Competition is heating up at the apex of the 120×90 baler market, with Claas signalling its intention to challenge New Holland et al with a new high-density design.

See also: Driver’s view: Blackwater Baling’s New Holland BigBaler 1290 HD

The Cubix promises performance far exceeding that of the firm’s current Quadrant Evolution, at least if the concept’s theoretical throughput of 70t/hour is anything to go by.

This equates to 140 straw bales an hour based on a wagon-friendly 500kg average weight – something the firm says is eminently achievable, given its ability to pack a consistent 210kg/cu m, and up to 235kg in optimal conditions.

Among the myriad changes from the Evolutions are a new main gearbox integrated into the frame to maximise drive efficiency, and two longitudinal 202kg flywheels that spin at 1,650rpm to harbour the energy required for consistent, high-density crop compaction.

There’s also a revised single-row packer for the pre-chamber and new McCormick-style double-loop knotters that do their business without leaving thousands of twine ends in the field.

These are said to produce a 20% stronger knot, so six strings will apparently suffice for bales that require eight on competitor machines.

Maintenance has been reduced too, with the driveline encompassing enclosed gearboxes and just a few belts, and it should practically drive itself.

Thanks to a ruck of sensors monitoring the various components, the baler will detect any overloading at the pick-up and shut it down before a blockage occurs.

And with tractor implement management, operators will be able to set their target throughput and/or bale density and leave the system to alter driving speed accordingly.

It won’t yet steer to follow the swath, though Claas will likely have sorted that by the time the Cubix balers go into production in 2028.