Keenan has developed and refined the Keenan Bale Handling System, which is not only quick, efficient and effective, but is also a complete system in that it caters for those who use either small or large quantities of baled material.
When relatively small amounts of, say, straw are required, the mixer wagon can chop it to the optimum length using blades set on the side of the mixing chamber. As the paddles rotate their castellated ends push the straw across the blades and reduce its length accordingly.
But when whole bales of straw, hay or silage are used, Keenan now has the Baleblender system – a unit that can be specified on new machines or retro-fitted to existing mixer wagons, and allows the speedy processing of whole bales whether they be round or square.
The Baleblender comprises a series of hinged metal bars that span the open top of the mixing chamber to provide a cradle to support the bale. These now have a deeper curve which not only hold the bale more securely but also exposes more of the bale to the paddles.
As the paddles rotate in the mixing chamber, their castellated ends draw the material out of the bale and pass it over a knife running the length of the machine. Partially chopped and loosely shredded, the chopping continues within the machine using the fixed knives attached to the sides of the mixing chamber. The system, which normally takes less than two minutes to complete, ensures that the entire bale is preprocessed before it enters the chamber.
One of the advantages of the Baleblender is the low power and fuel requirement. Vertical auger systems that may allow whole bales to be dropped in to the mixing chamber put an enormous strain on drive lines and require high power and heavy fuel use. And unlike this one-drop system, the Baleblender systematically and efficiently chops and shreds the material, usually in less time, with the guarantee that the entire bale has been processed.
The Keenan Bale Handling System also caters for those who use large numbers of bales and require a more automated approach. And for this, there is the Bale Shear which is designed to slice a wrapped round bale in half and retain the plastic film and netting as its contents are released onto the Baleblender cradle, all without the operator having to leave the tractor cab.
Users of square bales can also benefit by using the Bale Shear to cut off the required number of bale wedges to make a feed without having to open the entire bale.
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