Claas at Scotgrass
27 Apr 2010
New CLAAS products make working debut at ScotGrass
A number of new products will be making their UK working debut on the CLAAS UK stand at this year’s ScotGrass event.
The range of new equipment includes the new 8.4m and 9.1m wide DISCO 8400C and 9100C CONTOUR triple mower conditioners; the LINER 4000 which has a maximum working width of 15m; the new ROLLANT 454 and 455 round baler range; the new heavy duty PU300 pick-up for JAGUAR 900 series forage harvesters and the latest VARIANT balers with a drop-down floor in the chopping unit.
DISCO 8400 and 9100C CONTOUR
On both the new 8.40m DISCO 8400 C CONTOUR and 9.10m DISCO 9100 C CONTOUR mower conditioners, in order to reduce weight loading, and hence compaction, in addition to being manufactured using high strength, lightweight steel, the mounting system for the outer two rear-mounted units is designed so that the mowers are positioned as close to the tractor as possible to reduce axle loading. This also has the benefit of enabling the mowers to be used on a lower horsepower tractor than would normally be necessary to handle the extra weight.
The two outer units are centrally suspended and incorporate the CLAAS ACTIVE-FLOAT hydro-pneumatic suspension system. Depending on ground conditions, this system allows the operator to adjust the suspension pressure from the cab, so ensuring a clean cut and minimal risk of crop soil contamination.
The outer units also incorporate an automatic breakback feature where, due to the 15 degree mounting of the pivot arm, when an obstruction is hit the whole mower unit swings back and lifts to avoid potential damage.
Each of the mower units uses the CLAAS P-CUT cutterbar, with shear point protection on each disc, which are fitted with quick change blades.
LINER 4000
The LINER 4000 rake has a maximum working width of 15m, making it ideal for use ahead of larger JAGUAR foragers. The LINER 4000 has four equal sized 3.80m diameter rotors mounted on hydraulically extendable arms, giving a range of working widths from 12.20m to 15m and swaths from 1.50m to 2.60m wide.
Each rotor has 14 PROFIX tine arms, each with triple bearing support and carrying four dual tines, which if necessarily can be quickly removed. The rotors are mechanically driven and feature a sealed, continuously lubricated rotor housing containing a long-life graphite iron cam track.
Each rotor is carried on a four-wheel chassis fitted with 650-8 10PR tyres and cardan suspension, making the rotor free to move independently of the chassis. This provides three-dimensional tracking across uneven ground which, combined with the ability of the tines to stay parallel to the ground, ensures a clean sweep. In addition, all four rotors are steered to avoid scuffing when turning.
The LINER 4000 is controlled using either the CLAAS COMMUNICATOR control unit or any other ISOBUS compatible terminal. In operation, in addition to setting the working and swath width, the terminal can be used to individually lift each rotor and to set the required working height, plus up to four rake heights can be individually stored and called-up. In addition, the operator is able to alter the headland lifting and lowering time sequence, and also the lift height.
ROLLANT 454RC and ROLLANT 455RC and UNIWRAP
Creating a bale measuring 1.25m x 1.20m, a particular feature of these two new ROLLANT models is the ROTO CUT chopping unit, which is designed to provide a high quality chop in all conditions.
The new ROTO CUT chopping unit is fitted with a total of 25 knives giving a minimum chop length of 4.8cm. This compares to current ROLLANT 355 ROTO CUT units that feature 16 knives. Using the COMMUNICATOR, the operator can engage either 0; 12; 13 or all 25 blades. In UK silage conditions, where a shorter chop is required, then this can be achieved by engaging all the blades. Alternatively the operator can opt for a longer chop length by engaging half the blades and then once these need re-sharpening, the second half set can then be used, so prolonging production time in the field.
For even greater bale density, the new ROLLANT 455 is equipped with the proven CLAAS MPS pivoting roller system. Both the ROLLANT 454 and ROLLANT 455 feature heavier duty drive chains and rollers.
On the ROLLANT 455 UNIWRAP, the wrapping unit is structurally reinforced and incorporates a new hydraulic motor for a higher orbital arm speed. This results in less time to wrap each bale and ensures that the bale has finished wrapping before the next bale is ready to leave the chamber.
The higher arm speed combined with a quicker transfer time from baler to wrapper means that the whole wrapping cycle is up to 30% faster than previous models, giving the ROLLANT 455 UNIWRAP the potential to bale and wrap around 60 bales an hour.
Drop down floor for ROLLANT and VARIANT balers
A new feature available on both the ROLLANT 454/455 and VARIANT round balers fitted with the ROTO CUT chopping unit is the ability to hydraulically lower the chopping unit floor using the COMMUNICATOR in order to clear blockages or for servicing.
Incorporated into the COMMUNICATOR control unit is a blockage detection function, which alerts the operator that the floor is opening by 15mm, allowing him to slow down. In the event that the feeding channel does block the operator will firstly press one button to lower the knives, then lower the floor before re-engaging the chamber to clear the blockage. Once the PTO speed returns to 500rpm, the floor will lift back up automatically and the knives are re-engaged.
New JAGUAR 300 HD Pro pick-up
The new heavy-duty 3.0m wide Pro pick-up has been designed to efficiently handle the high outputs achieved by the higher powered JAGUAR 900 models and realise the increased output potential from the new 15m wide LINER 4000 rake.
Structurally, the new 300HD Pro pick-up is built around a high strength main frame. For speed and simplicity, the pick-up incorporates a quick-coupler drive attachment system which, along with the locking mechanism, are both located on the left-hand side of the pick-up.
The pick-up reel is fitted with five tine-bars to reduce the stress loading from working in heavy, dense crops and to aid collection of shorter material. The new heavy-duty unit comes as standard with a double roller crop-press, which is manufactured using 25% thicker steel and features new end-caps that are designed to prevent crop wrapping.
To handle the increased crop-flow, the diameter of the intake auger has also been increased by 25%. The drive to the auger is via a strong, 2-speed gearbox and this is protected with an oil-immersed auger clutch designed to handle the heavier loading.
