KUHN VBP 7190 baler-wrapper Machine Spotlight

Keeping feed dry and bales intact during transport are problems that agricultural equipment expert, KUHN, has worked for years to solve.

This year, at the KUHN Expo held in Toowoomba in southeast Queensland, the company displayed its latest baler wrapper combo machine which applies significant technological advances to the business of baling. 

KUHN’s VBP 7190 Opticut was so advanced that it was named Machine of the Year in the Baling segment at the recent SIMA (Salon de la machine Agricole) Awards announced in Paris.

Judging the awards was undertaken by a panel of journalists from several European markets, who praised the VBP 7190 for its versatility.

“Straw or forage, film or net wrapping, the farmer can choose without having to spend too much time changing. Whatever the conditions, almost anything can be done,” the judges said.

It has been more than 20 years since the BIO – Bale In One – baler wrapper concept was born. In 2009, after the Dutch factory responsible for BIO was taken over by KUHN, the more complex and effective Intelliwrap technology was developed.

KUHN describes its VBP 7190 variable combination baler as the most powerful and versatile machine in its segment. With this machine, contractors and farmers can expect a constant high level of performance in all circumstances.

From producing large, dense straw bales to perfectly shaped, short crop silage bales with high moisture content, the VBP 7190 does the job effectively, KUHN says.

The VBP 7190 incorporates exclusive KUHN systems such as:

Its robust construction and minimal requirements for maintenance permit the machine to operate for extended periods at maximum capacity.

The VBP 7190 is built on a heavy-gauge steel frame on dual axles and low-pressure tyres to minimise soil disturbance. Pivoting pickup wheels improve pickup and protect the tines.

The baler operates via the tractor PTO shaft with a horsepower requirement of about 147hp. It also features an automatic overload system where a clutch activates the drop floor and retracts the rotating knives in the event of material overload. This allows any surplus material to be cleared without the operator needing to leave the tractor cab.

The pickup and baling utilise a system of drive chains and hydraulic rams to gather, compress and wrap material into bales of different sizes, from 80cm to 185cm in diameter.

The baling chamber has no sharp edges and is designed to ensure the film does not suffer damage during the wrapping process. 

The VBP 7190 baler offers operators the choice of net or plastic wrap to secure bales and the ability to switch quickly between the two systems.

Net wrapping is seen as most appropriate when the crop is dry and will store better with air circulation.

The KUHN system with active stretch technology maintains net tension to ensure uniform bale shape and bales will remain intact during transport.

The process begins when the net is fed into the front of the baling chamber where it rotates at a lower speed than the incoming feed, ensuring a more uniform shape to the bale and greater exclusion of air.

When using Intelliwrap plastic film, two 750mm delivery rolls are involved in the wrapping process. These rolls are lighter and faster to change than standard-width single wrap and, according to KUHN, save up to 37 per cent on film costs when compared with a wider single roll.

“This is the most efficient machine of its kind in the market today. It adapts easily to the kind of product being baled, can measure moisture content and produce bales weighing up to 140kg where previously the maximum was 125kg per cubic metre,” KUHN Product Manager, Michael Murer, told farmmachinerysales at the KUHN Expo.

“The 7190 is the ultimate in KUHN’s baler range, one of the only balers with film-on-film capability and a real game changer for the Australian farming community.”

VBP 7190 operators can draw data from an array of sensors that send information to the machine’s onboard display.

From within the tractor cab, operators can monitor the density of the material being baled as well as moisture content. Using the data, they can adjust various settings such as bale diameter and baling pressure.

Intelliwrap rolls weigh 27kg each and deliver enough film from two rolls to apply three layers of wrap to 120 to 140 bales.

The rolls take just a few minutes to change and the VBP 7190 can carry up to 18 spare rolls of film.

Lubrication for chains is automatic as is greasing of bearings, both from onboard lubricant stores.

For further information, visit KUHN Australia’s website.