Shaky future for self-propelled balers

By Steven Vale and Jim Breen

The need to increase machine throughput as a means to cut costs is forcing many contracting businesses down the self-propelled route.

The self-propelled sugar beet harvester is already well established and potato harvester makers are certainly embracing the self-drive concept.

Looking toward the grassland sector, contracting businesses that are heavily involved in silage harvesting typically operate huge self-propelled foragers.

What`s more, the success of Krone`s Big M suggests that mowing to may go the self-propelled route in time.

Kuhn and Laverda have also hinted that they too, would like to offer self-propelled silaging machines, to include mowers, in future.

Of course, the stumbling block with the self-propelled mower is the current working width, which tops out at 9 metres.

Such machines offer little or no extra capacity above the largest tractor driven triple-gang systems.

This is one of the reasons why Kverneland opted not to continue with the Vicon Red Bull (in its current 9-metre configuration).

Instead, the firm says that if the project is to survive, the working width must stretch to 15 or even 17 metres!

It is this additional capacity that will ultimately decide the future role of self-propelled machines.

Self-propelled baler history

What about the humble baler? Is that likely to don a self-propelled guise?

Let`s take a brief look at the history - remember, it has been tried before and it has failed.

Deutz-Fahr`s Power-Press is a classic example. This machine was developed several years ago, alongside the German firm`s first self-propelled mower the Grasant.

The latter never made it to commercial production, but the Power-Press was offered for sale briefly in a number of European markets. It was never officially marketed in Ireland.

Work on this project is believed to have stopped in 1999. At the time, Deutz reported that it was concentrating its efforts on the 300 and 500hp versions of the Gigant self-propelled forage harvester.

However, these are no longer in production - and were never offered for sale in appreciable numbers.

More recently, Krone unveiled a prototype of what was (unofficially) called the Big B self-propelled baler.

Alas, this concept didn`t quite make it to series production either. Now, the prototype stands idle in the firm`s information centre.

Plans for further development of the concept have been shelved for now.

Krone never did release the full technical details relating to the project. However, it`s clear that the cab is the same as is fitted to the Big X forage harvester.

The business end appears to be a twin-arm Combi-Pack combined baler/wrapper.

Though difficult to see in the picture, there is a sizeable gap between the rear of the cab and the front of the baler. This space is probably home to a pivot mechanism evidence of articulated steering.

Trouble is, Krone`s Martin Grimm concedes that the machine`s throughput is no higher than a tractor/Combi-Pack outfit.

If Krone is serious about continuing with the concept then it must attempt to push the machine`s throughput up.

But how is this achieved?

Deutz-Fahr managed to increase the capacity of the Power-Press in straw by replacing the standard 3-metre pick-up with a huge 6-metre version, gobbling two swaths at a time. Trouble was, the asking price was just too high!

Claas considers s/p baler

Finally, news from Belgium suggests that Claas is not only working on a new self-propelled mower concept, but may also develop a self-propelled baler in future.

In an interview with a Belgian contractors` magazine earlier this year, general sales director Martin Richenhagen said: "Even though we already have has a self-propelled mower (the Jaguar-based Disco 8500) the market continues to develop.

"We need to offer contractors a complete product line up," he said, "which includes a dedicated self-propelled mower."

On the subject of a self-propelled baler, he added that the European market continues to demand larger bale sizes.

"We`ll have to wait and see how the market develops," he said. "This is particularly true in straw, where the larger swaths left by huge combines make it difficult for tractors to straddle. Also, baler power requirements continue to increase which makes a dedicated self-propelled machine a more viable prospect."

Raking it in - quite literally

Balers aside, Krone is exploring the possibility of developing other, less conventional, self-propelled machines. We`ve already published pictures of what is believed to be the world`s first purpose-designed self-propelled rake.

Comprising a four-rotor Swadro 1500 rake (15-metre), it`s powered by a 150hp John Deere engine. Trials have taken place close to the firm`s German headquarters, and Krone claims that the machine has performed well so far.

The firm has since decided that, in its current guise, it offers little advantage over a tractor-driven rake.

Not content to give up, Krone is now experimenting with a wider version. The new six-rotor concept is thought to offer a working width of 18 to 20 metres!