We are already counting down until next year to bring you even more in-depth coverage. Enjoy!

Some of you guys know I have been dreaming of one day owning a big square baler, so I went looking into fulfilling that dream by looking a few big square balers. One stop was by the folks at Krone. There I looked at the Krone Big Pack, a monster of a machine. I was talking about needing a bigger tractor than I have, but the folks there stated that their new machine has a massive flywheel which minimizes input requirement, allowing the use of a little less tractor and still ensure a smooth operation. Also the advertised pickup width is 6′ 5′ or 7′ 9”. There are also five rows of tines to provide greater gathering efficiency. You can also set the number of knives you need to use depending on the crop or remove them with easy to adjust the cutting system. Also if a knife needs repaired it takes just seconds to replace.

They also have a multi-pack version.  Single and tandem axle machines are available and have oversized tires.  Double knitters are available and all the balers come with a pneumatic knotter cleaning system.

Their new approach with this decades old technology allow you to put a device on your big square baler that that can provide you instant readings, taken thousands of times a second, average readings every two  minutes, and the maximum moisture taken every two minutes.  What does this do for you, the hay producer?  It allows you to have continuous readings while sitting in your tractor and producing bales, instead of stopping and taking a reading.  Most important it is accurate, reading the moisture throughout the whole entire bale.  In addition, it will mark bales and areas of the bale that are over the moisture level you programmed.  So, if you are out west and needing the moisture, you can bale right up to the last moment you can, before the leaf shatter is too great because of  the lack of moisture, which is one of the reasons the folks in Australia bring us this technology.  Check out the brochure or call the ISF representative in your area.

Gazeeka used in New Zealand on Hesston Balers.

Gazeeka on some Massey Balers working around a pivot in Australia

Gazeeka on a Krone Big Pack

Gazeeka marking a spot on a bale over the set moisture level

Gazeeka monitors in the tractor cab

Pequea Rotary Rakes come in 9 and 11 foot clean sweep raking widths.  Their tandem rakes come in a 24 foot clean sweep raking.  Each Pequea Rotary Rake features 4-bolt wheels, an exclusive Level-Lift hydraulic system, a totally enclosed oil bath gearbox, and removable tine arms.

We met the folks from Agri-King at the show.  One of our own, haybaler101, was there and greeted us at their booth.  Agri-King offers Silo-King products to treat your hay, haylage/baleage, and corn silage.  Silo King minimizes heating and dry matter loss.  Silo King also inhibits heating which helps prevent mold and yeast growth and increases digestibility.

Every time I look at a Lifetime Wagon, I come away with one thought: if any wagon will last a lifetime, it is this one. The guys there told me they are built entirely from structural steel and the entire bed is hot dipped in a galvanized coating that will not rust. They come in all sizes and have running gears with two and three axles for the larger loads.  Various bed options that are also available include front and back racks, front round bale stops, rear hitch assemblies, and reflective tape and lights, which with some of the urbanites running around when baling, is always a good idea.

We looked at the trailed tedder they had on display. I do not think anybody would dispute when you look at one of these tedders they are rugged looking…heavy duty frames for many years of operation.  The first thing that caught my eye was the tines, they were wrapped five times around the bar, and flexed a great deal.   The inner tine is shorter than the outer tine so that the tines don’t catch the ground…so you have a cleaner carpet of hay to rake.  Also, after having a gentlemen show the systems a couple of other things stood out that impressed me.  The first was the tedders have this heavy duty 8-link clutch that is maintenance-free and provides positive drive in any position. It requires no lubrication.

The tedder has bigger tires and automotive style hubs.  Anybody knows those little “throw away” tedder tires and rims are a real pain.  The tedder also tilts back for easier transport and back into position for field work.  It had hydraulic rams so you are not getting off the tractor to set it up for transport. Also. the system has a maintenance-free rotor gearboxes running in a fluid grease.  The Krone Tedder offers a heavy duty option for your operation. Check out the forums here at haytalk.com, talk to owners of Krone equipment and if nearby maybe even check them out with the guys that use them.

In addition, they have also unveiled the model 615 Tie-Grabber.  This grabber utilizes a New Holland knotter and a 12 volt pump that requires a single remote to operate.    It adds a safety aspect to your loaded wagon/trailers and your stacks in the barn, creating a stable stack of hay.  All the grabbers sizes can be equipped with this option, but if you already own a regular model you will have to trade it in to upgrade to one fully equipped with the tying system.  The reason for the trade is the system has been upgraded to give you the reliability and the strength needed to house the new equipment.  While at the show we met a great number of people interested in this new grabber.

Here are some shots of the LSB 1290 Large Square Baler from Kuhn.   At the show, Zach and I had the opportunity to visit the Kuhn booth and check out their new big square balers and wrappers.  As many you probably already know, Kuhn purchased Kverneland in December 2008.  The purchase included the big square balers, round balers, and wrapping system.  Knowing Kuhn’s excellent reputation for hay equipment, we took the time to talk to the folks at Kuhn about their big square baler and bale wrapper equipment.  Kuhn spent over an hour talking to use about their baler.

The new Kuhn balers are designed for quick and easy maintenance.  They are built with few chains and use drive shafts to run the baler.  In order to protect the knotters and needles they are both protected by shear bolts that are easy to replace.  The machine rides on 20 inch tires and has a large flywheel allowing less horsepower, so you can run it with a little less tractor than some of the other balers out there.  The pre-chamber measures the crop from the top to allow a perfectly tied bale that uses Kuhn’s twin step knotting system.  The baler holds 24 rolls of twine.

Come stop by Booth 627 to talk to us at the National Farm Machinery Show 2010. We’ve already met a few familiar faces–kyfred, jfleace, wrenchbender, krone, ISF, Hay Dr, Haybaler 101, TBrown, We’d love to see you there.

We are just now getting acclimated to the massive show here and will be updating throughout the day with photos, interviews, and videos. Thanks for following our live coverage, and remember to use our Comments section in this post or use the forums if you have anything you’d like for us to find out for you. It’s gonna be a fun weekend.