CLAAS expands DISCO mower range

CLAAS says its new DISCO 9700 range of triple-combination mowers set new benchmarks in throughput, efficiency, and forage quality.

Effectively closing the gab between the brand’s existing DISCO 9200/9300 range and DISCO 1100 range, the DISCO 9700 range offers variable working widths of 8.8m to 9.5m, proven MAX CUT mower beds, ACTIVE FLOAT suspension technology and a range of optional conditioning and auto-swathing functions.

According to CLAAS Harvest Centre Product Manager – Greenline, Daniel Cornelius, the new models have swinging arms with variable hydraulic pivots that allow them to be moved outwards by 30cm and inwards by 5cm.

“This allows the working width to be adjusted on-the-go up to 70cm,” he says.

“For example, the driver can choose between maximum overlap on headlands to avoid strips or maximum working width on straight lines.

“This feature makes the 9700 ideal for mowing irregularly shaped or undulating fields where a higher degree of flexibility is required to maintain cutting quality and protect the pasture.”

The new range comprises the CLAAS DISCO 9700 COMFORT, 9700 C BUSINESS (tine conditioner), 9700 RC BUSINESS (roller conditioner), 9700 C AUTO SWATHER (tine conditioner and swath grouping) and 9700 RC AUTO SWATHER (roller conditioner and swath grouping).

On the COMFORT model, the ACTIVE FLOAT ground pressure control, swingarm travel and protective cover folding are controlled via ISOBUS and load-sensing, while the arms are lifted and lowered by operation of the hydraulic spool valves.

This enables the driver to easily integrate lifting and lowering functions into the tractor’s headland management system, the company says.

On BUSINESS machines, all functions can be controlled using the continuous load-sensing hydraulic system via the ISOBUS terminal, function keys or the tractor’s headland management system.

RC models feature two counter-rotating polyurethane rollers that are both actively driven and synchronised with a specially developed scissor gearbox for maximum throughput and processing quality.

The rollers extend right across the width of the mower bed and gently crush the harvested crop and optimise crop flow.

The RC models are specifically developed for gently processing large volumes of lucerne, forage crops and whole-crop silage.

The AUTOSWATHER models incorporate two newly designed, 1100mm-wide Kevlar-reinforced conveyor belts that consolidate harvested crop from the left- and right-hand mowers into a single, perfectly shaped swath, ready for processing by a silage harvester.

CLAAS claims the system can easily handle crop yields of up to 60t/ha.

The two belts can be independently disengaged and folded up if swath grouping is not required.

One or both of the belt units can be folded up hydraulically when working without swath grouping or using the ‘19 to 12’ method, where a working width of 19m is consolidated into 12m for the next pass with a 12.7m-wide standard quad-rotor swather.

The belt is automatically switched on or off according to the working/ parking position.

CLAAS says the DISCO 9700’s MAX CUT mower beds deliver exceptional cutting quality and operational efficiency.

In light crop, the mower beds can be operated with a PTO speed down to 850rpm, which the company says can reduce fuel consumption by up to 20 per cent.

Pressed from a single piece of 5mm-thick steel, the unique wave-shaped design enables the cutting discs to be positioned further forwards, improving cutting quality in all conditions, while the shape of the skids and the channel between the discs is said to afford excellent self-cleaning properties.

A SAFETY LINK module ensures each cutting disc is protected by a pre-determined breaking point, isolating it from the drive train in the event of contact with a foreign body.

An axial bolt holds the cutting disc firmly in place to prevent it flying off if it breaks.

The specially hardened intermediate pieces are shaped differently for the mower discs that converge and diverge for a clean cut and maximum overlap.

MAX CUT mower beds also incorporate CLAAS’ rapid blade-change system.

“The caps and mower blades of the clockwise and anti-clockwise rotating mower discs are painted black and red, respectively,” Daniel says.

“This means replacement blades can be immediately assigned to the appropriate mower discs.

“The new blade box is divided into three compartments for red and black replacement blades and used blades.”

The CLAAS ACTIVE FLOAT technology, meanwhile, automatically adjusts ground pressure to adapt to the ground’s contours.

“This system has been tried and tested for almost two decades and has been proven to reduce forage contamination, fuel consumption and wear,” Daniel says.

“The contact pressure, which can be independently adjusted on either side for mowing borders and slopes, is displayed in the terminal or on two gauges on the headstock.

The mower units themselves are driven by new triple telescopic drive shafts with toughened large-diameter steel profiles that enable the enormous adjustment range of the mower arms.

“The new higher capacity K-90 friction clutch is bolted directly to the universal joint shaft, making it quick and easy to service,” he says.

And the innovative hitch frame with angled arms affords an optimum centre of gravity during operation, turning and road transport.

Further protection is provided by the arms’ individual non-stop collision protection, which sees the mower swing an arm back and over any obstacle it encounters.

Folded into a transport position, the arms automatically retract to a height of under 4m.

See your nearest CLAAS dealer for more information.