John Deere has revamped its flagship R-series variable-chamber round balers, treating them to a tougher driveline, increased bale density and an automated weave function.

The role of the latter is to improve bale consistency, which it achieves by nudging the machine from side to side to evenly fill the chamber.

See also: Massey Ferguson unveils new twin-chamber conventional baler

This means drivers only need concentrate on keeping the tractor centred over the swath, regardless of how even the crop is. It will even work when going around corners.

Key components of the system are a pivot point where the drawbar meets the baler and a hydraulic ram to deliver the shifting force. An added perk of the setup is that it makes the baler considerably more manoeuvrable.

It won’t work with all tractors though, so buyers will need a guidance-ready 6R fitted with electric spool levers at their disposal.

Both models – the V452R and V462R – are fitted with an updated version of the firm’s trademark rear curtain, which has reduced the bale release time to just 3sec.

© James Andrews

According to Deere, this allows it to make more than two bales per minute in a suitably heavy crop.

In addition, double, endless belts exert up to 140kg/cu m of pressure in the chamber – a 7% boost compared with the previous incarnation.

In line with the Deere’s other round balers, a host of Isobus features have been incorporated, such as the ability to communicate with Operations Center management software.

This allows information such as bale number, size and drop location to be mapped and stored for easier record keeping. Moisture content can also be recorded, providing the baler is equipped with an optional sensor.

Other features include a 2.2m cam-track pickup with five tine bars, a full-width drop floor and optional 15-knife pre-cutter.

As for bale sizes, the V452R model offers a range from 0.8 to 1.65m, while the larger V462R runs up to 1.85m.

M-model updates

Lower-spec V452M and V462M balers have received some attention, too, with a 10% increase in driveline power intake and new endless belts that have a rough surface to improve feeding.

They also come with hydraulic knife engagement, long greasing intervals and a chain auto-lube system.

Moving on to wrapper balers, C442R, C452R and C462R models now have a 40rpm wrapping arm speed, all functions can be operated from a Command Pro joystick and they come with the option of a built-in weighing system.