There are a few things on-farm that are dependent on the owner’s personal taste, and then there are things that appeal to the masses – take a bale chopper, for instance.

Not one farmer or contractor would compromise on a bale chopper that is reliable, accurate and efficient.

In this article, we take a look at the new Kverneland Bale Chopper range, and what it has to offer Irish farms.

Bale Chopper 800 series

The range starts from the mounted 852 model/trailed models, and goes up to the 863 Pro and the 864. As to the company’s policy, each machine has a two year warranty.

Specifications of the range include:

  • From 2m³ to 6m³ chamber;
  • Blowing distance up to 20m;
  • Drum Feed Control System – Blockage-Free Design;
  • Optimised feeding and bedding;
  • Unique drum-knife configuration to handle a wide variety of materials;
  • Two-speed gearbox for reduced flywheel speed when discharging feed materials;
  • HP requirement at PTO: from 852: 40/55 to 56/75 kW/hp.

With the 800 series, Kverneland’s goal was to make bale choppers that handle straw as efficiently and productively as possible. They are designed to run smoothly, offer increased capacity, reach longer blowing distances and do the job in less time, by getting the bedding or feeding material to the ‘working heart’ of the chopper as quickly and blockage-free as possible.

Flexible Loading

Flexible loading is provided by enabling loading either from the wide-rear tailgate or from the top – handy if you want to load from a tractor. The hydraulically operated rear door provides a self-loading facility for easy loading of square and round bales.

Blockage free output

The funnel design of the chamber ensures there are no sharp corners for material to accumulate and cause blockages.

The Drum Feed Control patented System (DFCS) is designed to handle even the most difficult material. It includes a powerful electric cylinder and a comb positioned above the drum. During loading the system is engaged, which means that the comb is in a lowered position, ensuring that blockages of the flywheel are minimised during the loading and start up process.

Once the flywheel speed is at a sufficient level, all you need to do is to push a button and the DFCS ‘fingers’ will be gradually disengaged and open for full flow through the flywheel. The progressive release of the ‘fingers’ offers a more gentle start, protecting the machine and minimizing the risk of blockages.

As a bonus, this system means excellent cleaning of the chamber after each operation.

Bolting on or off additional knives takes a matter of minutes, as required while at the flywheel; bolt on paddles can be easily replaced in under an hour if necessary. Once at the flywheel, with six paddles, there’s generous room for material flow through the chute, while the two-speed gearbox on high speed means plenty of power to blow further – between 18-20m for bedding or at lower speed for feeding purposes.

The flywheel housing on the 863 model has been increased to 350mm to allow the maximum room for high capacity output. 

Additional Features

The 863 model is alone in having a four stage chute that allows gradual and even targeting of the material, especially handy when feeding into troughs. A side chute for feeding directly into the trough is standard on all models and the option is available for a fixed feeding chute instead of swivel.

For durability, knowing the effort the floor conveyor goes through every day, Kverneland run this on two wear strips made of ‘UltraGlide’ plastic, that increases the lifetime of the conveyor and make certain the smooth flow of material to the chopping mechanism.  

With remote control of the floor and tailgate, and wide angle PTO with slim design for tractors with wide wheels as standard, Kverneland’s range of choppers have all the requirements of bedding and feeding covered.

More information

For more information on the Kverneland Range of Bale Choppers, click here, or contact either of the numbers below:

  • John Doyle: Product manager and area south – 00353 87 101 3053;
  • Allan Hetherington: Area north – 0044 7826 544 630.

Kverneland Group is a leading international company developing, producing and distributing agricultural machinery and services. Strong focus on innovation allows Kverneland to provide a unique and broad product range with high quality.

Kverneland Group offers an extensive package aimed at the professional farming community, covering the areas of soil preparation; seeding; forage and bale equipment; spreading; spraying; and electronic solutions for agricultural tractors and machinery.

For more information on Kverneland Group visit www.kverneland.ie.