June 2001

Krone COMBIPACK 1500MC-V

Baler/wrapper trials

The first COMBIPACK 1500MC-V combined baler and wrapper
has recently landed in NZ.

The COMBIPACK system is well suited to contractors baling a high percentage of balage, and saves a labour/tractor unit by doing away with the individual wrapper.


Variable chamber technology

The 1500MC-V is different to the other brands on the market in that it is based on variable chamber technology (hence the V in the model number), meaning that the pressure of forming the bale is activated from the outset, resulting in a higher bale density than fixed chamber balers.

Secondly, less power is required to form the bale.

The third advantage is that the machine can make a bale from 1.0m right up to 1.5m in diameter, so that the system is very flexible, and can offer customers any size wrapped bale they require.

“The variable chamber technology is a key feature in this type of combi-machine” said John Tulloch, Manager of Tulloch Farm Machines. “There is a trend to slightly larger balage bales because of the lower cost per kg dry matter. And average bale handling power is on the increase to drive this trend. This machine is capable of adjusting the bale diameter and hence bale weight to whatever the customer requires. This is done simply by pushing one button on the computer in the cab. It’s that simple.”

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Philip O’Neale (above right) and Brian Faulknor (above left) of Tulloch Farm Machines were out
in the field with the machine on 4th April 2001 in order to test it in some lucerne balage.

“The machine was very easy to operate, and with the system on automatic there is no need to stop to wait for the wrapper at all” said Philip. “We were using a CASE 5150 tractor, and with the tandem axle and the large 500/55x17 wheels, the machine towed smoothly behind without making the tractor moan.”


Range of bale sizes

During the first tests in New Zealand the full range of bale sizes were made. The bales were well shaped and consistent in size. Lucerne bales of 1.5m diameter and approximately 40% dry matter were weighing in at around 750 kg.

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Innovative design

Krone has a reputation for being an innovative company, and is often out in front with the development of new machine concepts. The COMBIPACK is no exception.

Krone developed the first COMBIPACK nearly 5 years ago, and the fixed chamber version COMBIPACK 1250MC has been in production now for 3 full years. This 1250 model is also available in New Zealand, and is priced approximately $8,000 less than the 1500MC-V. The new model 1500MC-V from Krone supplements the range and is manufactured on the same assembly line as the VARIOPACK baler.


Released worldwide

The COMBIPACK 1500MC-V is now in full scale production, and with reliable service experiences from the 2000 season, it has been released for worldwide distribution. The retail price of the machine is $115,050 + GST.


28-30 March 2001 

The site was shared with our dealer Ashburton Implement Services

We demonstrated 3 machines: 
 
  • Krone mower conditioner AMT5000CV - 4.8m working width
  • Fransgaard rake TI6000 - 6m working width
  • Krone round baler VP1500MC - 1.0 to1.5m bale diameter
The AMT5000CV mower conditioner drew a good crowd, and looked very impressive in the corners, making perfect 90 degree turns almost without leaving a whisker. The very light short crop was a good test for the baler’s pick-up, and we proved how clean a job the 5 bar VARIOPACK pick-up makes.

The demonstrations were made difficult by the lack of crop. In the lighter part of the crop, the lucerne was scarcely visible after mowing. Despite this, the Fransgaard TI6000 made a clean job, and raked up some rows for all of the balers.


Award winner!

The AMT5000CV was entered into the “New equipment awards” and won a 2nd place for it’s innovative design. A couple of weeks later we received a nice cheque in the mail which was worth framing, but the super efficient Coral had it banked before we could hang it on the wall.
 
BIG-M Sold Out

Against the general trend in the agricultural machine production industry, Krone is presently recording a good order portfolio.

As the Maschinenfabrik Bernard Krone GmbH, Spelle, just announced, it is especially from abroad that they have received a good amount of orders. According to Krone, this is impressively underlined by the sales figures of the round balers VarioPack and CombiPack and the complete ‘sell-out’ of the Big M series. 

Matching previous years’ situation, the company said that the demand for the self propelled high performance mower conditioner Big M was even so high that the machine was completely sold out even before the season had started. 


TFM comment 

On big ticket items like the BIG-M, we are going to have to get used to the idea of finalising deals well before the Northern hemisphere season starts. By waiting until our season is about to begin, supply of this type of machine cannot be guaranteed.
 
Jeremy Pope

Parts Assistant

Jeremy came on board with us in September last year. He has been learning the ropes in the Parts Department and has made excellent progress to date. Jeremy came to us directly from Wairarapa college.

june2001jeremy

He has a very good understanding of farm machinery, after spending many years learning about it from his father who is a salesman for Norwoods. 

Jeremy lives at home where the food and board is good (and free)! In his spare time he plays soccer for Masterton at Senior club level and has played rep soccer for the past 7 years.