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New balers based on a happy union

Countryman

Vicon has released a new baler range — looking fresher and fitter than ever — to replace its 21 series.

And it’s all due to a happy marriage between a deep well of Scandinavian experience and renowned European flair.

The Kverneland Group has invested heavily in the development of its new range of variable-chamber and fixed chamber round balers, which was unveiled by national distributor PFG Australia at an official launch held at Geelong recently.

The function was attended by several overseas executives of the group, including UK technical manager Tim Baker.

Tim was part of the team which worked on the introduction of the new baler line-up with a modern factory in Europe.

“We worked closely as a group, but I provided a high degree of technical input gleaned from 20 years’ experience in baling equipment, ” he said.

“Working on this upgrade has been far more than the typical marketing partnership between agricultural equipment companies, where one partner builds the machine and the other puts its brand on it and sells it. We were able to bring masses of knowledge to the project because of Kverneland’s long involvement with hay tools.”

Tim said a key feature of the upgrade was that both fixed and variable balers were built on the same platform — something offered by no other manufacturer.

He said the many advantages included the fact that both styles of baler used common pick-up, net and twine systems.

“This cuts down on the parts inventories that need to be carried by dealers and makes the training of service technicians much easier, ” he said.

“We were able to introduce some significant innovations, including the addition of a drop floor, improved controls, heavier drivelines and so on.”

The RV4100 and RV4200 series of balers offers 10 different models, all with five-tine bar pick-ups.

The RV4100 balers can take either a 2m or 2.2m-wide pick-up, while the 2.2m pick-up is standard on all RV4200 models.

The feed intake on the RV4100 is a standard fork design, though a SuperFeed rotor intake can be fitted. The RV4200 uses the SuperFeed intake as standard, but a SuperCut pre-chopping system, using 14 or 25 knives, is an option. The RV4200 balers offer ISOBUS compatibility, meaning the machines will be able to “talk” to other ISOBUS systems found in most modern tractors.

The RV4216 produces bales with diameters from 0.6m to 1.65m, while the RV4220 makes bales up to 2m.

Kverneland also brought a vast knowledge of specialised agricultural electronics to the table.

The group was a pioneer in the development and adoption of ISOBUS and all its electronic equipment is developed and made in-house.

“We developed an entirely new circuit board for the baler controller, based on deep experience of what was required, ” Tim said.

He said the manufacturing plant in Italy was “tremendously modern”, covering about 10.5 hectares.

“They have their own laser cutting machines and use robots for welding and folding, ” Tim said. “Kverneland people have also been impressed by their high-density parts storage warehouse.

“The factory also incorporates a full powder paint system which gives the balers a highly attractive and durable finish.”

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