BALER REVIEWS
roll up Being a conscientious reviewer, Jaiden Drought not only tested the Lely RP 160 baler but waited throughout 2017 to see how the bales turned out
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tested the Lely RP 160 baler late last summer (and by a New Zealand summer, I mean no visible ponding on the paddock surface) on some short grass, jacked up on urea and freshly mown – all the things that keep a belt baler on its toes. I threw in a full set of knives and an honest 1.35m bale size to really sort the men from the boys. The baler handled this surprisingly well, but I wanted to delay writing the article until after I had fed the bales from this machine to determine what the quality and handling ability was like at the other end, and to give an all-round perspective. You know what I mean: you either love the bales – they have held their shape, which makes unwrapping and feeding them out a breeze – or there is the other side of the equation where they look like spongy golf balls, with feedout time proving a war of attrition.
PICKUP AND ROTOR Above: The Lely RP 160 baler in test mode
In short grass, the Lely doesn’t seem to be as erratic as others.
Buyers can choose between three spec options – Classic, Master and Xtra – with the major points of difference being the pickup, knives and in-cab controller. Our test machine was equipped with a 2.25m hybrid 2 camless pickup, although a 2.4m model is available. Key differences between our test machine and older models included thicker and longer tines, a larger coil to increase life in New Zealand’s often-rough baling conditions, and an adjusted tine angle. If it’s getting too close to the ground due to the camless setup it folds back to protect the pickup without leaving any crop behind. Because the cam track has been thrown on the scrap heap, this has allowed for an additional tine bar to be added. This takes the number to a total of five, with 64mm tine spacing, and also allows the pickup to be situated closer to the rotor, giving better crop flow.
Another great feature is the grunty crop flow roller at the front. This also allows a more consistent crop flow in heavy crops by pressing them as they enter the pickup and helping reduce the effect of wind in light fluffy crops.
KNIVES AND DROPFLOOR I ran 17 knives through the bales (the maximum number) and the chop quality at feeding out was both exceptional and consistent. Knives are hydraulically controlled from the cab in conjunction with the E-Link Pro controller. The Xtracut-specced balers have two sets of knife banks, so on our spec machine (17-knife model) you could chose eight (back set), nine (front set), or 17 (both sets). All are hydraulically protected from damage with rocks. Another brilliant feature is the Hydroflexcontrol anti-blockage system. The ‘flex’ essentially is rubber and spring mountings, which allow the drop floor to move under peak loads. If the lump is too large or a foreign object or a wet lump trips the slip clutch, then the ‘hydro’ comes into play. This is the drop floor, which allows the blockage to pass. All this is done from the cab on the controller/hydraulic lever. The knives are disengaged and re-engaged once the floor is back in the working position.
IN-CAB MONITOR As these types of balers become increasingly high-capacity and high-tech, the trend is to keep up with the technology level in the tractors towing them. E-Link Pro is an easy functional monitor, which can only really be surpassed by ISOBUS. The E-Link Pro has a nice bright display, which is clear and offers plenty of space for useful information about the baler. This not only includes bale tallies but also total time and bales per
Looking for a baler? Search for ‘baler’ on TradeFarmMachinery.com.au or type the TA or DIY code shown here into the keyword search field
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FFM2011_390 editorial temp for press.indd 52
$52,500
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LELY RP445. Variable Chamber Round Baler, 540rpm PTO, 13 knives. • TAS 03 6111 4725
$80,000
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2014 LELY RPC245 TORNADO. Fixed chamber baler wrapper combo. • NSW 0428 633 647
$52,800
TA1047822
2015 WELGER RP545. 28,500 bales, in excellent condition, drop floor. • VIC 03 8373 7045
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23/09/2020 10:52:59 AM
