INTERVIEW V-KNOTTER
INTERVIEW V-KNOTTER TYING BALES WITHOUT PRODUCING OFFCUTS The contracting business focuses on agricultural work mainly for dairy farmers and on civil engineering projects. As of July 2022, Saskia and Philip Thun will take over their parents’ contracting business in Oldenhütten in the very north of Germany. A new V-knotter has been developed by KRONE for the BiG Pack baler. Available as of autumn, the new design combines the reliability of the double knotter with the technique of the Cormick single knotter which ties the knot without cutting off the tail ends. How you do it: The processes that lead to the formation of the closing knot hardly differ from those in the regular double knotter (Deering system). As the only difference, the electric pedal As the twine disc rotates it pulls the twine through the stationary blade for making the cut. The scraper forms the string knot (Deering knot) on the knotter hook by pulling the knot over the ends. This finishes the bale. by the Corona pandemic and the war in Ukraine. How do you deal with all this as a business? Saskia Thun: Every year on 1st March we adjust our prices in line with rising inflation. Our customers know and accept this. In agriculture, diesel costs are billed at current prices in agriculture whereas in civil engineering they are included in the quote. This is a boon for us in the currently difficult business climate. At least the prices are slowly settling down here, and luckily, we haven’t had any supply bottlenecks with diesel or AdBlue. But we have noticed that we have to wait quite a while for replacement parts and that quotes are only valid for a short space of time, meaning we have to act quickly. I also hear from some dealers that they simply cannot deliver a part, and that’s it. I would like to see more effort put into finding a solution nevertheless, because a contracting business has to be flexible, and that doesn’t just apply to the weather. XtraBlatt: How flexible do you have to be? Saskia Thun: When the weather is good, we focus on our farmer customers wherever possible. If the weather is bad, we have to reschedule things at short notice and we focus more so on civil engineering projects. We recently started installing and maintaining septic tanks. I see the most potential for us in civil engineering at the moment. Farmers expect more and more efficiency in less and less time. It’s a huge challenge to meet this need, especially since the investment required does not fully pay off. For example, in 2021 we effectively had only five days for chopping the first cut as opposed to the two weeks we usually get. We have to make up for such losses because financially we want to and have to employ our team all year round. XtraBlatt: Given the current shortage of mineral fertiliser, are your customers asking for slurry to be spread? Saskia Thun: No, our customers mostly spread their own slurry. Spreading slurry isn’t particularly relevant for us. I do, however, think it’s good to see slurry increasing in value and losing its image as a waste product. XtraBlatt: Do you see any opportunities in the current situation? Saskia Thun: Yes, I do. For example, I’m currently trying to employ some Ukrainians. Depending on their qualifications, they could work in any area of the business. This would be a win-win situation for all of us: Refugees would have a chance to get a good job and we could offset the shortage of skilled labour. Unfortunately, the authorities don’t make it easy for employers, since no one seems to feel responsible for the refugees. But I’m working on it! We always need good staff. XtraBlatt: To what extent do farmers have to change how they work in future? Saskia Thun: I think that many farmers are being forced to act more and more as businessmen. Our customers are already well set up in this respect. Most of them are dairy farmers with on average 100-head herds, and most of them are family-run. Many of them have external feed consultants, for example, who help them develop new strategies for the future. But I’m convinced that as a contracting business, we can offer farmers a significant advantage in terms of efficiency, quality and cost reduction. In my opinion, it rarely makes economic sense for farmers to invest in their own machinery. This is where contractors can contribute a lot to the industry. « Next, the knot that starts the next bale is tied. The needles go back down to their home position, delivering the upper and under threads to the knotter hook as they do so. As the knotter hook starts turning, It pulls out – assisted by the twine puller – the twine ends which are now retained by the twine retainer. The ends form a loop in the starting knot (loop knot or Cormick knot). The open-base V form of the knotter hook which allows the loop to be easily pulled EASYCUT TC CONNECT down and out of the hook. By combining these two knotter designs, Krone has developed an extremely reliable double knotter that produces no scrap tail ends. Unlike a single knotter, the new double knotter doesn’t cut off the ends and is particularly suitable for tying high-density bales. « COUPLING FRAME FOR CTF Krone has developed the special EasyCut TC Connect implement coupling frame for Australian and American farmers who use it to couple two trailed mowers to the same tractor. The new EasyCut TC Connect coupling frame was developed for the Trailed Center EasyCut TC 400 and EasyCut TC 500 mower models. The EasyCut TC 500 cuts at widths of more than 12m when combined with a Krone front mower and is suitable for Controlled Traffic Farming schemes (CTF). CTF is becoming increasingly popular not only in Australia. Controlled traffic means that all machines run in the same wheel marks for better protection of the valuable soil and reduced compaction. The scheme is particularly beneficial in sensitive crops such as alfalfa. Running in 3m and 6m patterns, the EasyCut TC Connect allows farmers to cut at widths of more than 12m and up to 13.08m. EasyCut TC Connect can couple various machines without affecting their functionality. Australian and American farmers, for example, often operate the front-mounted EasyCut F 400 CV Fold together with two EasyCut TC 400 rear mowers, producing three identical and voluminous swaths for uniform wilting of the entire crop stand. « 32 33
