The new Claas Max Cut mower bed is made from two pieces of steel plating, which is claimed to give it maximum strength. The disc bed will be fitted to all mowers for the 2015 season. The mower bed is pressed into a waved shape.

Claas claims that this allows the user to mount the cutting disc modules very low at the front of the bed. Claas claims that new, specially formed discs create an enlarged cutting area and give a better quality of cut.

The disc bed is bolted instead of being welded together. Claas claims that this concept gives high torsional strength and that it achieves the strength of welded seams without placing heat stress on the steel during welding.

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The mower beds are fitted with wide cutterbar skids, which have a spoiler effect aimed at guiding dirt and foreign material backwards to give a clean cut. Claas claims that the system increases the carrying capacity, protects the ground and prevents wear. Topping or high-cut skids are also available.

The drive system of the Claas Max Cut disc cutterbar has been designed so that it can be run at 850rpm instead of 1,000rpm in light conditions such as topping. This is possible because of the high knife speed. Claas claims this means fuel consumption can be reduced by up to 20%.

The Claas safety link design protects the mower gearbox in the event of a smash. The system means that the cutting disc is held in the module by a bolt and cannot fly off when the module has sheared. Claas claims that the module can be replaced easily and quickly. Replacing the blades is done by the tried-and-tested quick blade change system, which is fitted to all models.

28 models

With the new disc mower bed, Claas has launched a range of Disco mowers.

The range includes 28 trailed and mounted models with working widths ranging from 2.6m up to 9.1m.

Claas claims that coupling and uncoupling has been significantly improved throughout the range thanks to details such as lower linkage mounts, Kennfix hydraulic couplers and better access to the drive shafts.

To identify the range of model specifications, type of operation and control systems, the 28 new Disco models have been divided into five variants: Trend, Contour, Business, Autoswather and Duo.

Claas plans to attack the silage pick-up wagon market with a Cargos 8000 dual-purpose machine. This is designed to be used as a forage wagon, while Claas claims that the pick-up and chopping unit can be quickly and easily removed, and a blanking plate fitted, so that it can be used as a silage trailer.

The Cargos 8000 is a smaller version of the Cargos 9000 wagon already sold in Europe.

Claas claims that the smaller model is more suited to maintaining high outputs in heavy crop conditions in countries such as Ireland.

There are three models in the Cargos 8000 range, the 8500, 8400 and 8300. They have load volumes from 41m3, 35.5m3 and 30m3, respectively.

The new design features a heavy-duty drive system, with an hydraulically driven pick-up and the option of a hydro-pneumatic suspension system. From the pick-up, the crop is fed into the cutting and loading system by means of an 860mm diameter rotor. This is fitted with nine rows of tines in a helical pattern, which are bolted on for ease of maintenance and replacement, if necessary.

The chopping chamber contains a bank of 40 newly designed double blades. These are twin-edged, so they can be turned to reduce downtime blade sharpening. The blades have adjustable pre-tensioning.

The Cargos chopping chamber has a hydraulically lowered drop-floor. This is lowered automatically if the unit is overloaded. The driver can then remove any possible blockages by reducing the PTO speed from the driver’s seat.

The Cargos 8000 has a new lowered floor conveyor. This can be hydraulically pivoted 90o downwards, so that the blades can be accessed for changing. It can also be pivoted upwards for improved unloading.

The wagon can be fitted with an automatic loading system that works either via the deflection of the front cover or via a torque sensor on the rotor. Claas claims that the system increases field efficiency.

The company says that the loading system can be quickly and easily removed in around 15 minutes using a carrier frame. A filler plate is inserted so that the machine can be used as a conventional high-capacity trailer.

Three different control terminals are available for the Cargos 8000, ranging from the Communicator II Isobus terminal, the smaller and simpler Operator terminal or the Isobus Cable control unit, which allows the wagon to be used with an external Isobus terminal.