Krone VariPack ready to roll

German farm equipment brand, Krone, has been successful with its chain, slat and elevator balers and is confident its new belt balers will take off in Australia too.

The Varipack range was officially launched on to the Australian market in March 2020 with limited number of stock available last year. Krone said the range is now readily available across Krone and Kubota dealerships nationwide.

A prominent feature of the Krone VariPack is its ability to bale dry material such as straw, hay and silage to produce bales with the highest density on the market, Krone claims.

This is thanks to the four endless belt setup in the VariPack bale chamber which is what differentiates the range from Krone’s previous baler offerings – Comprima and Fortima, which bale chamber setups consist of combinations of belts, slat elevators and chains.

According to Krone Senior Product Manager, Lars Pasedag, VariPack’s straightforward design of three drive chains and an efficient net system is what gives farmers better bale presentation and greater work capacity.

"The bales produced are the highest density in the market,” he says.

“The density can be adjusted from the cabin and is created from the combination of the rotor and W-arrangement of pickup tines feeding material into every corner of the bale chamber.”

With the ability to adjust bale density, farmers can ensure the bales they create are fit for purpose, for example maximum density bales are suitable for long-distance haulage while soft core bales aid in drying applications.  

The variable bale chambers in the VariPack models also mean farmers can decide the diameter of the bales they wish to produce, depending on the model at hand. For example, the VariPack V165 produces bales between 0.80-1.65m in diameter whereas the VariPack V190 churns out bales with diameters between 0.80-1.90m.

The VariPack range consists of eight models altogether – the non-cutter V165 and V190, the V165XC and V190XC with 17 knives for cutting, the top-of-the-range non-cutter V165 Plus and V190 Plus and the V165XC Plus and V190XC Plus models with 26 knives and a slew of premium features.

The bells and whistles that come with the Plus models include a central lubrication system, load sensing baler automation to open and shut the bale chamber door automatically and double belt drive for better performance in all conditions.

The VariPack Plus balers’ flexible cutting system with 26 knives allows farmers to select the number of knives in groups of 0, 13, 13, or 26 to suit their needs and to ensure maximum cutting quality in all conditions.

The VariPack balers’ rear door features hydraulic cylinders with stroke end cushioning that allows the door to open faster (4 to 5 seconds) for bale ejection, so operators can move on quickly to the next bale.

An operator friendly Easyslide net system lets operators easily load and unload twine and netting on to the machine. Loading net or twine rolls into the VariPack balers is as easy as folding out the chute on the left hand side and sliding the new roll into the cradle. This way, operators need not break a back heaving heavy net rolls on to the cradle.

There are also ample storage space on both sides of the baler to store extra twine and net rolls so farmers need not worry about running out of twine half way through a baling operation.

 "The VariPack balers are a wonderful machine for Australian farmers,” Pasedag says.

“The high-density quality outputs coupled with its simple design and accessibility means the machine is easy to service and maintain, and likely to provide a return on investment.”

Visit kroneaustralia.com.au for more information.

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