John Deere’s new 1400-series big square balers, built in Kuhn’s Dutch factory as part of a 2011 agreement between the two companies, are now fully available for the 2013 season.

There are three models in the range, the 1433, 1424 and 1434, producing bales of 80cm wide by 90cm high, 120cm by 70cm and 120cm by 90cm, respectively. Bale length ranges from 60cm up to 300cm, and can be controlled electrically from the tractor cab as an option.

Isobus is standard on all models, allowing the operator to adjust settings such as bale density and precutter knife selection from the tractor cab. A heavy-duty rotor is said to give increased performance in all crops and conditions and either 2.1m or 2.3m RotoFlow or precutter pick-ups with pivoting wheels are available

The precompression chamber and packer design, with a high-capacity plunger working at 46 strokes/min, allows the baler to adapt to changing windrow conditions and produce a consistently hard, dense and well-shaped bale. This helps to improve bale handling, stacking and ease of transportation, and results in a more attractive bale to feed or sell.

Prices range from £101,935 for the 1433 model to £134,232 for the 1434C.