NFM Reviewer Tom Dickson got to witness Krone’s new Big Pack 1290 High Density Press (HDP), High Speed Baler in action at Macarthur, Victoria.
Long awaited warm weather has finally arrived in south west Victoria allowing hay equipment manufacturer Krone to get its Big Pack Roadshow back in motion.
Directed mainly to large scale hay contractors, the Big Pack event enables a firsthand view of the developments Krone has adopted to increase throughput of its 1290 HDP baler.
Unique to this particular baler is its ability to produce bales up to 25 per cent heavier than traditional systems.
Starting the huge 600kg flywheel demands an enormous amount of energy so Krone has fitted the 1290 HDP with a hydromotor that starts and accelerates the flywheel to around 300 rpm before the tractor PTO is engaged.
At the front of the baler a new camless pickup runs vibration free and very quietly. Pickups that run on a cam mechanism always look and sound like they are trying to tear themselves apart.
As the pickup feeds hay into the baler it accumulates in the feed chamber. Only when the feed chamber becomes full and compressed is it forced up into the baling chamber in front of the plunger which operates at an increased rate of 45 strokes per minute.
The increased stroke rate means more hay can be pushed into the heavier constructed baling chamber and because the bale chamber has been made longer more compression can be applied to the bale, thus increasing both weight and density.
We are working at 10km/h in an extremely heavy crop but I have been assured that in the event of an overload or blockage the baler is protected by an automatic ratchet protection clutch.
Eventually we did get a blockage and the clutch was thrown. To re-engage drive the revs are dropped on the tractor which allows the clutch to re-engage, the blockage is drawn in and baling resumes. This means the baler can be pushed to maximum production without fear of damage.
The stringing mechanism on balers has virtually stayed the same the but Krone Big Pack 1290 HDP has installed to it an automatic mechanism that blows compressed air onto each knotter just prior to tying to reduce failure of the knotter for every single bale.
All major grease points are continually attended to by the Krones auto greaser.
Up to 32 balls of twine can be stored in two twine boxes mounted either side of the baler under the side covers. The twine storage boxes are dust proof and can be swung up out of the way to access the inner workings of the baler.
Finally there is a weighing mechanism mounted on the rear of the baler so contractors can calculate tons of hay as well as bale numbers and hay transporters can load trucks with accurate weights.
I found the Krone Big Pack 1290 HDP capable of producing excellent bales that are heavier and denser than before and it was certainly faster than the other makes of baler that were working in the paddock at the same time.
Click here to find Krone square balers for sale.
Photography: Tom Dickson