Speedy automated bale collection is possible with wrapped as well as bare bales without risk of ground scuffing damage thanks to a novel pick-up arm on the Anderson RBM2000 Pro chaser from exhibitor D Clifford & Sons.

The secret lies in a power-lifting arm that retracts upon contact while it grips and lifts the bale as the chaser continues to move forward.

See also: Round-bale chaser slashes haulage costs

That means wrapped bales can be collected as efficiently as unwrapped ones, says the Canadian manufacturer, resulting in a one-man operation with high daily productivity, lower labour and fuel costs and with less soil compaction than a loader-and-trailer operation.

The Anderson chaser can carry 20 round bales in two lines of seven with a single row on top.

They can be grabbed around the sides or ends and are unloaded on to their ends for stacking by tilting the deck to the rear and using the hydraulically powered headstock to push them off while the chaser moves forwards.