New Krone out first time

[Cowabunga]

Brand new Krone 480 with all the toys working today for the first time. The crop yield meter has been calibrated and the owner/driver is being trained in the machine's operation, so no hurry. In the field is a man from the dealer and one from Krone. The Deere 2140 on the rake is my old one, bought new in Sept 1984 and I remember it being delivered as if it was yesterday. Now owned by the contractor and used on the rake almost exclusively since. It had 9500 hours when I sold it about ten years ago, so it must be going on for 12,000 hours by now.

Below is a video screenshot of the local law enforcement, no doubt checking up why work was being done during lock-down. He wasn't there long actually. Click on thumbnail to expand it.

 

[Deerefarmer]

What is the general opinion of krone choppers in your country?
We've always been claas but not brand blind... good dealer support from claas but we think there machine may not be as robust as some of the competition
Be interesting to here others feedback

 

[jondear]

With the 2 rotor rake did you have enough grass to make it flow out of spout!

 

[Cowabunga]

With the 2 rotor rake did you have enough grass to make it flow out of spout!

Look at the pictures again. This is the baby chopper of the range I think. It is a big two rotor rake and if Krone’s performance is anything like his previous Claas, then it will often be tested to the maximum up hill in heavier crops.
As I understand it, the reason these fields were cut so early is that they had stopped growing due to the prolonged dry weather.
Personally I’m in no hurry to cut and don’t like cutting this early, because the grass regrowth goes to head around the 18th May regardless, which is only four weeks after this first cut.

 

[Celt83]

Look at the pictures again. This is the baby chopper of the range I think. It is a big two rotor rake and if Krone’s performance is anything like his previous Claas, then it will often be tested to the maximum up hill in heavier crops.
As I understand it, the reason these fields were cut so early is that they had stopped growing due to the prolonged dry weather.
Personally I’m in no hurry to cut and don’t like cutting this early, because the grass regrowth goes to head around the 18th May regardless, which is only four weeks after this first cut.

I was going to ask Cowabunga if they were Pengelli from Carmarthen but just read your location so I doubt it.

 

[Bwcho]

Below is a video screenshot of the local law enforcement, no doubt checking up why work was being done during lock-down. He wasn't there long actually. Click on thumbnail to expand it.

IF that's what they were doing - good on them.

 

[Cowabunga]

IF that's what they were doing - good on them.

Probably just stopped for a chat actually. What else have they got to do around here currently? Not that much I imagine.

 

[Cowabunga]

I was going to ask Cowabunga if they were Pengelli from Carmarthen but just read your location so I doubt it.

No. In the distance, where some big bales have just been made on the bank in the fifth and sixth pictures, those fields looks down on Cei Newydd, which is like a ghost town at the moment, usually full of people from the thousands of caravans and summer houses in the immediate area. Some of the summer houses are occupied, much to the annoyance of locals, but the caravan parks, big and small, are all blocked off and empty.

 

[Ffermer Bach]

Can't remember exactly, but the silage contractor had a krone on demo, something went wrong and there was quite a long wait for spares, so the machine was on stop. In a job as time critical as silaging that can be a big problem, so I don't think they bought it.

 

[Cowabunga]

What is the general opinion of krone choppers in your country?
We've always been claas but not brand blind... good dealer support from claas but we think there machine may not be as robust as some of the competition
Be interesting to here others feedback

Krone choppers have gained a very good reputation in the UK and are steadily gaining market share. The owner of this one had a Claas Jaguar for the last few years which replaced a JD 6900 [I think it was] and another older JD before it. He found the Claas to be a far better and more reliable, cheaper to run machine than the Deeres and I'm somewhat surprised that he didn't buy another Claas this time. He did get his Claas serviced by the Krone dealer though, who only got the franchise last fall. This is his first brand new chopper.

He is otherwise Deere green through and through. The green tractors in the pictures are his, while the farm runs mainly MF and a Case. It took a lot for him to admit that the Claas was a better chopper than the Deere models.

 

[Celt83]

No. In the distance, where some big bales have just been made on the bank in the fifth and sixth pictures, those fields looks down on Cei Newydd, which is like a ghost town at the moment, usually full of people from the thousands of caravans and summer houses in the immediate area. Some of the summer houses are occupied, much to the annoyance of locals, but the caravan parks, big and small, are all blocked off and empty.

No I thought not after I seen where you were from. To me that picture looked a bit like the landscape if you were stood on top of Capel Dewi and looking across the valley at Abergwili. Apologies.

I know Cei/Cei Newydd quite well as my wife comes from not far from there. Best fish and chips in Cei Newydd by far! I bet it would be nice to go there now without having to argue for a parking space and jostle with holidaymakers walking to and from the beach!