Krone – the German machinery manufacturer has added a new feature to its popular range of Big Pack balers.
The family-owned company will give its customers the option of adding the new VariCut multi-blade cutting system to its Big Pack 1270 VC and Big Pack 1290 HDP VC baler models.
According to Krone, the feature was added due to the growing demand for short straw, as it is ideal for bedding poultry houses, dairy cow cubicles and sow pen.
Short straw is also becoming more popular as a feed ingredient, because it adds structure to the rumen, which promotes rumen activity and digestion.
The new VariCut multi-blade cutting system was developed by Krone to offer farmers an additional option to the Krone PreChop system. The system consists of 51 blades and it is said to be exceptionally easy to use.
Short straw from the Krone VariCut multi-blade cutting system
The blades can be customised to suit the individual user, the company says and it is operated in default sets of 51/26/25/12/5/0.
The individual sets are selected by turning a shaft allowing the operator to respond flexibly to varying conditions and individual customers demands.
The cams on this shaft are merely pushed into their holes and can be quickly refitted to reconfigure the number of blades.
According to Krone, the new VariCut cutting system also stands out with respect to cleaning and maintenance, which is made easy by an extra cover that protects the blades from straw and debris.
As the operator opens this cover, all debris drop to the ground – an easy and quick solution that ensures the blades are quickly ready for use as well as swift cleaning and changeovers.
The system also features an integrated air cleaning system which keeps the area around the blade protecting springs clean.
The entire blade cassette pulls out within a minute and can be stored on a pallet truck for convenient service and maintenance at the workshop.
Video: Check out the Krone Big Pack balers at work
The company also says that the VariCut system is also equipped with an updated rotor cutter fitted with a fourth row of tines.
Operating at a higher speed and feeding smaller portions of material, this rotor not only achieves higher throughput but also provides a smoother crop flow to the VFS variable feeding system.
High drive power for the VariCut rotor cutter and the pick-up comes from a poly V-belt, a particular boon for throughput when using all blades.
This type of driveline also caps peak power demands so that the machine starts off more easily, because the pick-up and the cutting system can be started with some delay.
The belt is shut off automatically when a blockage is sensed in the cutting system or on the packer.
This means no further material is fed to the packer and blockages are removed quickly and easily from the tractor cab.
The machinery manufacturer has also added an extra fan to bring more air into the knotter system to deliver a constant flow of air to keep the knotters clean.
