the smaller outfits covering 490 to 653hp via the BiG X 480-630, while the BiG X 680 to 1180 offers 687-1156hp.
