Krone picks up the silage pace

Krone has released its silage wagons for 2010.

Krone's 2010 line-up includes three models - the new AX280 GD, the new MX350 GL/GD and the ZX450 GL/GD.

The AX280 GD is the ideal machine for dairy farms, having a standard cross conveyor to feed out fresh material to the animals, and the MX350 GL/GD wagon and ZX450 GL/GD are perfect machines for larger operations and contracting businesses. These machines have high loading and unloading rates for chopped grass and maize silage.

All AX and MX silage wagons feature a camless low maintenance pick-up that was first seen four years ago in Big Pack square balers.

This pick-up runs 30 per cent faster to improve crop flow and forward speeds and has 65 per cent fewer moving parts than conventional pick-ups that use a cam track.

Pick-up width for AX is 1700mm and 1900mm for the MX silage wagon. The machines are equipped with a crop roller and a set of guide rollers behind the pick-up for perfect contouring and less crop contamination.

The innovations of these new wagons don't just stop at the pick-up unit. The heart of every silage wagon is the rotor and cutting system.

In this area, Krone has designed some impressive new innovations.

The 760mm diameter feeding and cut rotor with six rows of tines in the AX model and the 880mm feeding and cut rotor with eight rows of tines in the MX machines, allow for an enormous throughput.

The tines welded to the rotor are surfaced with hardwearing Hardox plates. The chain and slat floor of these wagons is angled down towards the rotor for a shortened travel of the crop inside the wagon.

This not only lowers the horsepower requirement and fuel consumption to run the wagon, but also makes for a better stack inside the wagon because the first portion does not fall over to the rear, but leans towards the front loading wall.

The full loading capacity can be used as a result of the angled floor.

A theoretical cutting length of 45mm is achieved via the 32 knives in the AX280GD, while the MX features 41 knives in a spacing of 37mm.

The special highlight on both machines is the knife bank, which folds down and swings out to the side.

The operator no longer walks around the machine to lock and unlock the bank on either side and then remove the knives under the machine.

Instead, he carries out all operations on the left side of the machine. To swing out the knife bank, he simply operates a lever that unlocks the knife bank and then swings it out to the left for fast knife changes without tools.

Further innovation is found on the discharge rollers.

The AX280GD and MX350GD models feature two standard rollers, with a third roller available as an optional extra.

These 470mm diameter, octagonally-profiled rollers operate on a new principle, whereby the bottom roller spins at a faster speed than the top one(s), thus providing a smooth discharge of crop without blockage.

The gearbox controlling the discharge rollers is protected by the main clutch on the driveshaft, which translates into greater torque and higher discharge rates.

The AX280GD is equipped with a cross conveyor to directly feed fresh material out to animals. The MX350GL comes without the discharge rollers to dump the material quickly into the silage pit.

As the MX350 GL/GD is lacking cross-hoops or ropes that usually cover the top of the wagon, forage harvesters can load grass or maize silage straight into the trailer.

All machines feature a standard boogie axle with rear axle steering.

This axle is automatically locked for safety when the unit is driven over the silage pit.

A very easy to understand comfort control monitor is used to operate the wagon. The onboard diagnostic system allows the operator to check the electric and hydraulic system for malfunctions without the need for dealer assistance.

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