New Holland baling tech ticks farmer’s boxes

Fourth generation farmer, Simon May, has just completed his first baling season with his new BigBaler 1290 High Density baler at his 2,056-hectare farm in Balaklava, South Australia, and said he has boosted output on his farm by “at least two to three times”.

“We went from a large ‘four by four by eight’ square baler to the New Holland 1290 BigBaler and there really is no comparison in terms of weight and throughput,” he said.

“Where we were averaging maybe 30 bales an hour, we are now able to produce 75 to 80 bales an hour of the same weight.”

May added he is also getting the maximum tare weight out of the trucks leaving the field, where previously he’d rarely get the full weight.

“It increases efficiency and saves time and trips to the processer as we’re handling fewer bales for the same tonnage out of the field,” he said.

“It also opens up a larger window for baling, as conditions don’t have to be perfect and we can still produce decent bales in sub optimal conditions.”

New Holland’s BigBaler High Density range features a longer chamber; heavier chassis and density ring; as well as the patented Loop Master Knotter technology to deliver efficiency for farmers while protecting the environment, New Holland said.

In April 2021, Loop Master won the Gold Medal in the Sustainable Farming Solutions category of the 2021 Edison Awards, in recognition of the significant environmental benefits and cost savings of the knotting technology.

New Holland’s BigBaler High Density range was also one of the star attractions at the AFIA Fodder Festival 2021, held at the Elmore Events Centre in Victoria earlier this year.

“Bale quality is key to delivering maximum productivity and minimum waste, so a robust knot is worth its weight in gold,” said New Holland Fodder Conservation Hay & Forage Product Segment Manager, Sune Nielsen.

“A key component in the baling process is the knotter. The knotter secures the twine around the bale – if the knot is weak or breaks then the bale is compromised and time, twine and crop are all wasted.”

New Holland’s Loop Master knotting system uses a new type of secure double knot that is stronger and produces more robust bales, the company said. The second knot is a loop style, which is 37 per cent stronger compared to a standard knot, New Holland added.

“This results in up to 26 per cent increase in overall tensile strength for reduced breakages,” Nielsen said.

“At 4.05m, the BigBaler 1290 High Density’s baler chamber is the longest in the segment. This is to ensure consistent productivity in terms of density and bale shape over the entire baling day even at the highest ambient temperatures."

Where a traditional large square baler would leave behind 6km of twine off-cuts per season after baling, New Holland said its innovative loop knotting tech leaves nothing behind.

“Off-cuts can end up in the bale, which may be eaten by livestock, or left in the soil or enter waterways. In contrast, the Loop Master system leaves nothing behind, thereby protecting the environment as well as improving animal fodder quality,” Nielsen said.

“When you look at the bigger picture, on a yearly production basis, this innovative technology has the potential to reduce plastic twine use by approximately 450 tonnes across a global yearly average production, thanks to the higher strength which allows the farmer to use lower grade twine.”

According to New Holland, the development of its Loop Master system took five years from concept to manufacture. The project team used a 3D printer to make the prototype and first tested it in the plant before bringing it out to the field for testing over two seasons on all crops, including corn trash and lucerne.

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