Best round baler for straw?

[Dave6170]

Krone comprima v150 in 34 foot swaths, driven by 120hp, 80+ bales an hour was easy

Bone dry barley straw was weighing 220 to 250kg in 1.35m diameter bales

For straw I don't think there's a simpler, easier to drive, better performing baler, or one that can be purchased relatively cheaply. Net feed mechanism is the only thing that lets it down.

What is wrong with the net system? Is there only some nets that work well in it? Seen 1 working here and the amount of bales it fired out with the net all wrapped around 1 edge of the bale was mental.!

 

[DrDunc]

What is wrong with the net system? Is there only some nets that work well in it? Seen 1 working here and the amount of bales it fired out with the net all wrapped around 1 edge of the bale was mental.!

With good quality net the Krone nets them 99.9% of the time. I found Tama net to be the best, though cotesi cross expand is near as good and much less expensive.

"Cheap" stuff is far more sensitive to the setting of the two net brake adjustments, and you need to alter one as the roll diminishes. It's less problematic in hay and haylage, but I gave up trying to set mine for cheap net in straw and silage, settling for applying a minimum of 3 turns of the "quality" nets.

Even when it's set perfectly and works for those 99 out of 100, there's always one where the net is only grabbed by the feed roller at one side, and the net only initially covers part of the bale. Provided the brakes are set properly(which definitely wasn't the case with the bales you witnessed), tension will make the net quickly spread across to the full width.

In straw the Krone appetite really is fearsome! Pulling it with only 120hp it still exceeded the output and bale weights of other variable chamber balers pulled with many more ponies.

In silage it needs a little more time to roll the bale than fixed chamber machines, though it works far better than other variable chamber belt balers I've used, especially in short wet stuff. Indeed, I've compared bale weights from the Krone when working in grass alongside McHale machines, and though marginally slower, the Krone matches or exceeds density every time.

 

[britishblue]

As I have to roll my bales out all winter I find 4x4 at 180 kgs more than heavy enough these days. I certainly don't want 220 plus kgs. Getting weak in my old age!

 

[DrDunc]

As I have to roll my bales out all winter I find 4x4 at 180 kgs more than heavy enough these days. I certainly don't want 220 plus kgs. Getting weak in my old age!

Taking time to roll them up, barley straw bales too dry to register on the moisture meter were averaging over 270kg from this wee fixed chamber last year

Definitely not breaking any output per hour records, need a good 4 turns of net to stop them springing, but crikey, when the straw blower breaks down and I need help to push them out, I'm thankful that the wife still hasn't filed for divorce!

 

[boy jack]

With good quality net the Krone nets them 99.9% of the time. I found Tama net to be the best, though cotesi cross expand is near as good and much less expensive.

"Cheap" stuff is far more sensitive to the setting of the two net brake adjustments, and you need to alter one as the roll diminishes. It's less problematic in hay and haylage, but I gave up trying to set mine for cheap net in straw and silage, settling for applying a minimum of 3 turns of the "quality" nets.

Even when it's set perfectly and works for those 99 out of 100, there's always one where the net is only grabbed by the feed roller at one side, and the net only initially covers part of the bale. Provided the brakes are set properly(which definitely wasn't the case with the bales you witnessed), tension will make the net quickly spread across to the full width.

In straw the Krone appetite really is fearsome! Pulling it with only 120hp it still exceeded the output and bale weights of other variable chamber balers pulled with many more ponies.

In silage it needs a little more time to roll the bale than fixed chamber machines, though it works far better than other variable chamber belt balers I've used, especially in short wet stuff. Indeed, I've compared bale weights from the Krone when working in grass alongside McHale machines, and though marginally slower, the Krone matches or exceeds density every time.

So for me and my 3000 bales barley straw would a refurbished Krone Comprima V150 be a reasonable baler.
Thoughts please.
Cheers

 

[DrDunc]

So for me and my 3000 bales barley straw would a refurbished Krone Comprima V150 be a reasonable baler.
Thoughts please.
Cheers

Definitely. For simplicity and running costs, they beat belt balers every day

Apart from replacing the two belts that carry the slats, and a couple of drive chains, there's isn't really much else to refurbish? The belts are expected to last over 30,000 before the edges fray, though I've never heard of any breaking. Chains properly oiled well last much longer. The relatively few bearings on the belt and slat guides are straightforward to access. There's two bottom rollers with bearings more awkward to renew, but they aren't likely to need replacing until the baler is well into it's senility years, as don't see the pressure associated with a fixed chamber roller.

A comprima will make more bales per hour using less fuel than anything else, and they'll be some of the heaviest. The net wrap brakes are a fiddle to set initially, but work well once adjusted correctly.

There are in my opinion too many crevices on the sides that fill with chaff, but at the recommendation of the dealer, I used a battery leaf blower each evening to keep it clean.

It's a simple baler to maintain and there's no danger of tearing a belt from stones picked up with the swath. If you need to, it's the only machine I know which will bale anything from rotary combine dust to soaking wet grass leaf.

Hope my opinion helps you decide

 

[YELROM]

We run a 435 baling about 3000 bales of mainly hay and straw,just starting to have a bit of bother with bearings.
Am I right in thinking all the bearings on the rollers are greasable on a 445

 

[boy jack]

Definitely. For simplicity and running costs, they beat belt balers every day

Apart from replacing the two belts that carry the slats, and a couple of drive chains, there's isn't really much else to refurbish? The belts are expected to last over 30,000 before the edges fray, though I've never heard of any breaking. Chains properly oiled well last much longer. The relatively few bearings on the belt and slat guides are straightforward to access. There's two bottom rollers with bearings more awkward to renew, but they aren't likely to need replacing until the baler is well into it's senility years, as don't see the pressure associated with a fixed chamber roller.

A comprima will make more bales per hour using less fuel than anything else, and they'll be some of the heaviest. The net wrap brakes are a fiddle to set initially, but work well once adjusted correctly.

There are in my opinion too many crevices on the sides that fill with chaff, but at the recommendation of the dealer, I used a battery leaf blower each evening to keep it clean.

It's a simple baler to maintain and there's no danger of tearing a belt from stones picked up with the swath. If you need to, it's the only machine I know which will bale anything from rotary combine dust to soaking wet grass leaf.

Hope my opinion helps you decide

Thank you, second knowledge is better than first hand experience.
Cheers

 

[KB6930]

We run a 435 baling about 3000 bales of mainly hay and straw,just starting to have a bit of bother with bearings.
Am I right in thinking all the bearings on the rollers are greasable on a 445

Yes all greaseable from 445 onwards

 

[YELROM]

Yes all greaseable from 445 onwards

Do the bearings last a lot longer with being greasable
Is there any improvements to the net system on the 445 over the 435 as that is the other thing we get bother with in short choppy straw, it seems to chuck straw up into the net mechanism and then doesn’t net properly unless you get out ever so many bales and pull it back out
Just curious as might be going to look at a 445

 

[KB6930]

Do the bearings last a lot longer with being greasable
Is there any improvements to the net system on the 445 over the 435 as that is the other thing we get bother with in short choppy straw, it seems to chuck straw up into the net mechanism and then doesn’t net properly unless you get out ever so many bales and pull it back out
Just curious as might be going to look at a 445

445 is identical apart from it's a camless pickup and they changed the angle of the density rams so it will pack a tighter bale

Trick with short straw is if you reverse off the row when dropping the bale off hit it at full baleing speed they need to be fed and keep feeding them or they'll fire straw up behind the netter and cause you problems.

 

[s~~t shoveller]

There’s an extra roller in a 445 too I think …that’s why the net works better /spreads better…depends what year for greaseable bearings ,early ones didnt

 

[jed]

Definitely. For simplicity and running costs, they beat belt balers every day

Apart from replacing the two belts that carry the slats, and a couple of drive chains, there's isn't really much else to refurbish? The belts are expected to last over 30,000 before the edges fray, though I've never heard of any breaking. Chains properly oiled well last much longer. The relatively few bearings on the belt and slat guides are straightforward to access. There's two bottom rollers with bearings more awkward to renew, but they aren't likely to need replacing until the baler is well into it's senility years, as don't see the pressure associated with a fixed chamber roller.

A comprima will make more bales per hour using less fuel than anything else, and they'll be some of the heaviest. The net wrap brakes are a fiddle to set initially, but work well once adjusted correctly.

There are in my opinion too many crevices on the sides that fill with chaff, but at the recommendation of the dealer, I used a battery leaf blower each evening to keep it clean.

It's a simple baler to maintain and there's no danger of tearing a belt from stones picked up with the swath. If you need to, it's the only machine I know which will bale anything from rotary combine dust to soaking wet grass leaf.

Hope my opinion helps you decide

I would agree with all of the above have run krone balers for over twenty years .