Falc Kronos 6400 mulcher 2020 Machine Spotlight

In the early 2000s when cotton was all the rage, Italian brand Falc saw an opportunity to fill a gap in the Australian ag machinery market and hence, the Kronos was born.

The Falc Kronos 6400 mulcher was demonstrated to southern NSW cotton growers at the Irrigation Research and Extension Committee field day at Whitton, NSW last year.

Weighing 3820kg, the mulcher features heavy-duty drive-shafts coupled with the Bypy 2200 328hp gearbox.

A 300mm rotor of 10mm thickness has additional flails over the crop lines, while an aggressive overlapping comb shredder bar gives the finest mulch and best finish.

The Falc Kronos has replaceable wear and tear body lining for longer machine life and a simple ratchet adjustable height wheels at furrow positions across the rear.

Codemo Machinery Services sales representative Neil Streat, has watched the development of the Falc mulchers over the years.

“Falc was one of the early mulcher brands to see cotton as a big crop in Australia, and the company spent a lot of time and money developing this series called Kronos,” Streat said.

“Falc took a standard mulcher and made it into a cotton mulcher.

“Cotton is unique and needs to be chopped at height, so Falc spent a lot of time developing a twin-cone counter-blade system, the high diameter rotor, high tip speed and the big gearbox.”

Falc claimed to be the first manufacturer to run a plus 300hp gearbox to cater for the heavy loads.

The solid chassis and high-rise open area makes it a better machine for doing crops like cotton, along with maize and rice.

Streat said the 6400 has gone through a few progressional changes since release.

“The Kronos Series was developed in the early 2000s when cotton became the flavour and Falc were the first to get in with a mulcher delivering a better cut and chop,” he said.

“Falc sent a team of engineers out here asking growers what they needed and this is what we’ve got.

“They have certainly listened to the needs of the clientele.”

Codemo service up to 60 Falc units around the Murrumbidgee Irrigation Area.

“Sales have been a little tight this year due to the lack of water but we have good repeat customers with Falc,” Streat said.

“We have a smaller 4m model available and others up to 6m and 8m. The 6.4m fits the southern cotton operations due to how growers work and plant their country.

“Cotton growers have high input costs so they want to do the best job in one pass.

“The cotton industry in the Riverina is going gang busters so we need to be part of that.”

Streat recommended a tractor requirement of 250 to 350hp for a 6.4m wide machine.

“A robust tractor is needed because there is a solid piece of material out the back – it is a heavier style machine to lift,” he said.

Aside from its strength, the Kronos has a couple of features that set it apart from other mulchers, Streat claimed.

“Falc runs big rotors, high tip speed, and incorporate twin cone counter blades.

“The counter blades hold the product together to allow a far better mulching job of the cotton.”

He added the machine’s high body gives it the ability to handle higher trash loads than most models on the market today.

“It has a solid chassis and tyres, and they are tough - we do offer as an option a swivel unit for those wanting to do open areas,” Streat said.

“We put on a high ply rating tyre with a solid, crank adjustable hub system.

“With mulchers you need a nice clean cut just above the ground and that is the benefit of having multiple tyres with the ability to be adjusted depending on the depth of the furrows.”

The travelling speed of the Kronos depends on the amount of cotton in the paddock and the job producers wish to achieve, Streat added.

Cogged belts are adjusted from the outside with all the bearings and greasing points also located conveniently on the outside.

“The drive shafts always stay parallel – because we use a jockey system to tension, we are not shifting the angles of our drive shafts,” Streat said.

“The whole drive is put through a heavy-duty 328hp gearbox. We can set the machine on whatever hitch the tractor offers – we have a top floating hitch so there is a little bit of tolerance when going through the hills or the bankless channels.

“It is a machine which offers growers a first class job.”

Streat said Codemo is a complete sales and service company.

“When a farmer buys a product he wants to know about the support from the dealer so we are a good believer of servicing what we sell,” he said.

“With cotton, there is a lot of daily servicing required due to the lint build up and Falc mulchers are easily accessible for keeping the machine clean.

“We endeavor to make sure we have a good range of parts on the shelf.

“The technology of farming today has definitely changed – the modern farmer is a business person relying heavily on technology and equipment built to stand the test of time.

“He wants bang for his buck.”

Streat said Codemo is keen to be part of more demonstration days focused on the cotton industry.

“If the farmers will support demo days, we will do more of them ourselves as we see them invaluable,” he said.

The recommended retail price of the Falc Kronos 6400 is $75,000 plus GST.

Look up Falc Kronos mulchers for sale

Working width: 6440mm

Transport width: 6860mm

No. of flails: 144

Weight: 3820kg