Thursday, 25 February 2021 07:55

Packs a clean punch and firm bale

Written by  Mark Daniel
Krone Big Pack balers boosts operator comfort and optimise high-wear components on the machines. Krone Big Pack balers boosts operator comfort and optimise high-wear components on the machines.

The latest generation of Krone Big Pack balers sets out to minimise the total cost of ownership (TCO), while also boosting operator comfort and optimising high-wear components to increase machine longevity.

The new Big Pack 1270 and 1290 balers sees the bale chambers extended by more than 20% to 3.6m and a full-width top plate.

This follows the design of the BiG Pack 1290 HDP HighSpeed, resulting in better bale shape and higher bale weights.

The new baler’s Variable Filling System uses a sensor to detect the amount of straw in the pre-compression chamber. When there is not enough material present to produce a good wad, an electric brake is triggered, meaning the packers continue to fill the pre-chamber, before material is released to the bale chamber.

Upgrades have seen a reduction in peak loads, resulting in a doubling of service life for this area of the baler. In-cab adjustment by the operator allows precise control of pre-compression, wad thickness and the number of wads created.

A completely new and unique feature is the knotter cleaning system. This not only cleans the knotter mechanism, but also other machine areas. This is done by using hydraulic turbines to generate an overpressure inside the knotter bay so no debris can collect there in the first place. The air flow is then channelled to the areas underneath the panels and downwards to the axle.

A heavier-duty drawbar with a slimmer profile, features a beefier support for the drive shaft giving more adjustment options for drive shaft alignment and increased shaft life. Hitch height is now adjusted on the hitch ring, a fast and easy solution that also made for the slimmer drawbar and improved manoeuvrability.

Big Pack runs on high-quality, yet comparatively light-weight, tandem axles from BPW. These have parabolic springs and all major grease nipples auto lubricated, so reducing maintenance. The pick-up runs on heavier gauge wheels, with auto-lubricated bearings, while the crop press roller suspension is adjusted steplessly on the left side of the machine.

Twine boxes are now integrated into the hydraulically-actuated side panels, keeping twine protected from dust and debris. The newly-designed twine box offers a clear view of the balls and has capacity for thirty, 10-15kg balls. As an option, two additional twine boxes can increase the total storage capacity to 42 balls and a total weight of 630kg.

All Big Pack models with cutting units will be equipped with the proven VariCut cutterbar (VC), available either with a maximum of 51 blades or with a blade cassette with up to 26 blades. This allows multiple configurations of blades in work to achieve the required chop length, but a simple rotating shaft adjustment to engage the required number of blades.

Krone continues to offer the roller chute for the Big Pack either with or without bale-weighing sensors.

More like this

Krone celebrates 25 years of high horsepower machines

Certainly a late starter in the self-propelled harvester arena, Krone has gone on to be a key player, with 2025 marking the 25th anniversary of presenting the results of its R&D programme, with a leap into high horsepower machines – the first BiG X with a claimed 540hp.

Featured

Australia develops first local mRNA FMD vaccine

Foot and Mouth Disease outbreaks could have a detrimental impact on any country's rural sector, as seen in the United Kingdom's 2000 outbreak that saw the compulsory slaughter of over six million animals.

NZ household food waste falls again

Kiwis are wasting less of their food than they were two years ago, and this has been enough to push New Zealand’s total household food waste bill lower, the 2025 Rabobank KiwiHarvest Food Waste survey has found.

Editorial: No joking matter

OPINION: Sir Lockwood Smith has clearly and succinctly defined what academic freedom is all about, the boundaries around it and the responsibility that goes with this privilege.

National

Machinery & Products

Tech might take time

Agritech Unleashed – a one-day event held recently at Mystery Creek, near Hamilton – focused on technology as an ‘enabler’…

John Deere acquires GUSS Automation

John Deere has announced the full acquisition of GUSS Automation, LLC, a globally recognised leader in supervised high-value crop autonomy,…

Fencing excellence celebrated

The Fencing Contractors Association of New Zealand (FCANZ) celebrated the best of the best at the 2025 Fencing Industry Awards,…

» Latest Print Issues Online

The Hound

A step too far

OPINION: For years, the ironically named Dr Mike Joy has used his position at Victoria University to wage an activist-style…

Save us from SAFE

OPINION: A mate of yours truly has had an absolute gutsful of the activist group SAFE.

» Connect with Rural News

» eNewsletter

Subscribe to our weekly newsletter