Bio Plant & Agri Ltd is an agricultural contracting business run by brothers, James and David Bryan based in Kilbrittain, Co Cork. Back in 2016, the brothers were responsible for importing the first Austrian-built Göweil combination baler. For the 2020 season, delivery was taken of the updated G-1 K125 Kombi after four successful seasons with their previous machine.
Why Göweil?
Today, the Bryans bale in the region of 10,000 silage bales annually. Part of the business encompasses the baling of maize which is then sold across the country. Back in 2013, the brothers travelled to Kirchschlag, Austria, to the Göweil factory to look at a maize baler they were thinking of buying at the time.
“We were impressed with what we had seen from the Göweil products. The build quality of their machines was an instant attraction,” explained James. However, the numbers weren’t stacking up on the maize baler so they opted for a different system in the end. Instead, maize is baled using a Kverneland Bio-baler which has had its pickup removed and a modified feed unit fitted.
While travelling to Agritechnica show in Germany in 2015, the lads had been at the Göweil stand where they had seen the G-1 F125 combination baler which was relatively new to the market at the time. James and David noticed the baler shared a lot of components and designs with the firm’s maize baler. This was a major selling point because they wanted to upgrade their existing baler. Finance was soon arranged and the first machine arrived in Ireland in April 2016.
No looking back
Turning the clock forward, James couldn’t fault how the first baler preformed over the four seasons, baling in the region of 40,000 bales. “Our running costs after four seasons were very low. All we replaced after 38,000 bales was the rear door (secondary drive) chain, pickup tines and a U joint on the shaft coming out of the main gearbox powering the rotor.
“Over the years, we have built a good relationship with Göweil, dealing directly with the factory. Technicians travelled over when we took delivery of the first machine making sure it was set up and working properly. Even though there was no importer in the country for Göweil at the time, we were confident in the quality of the product that the lack of Irish backup wasn’t going to be so much an issue. In the event we needed a part from the factory, if it was ordered before 2pm we would have it the next day. The longest we’ve had to wait was when the U joint broke; we waited three days.
Last November, James and David travelled to Agritechnica once again to meet the Göweil team and see the updated G-1 F125 Kombi baler wrapper. A deal was struck and the Bryans traded for the new updated model. The new model G-1 F125 Kombi is the same as the previous machine for the most part with a few subtle updates.
When we called to see the baler in action and take a closer look, James was baling second-cut grass alongside the river Bandon near Ballinadee. As the season nears a close, James is happy with how the new machine has performed so far.
Pickup and rotor
The baler is fitted with a 2.2m-wide pendulum-type pickup with a swing range of 150mm. Being of the camless type, it is equipped with six tine bars and heavy duty tines all spaced at 51mm. The bands on the pickup are plastic, making them more durable and less prone to bending.
Unlike most balers on the market, the Göweil is fitted with two crop press rollers, helping smooth lumpy or uneven swaths. James has fabricated a front-mounted crop roller for the tractor which eliminates lumps catching in the drawbar when baling heavy crops.
The pickup wheels remain within the baler''s overall width, not needing to be folded in or removed for transport.
“One little feature I often thought would be a good idea, is when the baler is being reversed a sensor would read this and lift the pickup automatically. This would leave the process of dropping a bale on hilly ground that bit easier,” James noted.
Sitting closely behind the pickup is the six-star 570mm rotor with welded-on Hardox tines. In front of the rotor is a small infeed roller to help pre-compress the crop. This rotor on James’s old machine was hydraulically driven, which he said would often slow down in a heavy 30ft swath of grass. On his new machine this is now mechanically driven and hydraulically assisted which makes a noticeable improvement.
The Göweil is similar to the Pöttinger Impress combi baler in that both machines have the cutting unit positioned above the rotor. Crop passes up and over the rotor instead of under it like the majority of balers on the market. One of the advantages of this particular design is that the changing of knives is a lot easier.
The cutting unit is fitted with 30 double-sided knives capable of producing a theoretical chop length of 35mm. James bales with 15 out of the 30 knives in place. He noted how bales are still being consistently well chopped, having only turned the knives once so far this season. He attributes this to the configuration of the rotor and knife bank. The replacement knife bar allows up to 30 spare knives to be carried. Knives are hydraulically protected in the event of a contacting a foreign object.
The Auto Flow Control (AFC) feature monitors the flow of crop and intervenes automatically in the event of blockage. The top door above the knives opens, the knives raise out of working position, allowing the blockage/lump to pass through before resuming to their previous position. Similarly, in the event of the pickup blocking, the hydraulically assisted infeed rotor will switch to hydraulic drive, the drop floor will open and the lump will be fed into the chamber.
Bale chamber
Inside the bale chamber are 18 solid, ribbed rollers constructed using 4mm-thick steel with inner reinforcing. Two drive rollers with 65mm shaft diameters and the additional rollers each with 60mm diameter shafts run on double-row pendulum roller bearings. James noted how this was the same for his previous machine which stood the test of 38,000 bales on its original rollers.
Bale density pressures ranges on a scale of one to 16 depending on operator preference. “With density pressure set to 12, we can produce very well-formed bales weighing in the region of 800kg,” James said.
Seated just behind the rotor is the starter roller which is different in that it has a sectioned profile, which Göweil claims allows for good bale rotation early on. The design also prevents the build-up of grass around the roller in damper conditions, James commented.
The last roller on the rear door of the 1.2m x 1.5m chamber is completely smooth. James said that this is a new feature on the new machine to help with the transfer of film-binded bales.
Some of the drive chains, in particular the primary drive chain, are stronger on the new machines. For example, a triplex chain is used to drive the main rotor whereas many competitor machines use duplex chain.
The baler is fitted with dual binding units which can be used in tandem if required, reducing binding time by half. However, James only uses one binding unit at a time but often keeps a full roll of plastic film in the second to switch over to. This is done in seconds using the terminal.
James noted that dual binders would be a nice addition for any contractors frequently switching between standard net and film binding, although 100% of the bales he makes are film-bound. He noted how film application works well in almost all conditions, although it has failed to bind once or twice in tougher wet conditions.
Wrapper and chassis
At the rear of the machine is the twin arm satellite wrapper which may be a familiar sight for many Irish contractors. Göweil previously built universal wrapper units to fit various different balers as well as standalone versions, with examples of each still dotted across the country.
The bale is transferred from the chamber on the wrapping table which is moved between positions using chains. Although it may not be the fastest transfer, James can’t faulted it even on hilly ground.
Weighing just shy of 9,000kg empty, the heavy duty build of the G-1 F125 Kombi comes at a price, leaving it considerably heavier than its rivals. Not only is the unit heavier but wider too. On standard 560/45 R22.5 tyres, the unit has an overall width of 3m.
This added weight and width may leave the viability of this machine questionable in some parts of the country but for James this proves not to be an issue. A nice feature is the hydraulic weight transfer system on the baler’s rear axle. If engaged, more weight is placed on its rear axle hydraulically to increase the weight on the tractor''s drawbar. This is to improve traction in tricky conditions. The unit has a hydraulic drawbar which makes dealing with tricky gaps easier.
Another difference with the new machine is that it is fitted with larger tyres, and enclosed hydraulic side panels that can carry 14 wrap rolls and two net/film rolls. James said that these side panels leave the new machine that bit wider, eliminating visibility of the wrapping unit from the cab.
Verdict
Now on their second Göweil machine, the brothers have no regrets in opting for a brand that had no official presence in Ireland at the time. However, this is not the case now following the announcement earlier this year that the southeast based Cooney Furlong Machinery Company had become the sole Irish importer for Göweil agricultural machinery.
“We knew right from the start we were making the right move going down the route of buying a Göweil machine having seen their construction and componentry which is ideally suited to the tough Irish conditions. This eased our minds in relation to spare parts and backup over the years. Hopefully this will not be an issue at all now going forward with The Cooney Furlong Machinery Company on board to carry spares.
Running costs
“The initial buying cost may have been considerably more than the competitors on the market at the time, but after five seasons in total with these machines our running costs have been minimal. You pay the price the first day for a machine that proves to be built to last. Before now, we used to change our balers every four seasons roughly. We intend on running this machine for six seasons because we believe it’s well capable of that with relatively low running costs. That’s the difference,” James explained.
Likes
Build quality.Intake and throughput.Reliability. Dislikes
Wide on the road at 3m.Drawbar could be a touch longer.Lack of visibility to the rear.Machine spec
Model: G-1 F125 Kombi.Knives: 30.Rollers: 18 rollers (4mm thick) with 60 and 65mm shafts.Net capacity: Four rolls (two in use, two spare).Film capacity: 16 rolls (two in use, 14 spare).Weight: 8,980kg empty.Width: 3m (9.5ft).Wheel size: 560/45 R22.5.List price: €117,000 plus VAT.
Bio Plant & Agri Ltd is an agricultural contracting business run by brothers, James and David Bryan based in Kilbrittain, Co Cork. Back in 2016, the brothers were responsible for importing the first Austrian-built Göweil combination baler. For the 2020 season, delivery was taken of the updated G-1 K125 Kombi after four successful seasons with their previous machine.
Why Göweil?
Today, the Bryans bale in the region of 10,000 silage bales annually. Part of the business encompasses the baling of maize which is then sold across the country. Back in 2013, the brothers travelled to Kirchschlag, Austria, to the Göweil factory to look at a maize baler they were thinking of buying at the time.
“We were impressed with what we had seen from the Göweil products. The build quality of their machines was an instant attraction,” explained James. However, the numbers weren’t stacking up on the maize baler so they opted for a different system in the end. Instead, maize is baled using a Kverneland Bio-baler which has had its pickup removed and a modified feed unit fitted.
While travelling to Agritechnica show in Germany in 2015, the lads had been at the Göweil stand where they had seen the G-1 F125 combination baler which was relatively new to the market at the time. James and David noticed the baler shared a lot of components and designs with the firm’s maize baler. This was a major selling point because they wanted to upgrade their existing baler. Finance was soon arranged and the first machine arrived in Ireland in April 2016.
No looking back
Turning the clock forward, James couldn’t fault how the first baler preformed over the four seasons, baling in the region of 40,000 bales. “Our running costs after four seasons were very low. All we replaced after 38,000 bales was the rear door (secondary drive) chain, pickup tines and a U joint on the shaft coming out of the main gearbox powering the rotor.
“Over the years, we have built a good relationship with Göweil, dealing directly with the factory. Technicians travelled over when we took delivery of the first machine making sure it was set up and working properly. Even though there was no importer in the country for Göweil at the time, we were confident in the quality of the product that the lack of Irish backup wasn’t going to be so much an issue. In the event we needed a part from the factory, if it was ordered before 2pm we would have it the next day. The longest we’ve had to wait was when the U joint broke; we waited three days.
Last November, James and David travelled to Agritechnica once again to meet the Göweil team and see the updated G-1 F125 Kombi baler wrapper. A deal was struck and the Bryans traded for the new updated model. The new model G-1 F125 Kombi is the same as the previous machine for the most part with a few subtle updates.
When we called to see the baler in action and take a closer look, James was baling second-cut grass alongside the river Bandon near Ballinadee. As the season nears a close, James is happy with how the new machine has performed so far.
Pickup and rotor
The baler is fitted with a 2.2m-wide pendulum-type pickup with a swing range of 150mm. Being of the camless type, it is equipped with six tine bars and heavy duty tines all spaced at 51mm. The bands on the pickup are plastic, making them more durable and less prone to bending.
Unlike most balers on the market, the Göweil is fitted with two crop press rollers, helping smooth lumpy or uneven swaths. James has fabricated a front-mounted crop roller for the tractor which eliminates lumps catching in the drawbar when baling heavy crops.
The pickup wheels remain within the baler''s overall width, not needing to be folded in or removed for transport.
“One little feature I often thought would be a good idea, is when the baler is being reversed a sensor would read this and lift the pickup automatically. This would leave the process of dropping a bale on hilly ground that bit easier,” James noted.
Sitting closely behind the pickup is the six-star 570mm rotor with welded-on Hardox tines. In front of the rotor is a small infeed roller to help pre-compress the crop. This rotor on James’s old machine was hydraulically driven, which he said would often slow down in a heavy 30ft swath of grass. On his new machine this is now mechanically driven and hydraulically assisted which makes a noticeable improvement.
The Göweil is similar to the Pöttinger Impress combi baler in that both machines have the cutting unit positioned above the rotor. Crop passes up and over the rotor instead of under it like the majority of balers on the market. One of the advantages of this particular design is that the changing of knives is a lot easier.
The cutting unit is fitted with 30 double-sided knives capable of producing a theoretical chop length of 35mm. James bales with 15 out of the 30 knives in place. He noted how bales are still being consistently well chopped, having only turned the knives once so far this season. He attributes this to the configuration of the rotor and knife bank. The replacement knife bar allows up to 30 spare knives to be carried. Knives are hydraulically protected in the event of a contacting a foreign object.
The Auto Flow Control (AFC) feature monitors the flow of crop and intervenes automatically in the event of blockage. The top door above the knives opens, the knives raise out of working position, allowing the blockage/lump to pass through before resuming to their previous position. Similarly, in the event of the pickup blocking, the hydraulically assisted infeed rotor will switch to hydraulic drive, the drop floor will open and the lump will be fed into the chamber.
Bale chamber
Inside the bale chamber are 18 solid, ribbed rollers constructed using 4mm-thick steel with inner reinforcing. Two drive rollers with 65mm shaft diameters and the additional rollers each with 60mm diameter shafts run on double-row pendulum roller bearings. James noted how this was the same for his previous machine which stood the test of 38,000 bales on its original rollers.
Bale density pressures ranges on a scale of one to 16 depending on operator preference. “With density pressure set to 12, we can produce very well-formed bales weighing in the region of 800kg,” James said.
Seated just behind the rotor is the starter roller which is different in that it has a sectioned profile, which Göweil claims allows for good bale rotation early on. The design also prevents the build-up of grass around the roller in damper conditions, James commented.
The last roller on the rear door of the 1.2m x 1.5m chamber is completely smooth. James said that this is a new feature on the new machine to help with the transfer of film-binded bales.
Some of the drive chains, in particular the primary drive chain, are stronger on the new machines. For example, a triplex chain is used to drive the main rotor whereas many competitor machines use duplex chain.
The baler is fitted with dual binding units which can be used in tandem if required, reducing binding time by half. However, James only uses one binding unit at a time but often keeps a full roll of plastic film in the second to switch over to. This is done in seconds using the terminal.
James noted that dual binders would be a nice addition for any contractors frequently switching between standard net and film binding, although 100% of the bales he makes are film-bound. He noted how film application works well in almost all conditions, although it has failed to bind once or twice in tougher wet conditions.
Wrapper and chassis
At the rear of the machine is the twin arm satellite wrapper which may be a familiar sight for many Irish contractors. Göweil previously built universal wrapper units to fit various different balers as well as standalone versions, with examples of each still dotted across the country.
The bale is transferred from the chamber on the wrapping table which is moved between positions using chains. Although it may not be the fastest transfer, James can’t faulted it even on hilly ground.
Weighing just shy of 9,000kg empty, the heavy duty build of the G-1 F125 Kombi comes at a price, leaving it considerably heavier than its rivals. Not only is the unit heavier but wider too. On standard 560/45 R22.5 tyres, the unit has an overall width of 3m.
This added weight and width may leave the viability of this machine questionable in some parts of the country but for James this proves not to be an issue. A nice feature is the hydraulic weight transfer system on the baler’s rear axle. If engaged, more weight is placed on its rear axle hydraulically to increase the weight on the tractor''s drawbar. This is to improve traction in tricky conditions. The unit has a hydraulic drawbar which makes dealing with tricky gaps easier.
Another difference with the new machine is that it is fitted with larger tyres, and enclosed hydraulic side panels that can carry 14 wrap rolls and two net/film rolls. James said that these side panels leave the new machine that bit wider, eliminating visibility of the wrapping unit from the cab.
Verdict
Now on their second Göweil machine, the brothers have no regrets in opting for a brand that had no official presence in Ireland at the time. However, this is not the case now following the announcement earlier this year that the southeast based Cooney Furlong Machinery Company had become the sole Irish importer for Göweil agricultural machinery.
“We knew right from the start we were making the right move going down the route of buying a Göweil machine having seen their construction and componentry which is ideally suited to the tough Irish conditions. This eased our minds in relation to spare parts and backup over the years. Hopefully this will not be an issue at all now going forward with The Cooney Furlong Machinery Company on board to carry spares.
Running costs
“The initial buying cost may have been considerably more than the competitors on the market at the time, but after five seasons in total with these machines our running costs have been minimal. You pay the price the first day for a machine that proves to be built to last. Before now, we used to change our balers every four seasons roughly. We intend on running this machine for six seasons because we believe it’s well capable of that with relatively low running costs. That’s the difference,” James explained.
Likes
Build quality.Intake and throughput.Reliability. Dislikes
Wide on the road at 3m.Drawbar could be a touch longer.Lack of visibility to the rear.Machine spec
Model: G-1 F125 Kombi.Knives: 30.Rollers: 18 rollers (4mm thick) with 60 and 65mm shafts.Net capacity: Four rolls (two in use, two spare).Film capacity: 16 rolls (two in use, 14 spare).Weight: 8,980kg empty.Width: 3m (9.5ft).Wheel size: 560/45 R22.5.List price: €117,000 plus VAT. 
This is a subscriber-only article
SHARING OPTIONS: