COVER TOPIC The
COVER TOPIC The BiG Pack 12130 was launched in 2003 and was the flagship in the big baler market at the time, boasting a chamber of 1.2m by 1.3m. The BiG Pack 1270 with MultiBale feature was launched in 2003. This was the first baler to tie up to six small wads of straw into one big pack. The crop is fed into the baling chamber by five packers and one feeder arm, a design that ensures very high throughput rates. The tandem axle, a novelty on a big baler at the time, makes for an exceptionally comfortable ride and high work rates. This design was very well received right from the start. The name ‘BiG Pack’, which not only is easy to connote but also easy to understand everywhere in the world, was coined by Martin Grimm, head of marketing at the time. The BiG Pack was Krone's first ‘BiG liner’. CUSTOM-MADE SOLUTIONS Straw hauliers eventually agreed on a standard 1.2m by 0.7m format which allowed them to make full use of the available truck capacities. Krone responded by manufacturing a third big baler, adding the BiG Pack 120-70 to its portfolio in 1997. These machines were available with a choice of cutting systems and also a double knotter. The first major revision of the BiG Pack line in 1999 saw the addition of the new models BiG Pack 88, 127 and 128 which retained the existing chamber cross-section. In the same year, Krone contacted the Technology Management Group (TMG), a management consultancy based in Karlsruhe, Germany, tasking them with profiling a baler that would meet the requirements of the global straw markets. The findings led to the development of a completely new model range which was unveiled at Agritechnica 2003. Since that time, Krone has launched four new chambers that meet about 95 % of the global requirements: the BiG Pack 890 with a 0.8×0.9 m chamber (w×h), the BiG Pack 1270 with a 1.2×0.7 m chamber, the BiG Pack 1290 with a 120×0.9 m chamber and the flagship BiG Pack 12130 with a 1.20×1.3 m chamber. 2003 saw another milestone in the Krone history: the introduction of the MultiBale system to the BiG Pack 1270. This model ties up to six small wads of straw into one big pack. Being easy to transport and break up, these small bales are a particularly good option for horse owners and farms with small buildings full of nooks and crannies. The technology behind this is the use of split needle yokes, i. e. two instead of six needle yokes, tying the small wads with two threads and using the remaining four to tie the pack. The mastermind of the system is contractor Josef Freihardt from Seubersdorf in southern Germany who sold his patent to Krone. NEW IDEAS FROM THE PRACTICE FOR PRACTICE Krone kept up its endeavours to increase straw logistics efficiencies. Bale trucking was still a time consuming and costly affair, because the bales would not make full use of the available truck capacities and they required a lot of storage space. Together with the Dutch contractor Verschoor, Krone addressed these shortcomings by working on the bale density. This inspired the concept of the ‘High-Density baler’. In 2003, the first prototypes of the BiG Pack HDP were ready for trialling in the field. The HDP system together with a wider bale chamber had resulted in 33 % higher bale densities, depending on the quality of the material. It was from these prototypes that the BiG Pack 1290 HDP emerged. Launched as the first high-capacity, high-density baling system in 2005, it produced up to 25 % heavier bales than traditional machines would – a major step towards more efficient straw logistics. One year later, Krone launched its front-mounted PreChop cutting system for the baler. This chops and fragments the straw to make perfect bedding. 8
Launching the BiG Pack 1290 HDP, Krone introduced the world’s first high-density baler in 2005. The BaleCollect marks a major advance in efficient bale handling. Then in 2011, Krone sent the ‘HighSpeed’ generation balers into the race. Maintaining the same density, these machines achieved up to 20 % higher throughputs than their predecessors. PERFORMANCE BOOSTS AT THE HIGHEST LEVEL Later on, in 2013, the BiG Pack 1290 HDP II was poised to set further records. The Krone engineers had started developing them from scratch in 2009, and this brand-new generation of big balers underpinned Krone's position as market leader in the ‘High Density’ sector, which marked another quantum leap. The BiG Pack 1290 HDP II delivered up to 70% higher throughputs or up to 10% higher bale densities compared with the BiG Pack 1290 HDP HighSpeed model – a performance boost that was made possible by various technical innovations. These included a bigger main gearbox that was able to handle a massive 1,680hp and an auxiliary transmission gearbox that increased the flywheel speed from 1,000rpm to 1,180rpm. In addition, bigger rams were fitted to operate the chamber sides. The most important assembly, however, was the new knotter, a joint development by Krone and Rasspe that provided the new technology for tying the denser packs. It boasts eight smaller double knotters that are tailored to the narrower 1.2m chamber. ALWAYS ONE STEP AHEAD 0.7 m chamber, the high-density feature and the MultiBale function which ties six small bales into one big pack. One year later, Krone completed its portfolio of straw harvesting equipment by introducing the VariCut (VC) cutting system in 2016. Boasting 51 blades, the system cuts straw to extremely short (22mm) chops that are ideal for bedding or adding structure to the ration. The launch of the BaleCollect bale accumulator in 2017 marked a major and sustained success in efficient straw harvesting. Hitched to the baler, the bale accumulator collects the bales on its platform as they are ejected from the baler. As a bale leaves the baling chamber it is pushed to the right or left by a transverse arm, which quickly vacates the place for the next bale to enter the platform. The bales are unloaded to a pattern that is selected by the operator and that suits the transport chain – a major step towards making bale handling more efficient. The BaleCollect is hitched to the baler by a telescoping drawbar, a unique solution that makes road travel particularly easy for the combination. With a line-up of 16 different BiG Pack models, Krone currently has the largest range of big balers. But of course, development never stops, and the Krone engineers have long ago started working on new refinements to make sure the machines will also meet the ever-increasing demands of our customers in the future. « In 2015 Krone presented the BiG Pack 870 HDP (XC) MultiBale – a ‘three-in-one’ machine which offers the best properties of three different BiG Pack models: a 0.8 m by 9
