As producers look to the hay season ahead, Case IH is reporting good stocks across its current baler ranges.
Among the most popular balers in the current Case IH line-up are the large square balers - the LB434XL and LB436HD - and the variable chamber round balers - the RB455 and RB465 - which have been the focus of ongoing improvements since they were launched into the Australian and New Zealand markets.
"All these models have proven very popular with customers, thanks to their wide range of features, a number of which are unique to CNH Industrial balers, and their ongoing development and improvement over time," Case IH Australia/New Zealand product specialist Andrew Wood said.
"What we have now are very efficient and reliable balers that produce bales with excellent shape and density in a wide range of conditions, with an emphasis on productivity and performance,".
One of the key features of the large square baler range was the CNH Industrial-exclusive TwinePro knotters, delivering zero twine off-cuts, which over 10,000 bales eliminated about 3000 metres of twine off-cuts that would normally be left in the field and/or lost in transport.
"This is such an important feature because if we can eliminate these off-cuts from the environment and reduce the risk of stock ingestion and wool contamination for end users of the product, it's a huge advantage from both a business and sustainability viewpoint," Mr Wood said.
The tensile strength of the tied twine produced by the TwinePro knotters is also significantly increased, providing up to a 30 per cent increase in tensile strength, allowing denser bales to be produced with a reduced risk of twine breakage.
Both the LB434XL and LB436HD are also ISOBUS Class 3-compatible which, when coupled to a suitably equipped and unlocked tractor, allows the baler to control the accompanying tractor's ground speed to have the units operate more productively and consistently.
"Depending on the model and which settings are selected, this feature has been designed to deliver more throughput and a more consistent bale shape," Mr Wood said.
"There are also the added advantages of reduced fuel consumption and operator fatigue."
The LB436HD also features the award-winning, and CNH Industrial-exclusive, two-speed powershift transmission which offers a host of advantages.
"There's so much to talk about with this innovative transmission, for example it allows the 1000 PTO output speed from the tractor to be increased at the baler to 1440RPM, resulting in enormous flywheel inertia being produced, which can then deliver up to 62 tonnes of plunger force," Mr Wood said.
"The transmission also uses intelligent software combined with an actively-controlled wet clutch which is not only used for overload protection, but also delivers a much smoother baler start-up and helps to significantly reduce the stress and load on the tractor, particularly the PTO clutch and related components when engaging the PTO."
The RB5 Series round balers first hit the market in 2014, and Mr Wood said the evolution of the machine in that time had contributed to its position as an industry-leading product in this sector.
"It's characterised by its efficiency and ease of operation, with one of the simplest and most effective net wrap application systems on the market being just one example of this," he said.
"Like its large square cousins, our round balers are also ISOBUS Class 3-compatible, which, when coupled to a suitably-configured and unlocked tractor, can stop the tractor, apply the net wrap, open the tail gate and close it again once the bale has rolled out.
"We're always striving to simplify and improve the overall operator experience, so features like this mean even less-experienced operators can deliver great results without having the experience you may ordinarily require."
