8 minute read
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
Above: The Lely RP 160 baler in test mode
Itested 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
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
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LP Series
Introducing the LP8000, 8 meter or 6 meter width Land Plane, twin mast independent for lift precision, dragging capabilities of approximately 5 cubic meters.
DG Series
The DG Series is currently being manufactured in 3.6m or 4.2m width Drag Grader has independent lift for laser precision. Dragging capabilities of approximately 3.5-4.5 cubic meters
Bale Bull Round
The BBR maintains a strong robust design capable of handling the heaviest bales. This machine is capable of carrying two bales and feeds on both sides. It is one of the only machines in the market that is able to feed the toughest of silage bales
HDE Ejector
www.jnrengineering.com.au
Leopard Ejector
HDB Bucket
LB Bucket
Bale Bull Square
Features an adjustable moving arm for feed out control and on road transport, capable of carring two bales.
XSE Ejector
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3 2
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1. The compact rear end reduces the risk of the ejected bale doing any cosmetic damage 2. The turnable contour wheels and large windrow roller take the rows with ease 3. The aggressive rotor had no trouble gobbling the grass 4. Easy-to-use E-Link Pro monitor
Pluses
E-Link Pro monitor is bright, easy to read, and practical to operate Low chain oil container makes filling easy Clustered grease points again make daily maintenance a breeze Aggressive drive/cleaning rollers and the four belt system handled the short green grass well Compact nimble machine Camless pickup hugged the ground and cleaned up the swath very well Three knife options: 8, 9, or all 17 Hydroflex drop floor system cleverly allows the crop to smoothly flow through to the chamber Easy net roll change thanks to the clever front tipping cradle
Minuses
The absence of bale shape indicators. However, these are available as an option. hour for each customer, so the driver and owner can extract the efficiency of the output. One thing some operators might find strange is the lack of a status bar for left and right filling of the bale chamber. However, this is available on the largest balers in the range, and filling the chamber based on the movement of the belts is something most drivers of this type of high-capacity machine are accustomed to. It seems odd that it hasn’t been included despite the space available on the main operating screen.
CHAMBER AND NETTING
There are many different theories about single, double, triple, or quadruple belt balers. I’m not getting into the argument of which one is best (although I personally like the four-belt design to drive). In short grass, the Lely doesn’t seem to be as erratic as others. Although there are more gaps for grass to get in, it also means rubbish material and build up chucked out by the Lely’s aggressive cleaning rollers result in trouble-free baling. The four endless belts are a combination of synthetic material and rubber layers. This allows for the perfect balance between grip, strength and bale pressure. Speaking of bale density, as you can tell from the photos, these are well-formed, tight bales. Given the crop conditions, this is impressive but many Lely operators will be familiar with this. This is partly achieved by the belt tension but starts right from when a new bale is formed. Two rollers above the feed system allow the new bale to be quickly formed with the large external CPS (constant pressure system) exerting pressure on the crop right from the core of the bale. The well-proven net-wrapping system runs a core lock to stop the net roll spinning. There is a brake disc system and a powered feed system where the net feeds between a steel and rubber roller. This new series of balers also has the ELS (easy loading system), where the new net roll is simply tipped backwards with the storage cradle. It does make changing the net in the field easier, but you must still lug the roll up in the first place. To be fair, it does stop you from getting covered in dust, which is a bonus.
THE BOTTOM LINE
There are probably three real options when looking for a highcapacity variable chamber baler – this one and two other slightly different shades of green. If you look at some of the bale count totals on Welger/Lely machines, I’m sure you will find a token ‘just run in at 80,000 bales’. Given the technology and heritage of these machines, I reckon that statement may well be ambitious but probably isn’t rubbish.
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