Pottinger is aiming to ‘Impress’ farmers and contractors this year with the introduction to the Irish market of its new-generation round baler line-up.
Originally released in Europe in early 2016, the so-called ‘Impress’ balers have been working on the continent for the past two years. In fact, examples have been out and about in the UK; they are now making the journey across the pond for their Irish debut.
Expect to see the machines popping up at shows and events around the country over the coming weeks and months.
Pottinger’s ambitiously-titled ‘Impress’ baler range can be split into two families – with fixed (F) and variable (V) chamber configurations. The ‘F’ range itself consists of two models – the 125F Master and 125F Pro.
The ‘V’ line-up consists of four offerings.
There is a 155V (bale diameters up to 1.55m) and a 185V (bale diameters up to 1.85m) – each of which are available in Master or Pro specification.
First out of the blocks
The first model to make its Irish debut will be the ‘Impress’ 125F Master; it is the smaller of the two F variants. It needs 80hp up front and is said to be suitable for “small-to-medium farmers and contractors”.
The bigger ‘Impress’ Pro needs a heftier 100hp; it’s aimed at larger farmers or contractors.
The 125F Master produces bales with a diameter of 1.25m and a width of 1.2m; the chamber is home to 18 chain-driven rollers.
The crop is fed into the fixed chamber via a “floating” pick-up; it can be had in either 2.05m and 2.3m working widths. All pick-ups come with five rows of tines, which are kept in check by two steel cam-tracks. They are arranged to “trail” slightly – apparently to sweep the crop in a controlled arc and adapt to contours.
The entire pick-up unit is suspended from a central point; this enables movement of up to 120mm at the tines. Also home to the pick-up is a swath roller and two cross conveyor augers (on each side of the intake).
‘Lift Up Rotor’
Behind the pick-up sits Pottinger’s patented ‘Lift Up Rotor’ which, as the name suggests, “lifts” the crop up into the chopping system (which is situated above the rotor). This, claims Pottinger, allows for a natural crop-flow into the chamber while also reducing any material losses (as any loose material simply falls back into the intake system).
The 125F can be fitted with zero, eight, 16 (Master) or 32 (Pro) knives. The Flexcut 32 system is home to 32 “TwinBlade” reversible knives; theoretical claimed chop-length is 36mm.
The chopping system incorporates a drop-floor – to unplug blockages.
For easier maintenance, the knife-bank simply pulls out to one side (at waist height).
Also Read: SIMA 2017: ‘Pull-out’ knife-bank for Pottinger’s new round balersA braked axle is part of the standard specification. The Master comes shod on 380/55/17 tyres, while Pro versions come on larger 500/50/17 boots. Other tyre options are available.
The 125F – the first machine to appear on the ground here in Ireland – comes as standard with an automatic tailgate; it opens once the bale is tied and closes again with no driver intervention (provided the bale kicker indicates that the bale is clear of the machine).
Inside the cab, Pottinger supplies a dedicated electronic controller; ISOBUS is optional.
Pottinger Ireland’s general manager Diarmuid Claridge commented: “I am very excited to introduce the ‘Impress’ balers to Ireland; the 125F Master will arrive first.
We will have a ‘Combi’ machine at the upcoming [FTMTA] Grass & Muck event in May.
“The ‘Impress’ baler is the result of a long process of testing and customer feedback. I am confident that it will not only perform as expected but will be a game-changer for the Irish baler market.”