Victorian farmer Scott Somers definitely took a stab in the dark when he purchased a new Case IH baler despite never using one before
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Somers was looking for a large square baler that could produce high density bales, without compromising on consistency, productivity and reliability.
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With most of his farming machinery already bearing the Case IH logo, it only took the word of his trusted machinery dealer O’Connors for Somers to try out the Case IH LB434S XL baler.
“Eighty percent of our machinery is Case IH so it made sense to consider the Case IH large square baler for compatibility, plus we have a great relationship with O’Connors,” Somers says. “They offered me a good deal and I knew I would be well supported from an aftersales perspective.”
Based in Warracknabeal, Victoria, Somers’ farming operation can make up to 12,000 bales of hay during the summer.
Somers was looking for a large square baler that could produce high density bales, without compromising on consistency, productivity and reliability.
“Early on, before we had rain on our hay, we were averaging around 750kg a bale,” says Scott, who pulls the baler with a Case IH 235 Magnum.
“After rain we came back to a more average program and saw bale weights between 670-700kg in oaten hay. It was up around 700kg in perfect conditions and back to 670kg as the day deteriorated.
“Achieving that was really good,” he adds.
O’Connors Warracknabeal’s Geoff Leith says the greater weights and densities can be credited to some of the new features seen on the LB434S series.
“The bale chamber is now 31 per cent longer, having been extended by 80cm,” he says. “When you combine that with automatic feed rate control you can expect not just better bale shape and greater density, but also more consistent density across the day as conditions change.”
Somers says the greater density directly impacts his bottom line by lowering freight costs.
“By gaining weight in the bales and not changing the size I can ensure trucks are loaded to full weight, which helps us get our freight rate right,” he says.
Somers was also impressed with the bale shape.
“We have very square corners so the truckies loved how the bales stacked – I also received multiple calls from end users, commenting on how well the bales were presented,” he says. “That’s the first time I’ve had that and it’s a nice feeling.”
Somers is currently eying off a second LB434S.
The Case IH LB434 XL series is available to producers in two models: the LB434S XL (Standard) and LB434R XL (Rotor Cut). Visitors to Wimmera Machinery Field Days in March can also see the LB434 XL series first-hand.