Krone refreshes Big Pack baler line-up with Plus and Pro models

The beefed-up flagship in Krone’s Big Pack square baler line-up is being joined by more “Gen6” models with uprated features and two levels of specification to suit different user needs and budgets.

At the top of the range, the Big Pack 1290 HDP II, which builds a 120x90cm cross-section bale up to 3.6m long, sports a further reinforced heavy-duty main gearbox.

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

Said to be capable of achieving densities up to 235kg/sq m and throughputs of up to 85t/hour, the machine also packs a large-diameter flywheel weighing 600kg and running at 1,160rpm that helps the plunger strike with up to 15% more force than before.

And to capitalise on that capability, the torque limiter protecting the driveline now allows tractor power inputs of “well over” 500hp.

Smaller models updated

A little further down the performance scale, Krone has revamped its Big Pack offering into simpler-spec Plus and more advanced Pro models, all featuring the scrap-free V-knotter design.

They share the same pick-up, knotters, interfaces and control systems, moisture measurement, working lights and silage additives units in the interest of standardisation for servicing and parts supply. But spec levels differ so that buyers can choose the level that best suits their workload and affordability.

This approach applies to the 120x70cm Big Pack 1270 and 120x90cm 1290 models in both regular and higher-density HDP forms, with the 1290 HDP also benefitting from reinforced bale channel components.

“Plus” specification includes a purely mechanical Variable Filling System pre-chamber where the baled material accumulates into wafers, whereas the “Pro” version is electronically monitored and can be adjusted from the tractor seat if conditions are variable.

The standard bale chamber length is 2.8m, except for the HDP which, as on the Pro models, is 3.6m long. Operators of the lower-spec machines must manhandle the 30-ball twine box covers, whereas hydraulic cylinders shoulder the effort on the Pro versions.

Krone SmartConnect telematics comes with the higher-spec package, but is an option in Plus guise, and while the latter’s knotter cleaning system relies on the tractor’s load-sensing hydraulics, the Pro uses an on-board system.