At this year’s Grassland Event, the CLAAS UK demonstration will include three new additions to the CLAAS grassland products range.
• DISCO 3100FC with ACTIVE FLOAT
• The LINER 3500 rake
• The VARIANT PRO variable chamber round baler
New addition to the DISCO range
The CLAAS DISCO range of disc mowers and mower conditioners is one of the most extensive ranges on the market, with 27 models ranging in working width from 2.1m up to 9.1m.
To ensure quality forage and an evenness of cut, it is important that the mower accurately follows uneven contours and does not scalp the ground. To ensure this, the mounted DISCO CONTOUR range incorporates the easy to use ACTIVE FLOAT hydropneumatic suspension system, that allows the mower’s ground pressure to be quickly and easily set-up and adjusted from the cab. As ground and crop conditions change, so the ground pressure and suspension ’ride’ can be adjusted to maintain a clean cut.
In all, 12 CONTOUR models are available with working widths from 2.6 metres up to 9.1 metres.
To compliment the rear-mounted models, new for 2011 is a front-mounted mower conditioner version, the DISCO 3100FC with ACTIVE FLOAT. In place of the conventional spring mounted suspension system, the new DISCO 3100FC incorporates two single-acting rams which are connected to four pressure accumulators.
The ACTIVE FLOAT system is also designed so that the weight of the mower is transferred to the tractor, so reducing frictional resistance, which aside from helping improve evenness of cut and reducing wear, also contributes in a reduction in fuel consumption of up to 20% depending on conditions.
As on all DISCO mowers, the new DISCO 3100FC uses the P-CUT cutterbar, which is designed to achieve an extremely even and clean cut, regardless of working width, whilst also offering high reliability and efficient power use. The cutting discs themselves are set lower in the cutterbar for a cleaner cut and improved crop flow, and are mounted in a new, high strength sealed double tapered roller bearing assembly.
Each cutting disc is protected by the unique SAFETYLINK drive protection system, where defined shear points prevent gear and cutterbar damage should an object be hit. As standard the cutting discs use the CLAAS QKC (Quick Knife Change) system, in which the knives are held in place using a spring leaf system to ensure that damaged or worn blades can be quickly and simply replaced without using tools.
New LINER 3500
Creating an even, lump-free swath is essential if optimum forage harvester and balers outputs are to be maintained. New for 2011 is the four-rotor LINER 3500 rake which, with a working width of up to 12.5 metres, is designed to meet the demands of the larger JAGUAR foragers.
The new LINER 3500 replaces the very popular LINER 3000 which set the standard for high capacity swathing.
Like its predecessor, the new LINER 3500 has four Cardan mounted rotors which are designed to lift cleanly out of the swath. In order to achieve a clean finish, each rotor carries 12 PROFIX tine arms compared to 11 on the LINER 3000, each of which are fitted with four double tines. For maximum reliability these are carried on twin bearings in a sealed, permanently lubricated rotor housing.
For optimum flexibility, the front pair of rotors can be infinitely hydraulically adjusted, allowing the working width to be reduced from the full 12.5 metres to as little as 9.90m when working in heavy crops. A choice of four swath widths are also available from 1.40m up to 2.30m.
The LINER 3500 features a load-sensing hydraulic system with state-of-the-art valves. In addition to push-button lifting and lowering of the rotors, as standard each rotor can be individually lifted if required, plus there is the option of electro-hydraulic rotor height adjustment.
The LINER 3500 is controlled using the CLAAS Standard Terminal, but the CLAAS ISOBUS compatible COMMUNICATOR terminal is also available as an option.
VARIANT PRO balers
CLAAS VARIANT variable chamber round balers are renowned for their high output and the density of the bales that they produce, regardless of bale width. For 2011, CLAAS has introduced a new VARIANT PRO version of each of the four VARIANT models, which has the potential to achieve greater output and efficiency.
All feature a 2.1m wide pick-up, four endless high-tensile belts in the bale chamber running at 2.7m/second, a hydraulically operated bale density pressure system and variable core density.
As with existing models, on the VARIANT 360RF PRO and 365RC PRO bale diameter can be varied from 0.9m to 1.55m in diameter, whilst the VARIANT 380RF PRO and 385RC PRO creates bales up to 1.75m in diameter.
All models feature a four star double tine HD feed rotor with heavy duty drive system and the VARIANT 365/385 PRO machines feature the 14-knife ROTO CUT bale chopping system to accurately chop grass silage for greater density and bale quality.
A particular feature of the new VARIANT PRO models is a hydraulically operated floor in the ROTO FEED or ROTO CUT chamber immediately behind the pick-up, which enables blockages to be quickly and simply cleared. This gives the operator the confidence to push the baler to its maximum capacity, so improving efficiency and baling output.
As material flows through the ROTO FEED or ROTO CUT chamber, sensors will automatically detect a potential blockage and trigger both a trip clutch to stop the drive and an alarm to alert the operator.
To clear the blockage, the operator then simply hydraulically lowers the floor, then re-engages the drive so that the blockage can pass safely through to the main bale chamber, prior to closing the floor again and re-commencing baling.
As standard, all four PRO models come with the CLAAS Medium Terminal which enables functions such as bale and core density pressure control, total and daily bale counters and bale size adjustment to all be quickly and easily controlled from the cab. As an alternative, the CLAAS COMMUNICATOR terminal is available which allows a wider range of functions to be controlled or automated.
