Weather update chopping techniques
New Krone forage harvester has 1.156 hp
The German manufacturer Krone comes with a new top model in their Big X series of forage harvesters. It has 1.156 horsepower. This means that the company continues to have the largest machine in the range. It is not only about more power, but the kernel processor has also been scaled up.
John Deere showed new range of forage harvesters at the end of August. The top model (the 9900i) squeezes 970 hp from a Liebherr V12, which it developed with the earth-moving specialist. Krone was already at the top with their Big X 1100, which produces 1.078 horsepower. By spooning a new engine into the machine, a sloppy 75 hp is now added. This is necessary to drive the enlarged crushing technique.
New mouth
The current machine contains a V12 engine from MAN. In the new Big X 1180, this is a Liebherr model with a volume of 24 litres. This means that the German manufacturer from Spelle remains lord and master in this top segment. A new jaw is also introduced at the same time as the machine. The XCollect will be available next to the EasyCollect. It is available in widths of 8, 10 or 12 rows. If you want even wider, you have to go to the EasyCollect 1053 with 14 rows. With XCollect, the cutting and feeding of the plants are separated.
In addition to the heavier engine, which meets the 'Tier 4 final' standard, there is a new kernel processor: Optimaxx. The conditioner rollers are considerably enlarged compared to the current system. Since they are larger, they also spin faster and the bruising surface increases. It is also possible to vary the speed of the rollers (default is 30%). 40% and 50% speed difference are now possible on the machine. All this should benefit the chopping quality. Later this technique will also be applied to the smaller machines.
Automatic pilot
Electronics play a major role on modern shredders. With the EasyLoad system, the forage harvester can fill wagons itself. To do this, cameras make a 3D image of the car driving next to it. The pipe is operated fully automatically. This should prevent stress for the driver. The system also fills wagons as they drive behind the forage harvester when chopping a new field. Dynamica Generale's NIR sensor stores information online, so that it can be retrieved and read remotely (AgriNIR).
Niels van der Boom
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