'One-pass' raking and baling in Ireland, but with a Polish twist

This video footage (below) shows a SaMASZ Twist 600 ‘basket rake’ in action – here in Ireland.

The footage shows the machine mounted on the front linkage of a New Holland tractor which, in turn, has a McHale Fusion in tow (at the rear).

The outfit belongs to Cork-based Egmont Agri – the Irish importer and distributor of SaMASZ equipment.

This outfit is effectively a ‘one-pass’ raking/baling combination – an approach that promises to do away with the need for a second tractor and/or driver. In this instance, of course, wrapping is also taking place (thanks to the use of a ‘combi’ baler/wrapper – rather than just a baler).

According to SaMASZ, the Twist ‘basket rake’ gathers the grass in a “cleaner” manner than other types of machine – thanks to its tine-bar system. The company says that the design of these tine-bars prevents stones being swept into the newly-formed swath.

Most notably, unlike other raking/grouping machines, the Twist 600 requires no PTO; it’s hydraulically-driven. As its name might suggest, it has a working width of 6m (600cm).

The manufacturer claims that, due to its simplicity, it’s relatively light – considering its working width.

Interestingly, this is not the first time that AgriLand has featured ‘one-pass’ raking/baling outfits.

Also Read: Here’s the ultimate ‘one-pass’ system – for baled silage contractors

Where Did SaMASZ Come From?

The SaMASZ story began in 1984, when mechanical engineer Antoni Stolarski opened his own business in a rented garage in Bialystok (Poland).

That same year, he built his first potato digger (harvester). He sold 15 of these – taking on two employees in the process.

Within two years, he had built his first drum mower – a 1.65m-wide machine. By that stage, he had built 90 potato diggers. The workforce had grown to 10 full-time people.

By 1988, 15 staff were employed at SaMASZ; a new 1.35m-wide drum mower had joined the fledgling product line. Continued growth prompted a move to a new premises.

In the mid-1990s, the company was building more than 1,400 mowers per annum; exports sales to Germany also kicked off.

Disc mowers

1998 saw the advent of SaMASZ disc mowers; it also saw the beginning of a raft of new distribution arrangements – in New Zealand, Saudi Arabia, Croatia, Slovenia, the Czech Republic, Norway, Lithuania, Latvia and Uruguay. Exports accounted for over 60% of total output.

By 2005, following the launch of several new products in the interim, up to 4,000 mowers were being built and sold each year. In that year alone, 68% of the factory’s output went beyond Poland’s borders.

The 50,000th mower was completed in 2008 – a year when the MegaCUT and GigaCUT (with working widths of 8.6m and 9.4m) joined the product portfolio.