Case IH has flagged a number of upgrades and new features to its baler ranges as the company gears up for the continuation of recent strong demand for haymaking gear because of drought.
"Many farmers invested in a new baler in the past few years as hay and straw production became a vital income lifeline in drought-affected regions," Case IH Australia and New Zealand product manager for hay and harvest, Tim Slater, said.
"While drought conditions have certainly eased across some areas we still expect hay and straw production to remain a popular option for many businesses with the market for balers and associated equipment to reflect that demand.
"With this in mind, we're excited about the updates we're able to offer customers on our model year 2020 baler ranges," he said.
"For the large square baler LB4XL series, one of the most anticipated new features is a new knotting concept that dramatically improves the process."
Case IH has introduced the new-generation TwinePro knotter on all LB4XL balers including the LB434XL for the Australia and NZ market.
"This new knotting concept greatly improves the process, combining for the first time the advantages of the double knot system with the additional benefit of a loop knot," Mr Slater said.
He said the key benefits included a reduction in twine offcuts left on the bales. This provided an environmental benefit with fewer offcuts left in the field, minimising wastage and removing the risk of stock ingestion or fleece contamination for wool producers.
Knots were had higher tensile strength.
"The TwinePro knot provides up to 30 per cent more strength to the tied twine for more efficient baling and productivity, allowing greater bale densities with the same twine," Mr Slater said.
"The operator can achieve a higher bale density with a significantly lower risk of twine breakage."
Other changes included a stronger pick-up system and redesigned rotor cutter tines to improve cutting performance in high volume conditions.
For the RB5 Series round balers, there is now the option for the addition of a fully-integrated moisture sensor, the first time this has been offered for Case IH round balers.
"The operator can use the moisture information as they're operating the baler to make an informed decision on the potential quality of the crop and storage options.
"By using a baler-mounted moisture sensor, the operator has real-time information on the moisture of the crop being baled.
"There's no need to stop baling to probe the bales, as would previously be done with a hand-held moisture sensor."
Another improvement was the addition of an AFS Pro 700 display monitor which now comes as standard in the round balers with the larger screen giving the operator a clearer view of the baler functions.
"With many of the features controlled from the monitor, like bale core size and bale and core density, along with information on the size and shape of the bales, the increase in display size will be welcomed by many operators," Mr Slater said.
"As with the large square balers, there's also a range of pick-up refinements introduced to the round balers as well.
"The pickup end flare shape has been revised to improve edge feeding and a larger diameter wind guard roller and the ability to adjust to a lower position for improved feeding in all crop conditions has also been introduced, with the new design resisting stalling and ploughing of the windrow when compared with narrower diameter rollers."