Massey Ferguson has introduced two new baler tools that boost output, increase hay and straw quality and allow farmers and contractors to use accurate tonnage figures to buy and sell forage. The new Integrated Bale Weighing System(IBWS) and HayBoss preservative applicator made their UK debut at the 2011 Grassland Event.
The new Massey Ferguson IBWS is available for all models in its MF 2100 Series big balers. Installation on year 2010 and 2011 balers is simplified thanks to pre-installed mounting points. Information on the bale weight is displayed on the standard baler terminal or any Isobus-compliant console. This allows the operator to monitor individual bale weight, flake width and bale length, and total bale weight, which provides the great benefit of enabling contractors to buy straw or sell forage by the precise tonnage, rather than on a per bale or area basis.
Another significant advantage of weighing the bales is it allows operators to reduce costs by achieving maximum truck payloads without the risk of overloading.
Available through Agco Parts for dealer fitment, the IBWS kit employs two load cells, mounted on the roller chute, that weigh the bale as it passes over. A sensor fitted to the star wheel measures both flake and bale length, which are displayed on the terminal. The operating screen shows the average number of flakes/bale and length of current bale.
Up to a third more output can be achieved by balers equipped with the HayBoss G2 bale preservative applicator system, which is now available through Agco Parts for fitting to all Massey Ferguson large square, conventional and round balers. The system is designed to apply precise rates of preservative to hay or straw to improve forage quality.
“The application of Balers Choice preservative, through the HayBoss system, enables farmers and contractors to start baling sooner and finish later, extending the working day by up to 30 per cent,” harvesting product marketing manager Mark Grigson said. “This is because the preservative allows crops to be baled at moisture contents between 15-30 per cent, but stored normally without the risk of developing harmful moulds and dust. The preservative also increases the hay quality and reduces crop losses.”
Balers Choice is well proven in the UK. It is pH neutral, non-hazardous and non-corrosive so it will not damage machinery and equipment.
“It is pH6.0 buffered propionic acid with citric acid that helps retain the grass colour and freshness,” Mr Grigson added. “Trials show that baling hay at 22 per cent moisture content with preservative compared with 14 per cent, will reduce crop losses by 14 per cent and improve feed value by the same amount.”
The HayBoss system from Agco Parts is offered in four modules, which build from basic moisture monitoring, through a fully electronic applicator system, up to sophisticated bale ID tagging: Module 1 offers a moisture meter with HayBoss G2 Touch Screen for all baler types; Module 2 is the automatic application system including nozzle bar, tank, pumps and operates through the same HayBoss G2 Touch Screen control; Module 3 is for wet bale management and inclues a dye sprayer kit to automatically mark bales that exceed a pre-set moisture threshold; and Module 4 is the bale identification system that creates and attaches a unique radio frequency identification (RFID) tag to large square bales.
The HayBoss moisture sensing system ensures operators can exploit every baling opportunity, without leaving bale quality to chance. Available for all baler types, the sensors vary in size and shape, but all work in the same way. An electric current, that passes through the entire width of the bale, is detected by the sensors and used to assess the moisture content to within 0.5 per cent.
The results are displayed on the HayBoss terminal in the cab, providing operators with vital information on which to make decisions. This reduces the risk of baling hay and straw that is too wet and cuts waste.
Baler’s Choice preservative is proven to improve hay and straw quality and allows material to be safely baled at moisture contents of between 15-27 per cent with large square balers; and from 15-30 per cent with round and conventional machines.
The HayBoss G2 terminal ensures the liquid is applied accurately and at the correct dose rate, according to the bale moisture and speed detected by star wheels. The system automatically adjusts the flow rate to the nozzles between 1.9-4.7 lit/t, depending on the moisture content.
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| Different-sized Balers Choice tanks are available for the MF baler range. |
The liquid is held in a tank, which varies in size from 440 litres for large square machines, generally 220 litres for round balers and 100 litres for conventional balers. Three variable-speed pumps, controlled through the terminal, supply the preservative to the nozzle bar mounted across the pick-up. A light beam sensor detects the crop flow and shuts off the application when there is no material in the pick-up.
In operation, the HayBoss G2 terminal not only controls the application, but also displays and records a wide range of information including current moisture content, trends, bales/hr, throughput in t/hr, target and actual application rates as well as storing information on up to 300 different jobs.
The latest MF 2100 Series balers come with pre-drilled holes to fit the application system. On machines fitted with the new IBWS, these precise figures are employed to further improve dosing accuracy.
With the Dye Sprayer Unit option, for large square and conventional balers, the system can also be used to identify bales that exceed a pre-set moisture threshold, which is set in the terminal by the operator. An 11-litre tank on the machine holds red food grade dye that is sprayed onto either the top or side of the bale, which makes them easily identified for separate handling and storage.
As well as providing complete traceability for every bale, the HayBoss Data Tagging System provides total stock management, allowing individual bales to be sorted and stored in separate stacks. It can also help optimise truck loads and prevent overloading and help lift profit by segregating bales by quality.
The tagging system attaches a microchip tag to every bale. As the bale exits the chamber advanced RFID technology transmits unique information about the individual bale to the tag. Recorded data includes: Bale ID number, field name, date and time the bale was made, average moisture content, amount of preservation applied and the bale weight.
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The HayBoss tagger unit is available for MF’s big square balers. |
The same information is also recorded by the HayBoss terminal and this can be downloaded via a USB memory stick and saved and displayed on a normal Excel spreadsheet. This provides a permanent record of each bale made.
Hand-held or loader-mounted RFID tag scanners, operating at a distance of up to 1.5m or 3.0m respectively, are used to read the information on the bale’s microchip, even if the bale has been wrapped. These can scan single or multiple bales.
Useful when loading trucks, the tag scanner keeps a running total of the weight, which helps to maximise the capacity without overloading.
For more information visit: www.masseyferguson.co.uk.
