Hay harvesting is an extremely labor-intensive and risky process, the success of which depends not only on the initial quality and succulence of the vegetation, but also on weather conditions. In small farms, located on a few acres, this circumstance is not a problem even with the use of manual labor. In other cases, only a mini-tractor equipped with a baler, which will be the subject of this article, is able to fix the situation.
Pickup press For Tractor
Pick-up press – a type of attachment on a mini-tractor, designed for harvesting the cut leafy mass from the field by pressing and packing. Modern balers for mini-tractor are a trailed unit, which is communicated with the driving traction unit through the PTO.
Advantages of the baler:
- Minimization of hay losses and preservation of its fodder properties regardless of the duration of storage;
- Reduced labor, time costs for cleaning;
- Greater practicality of the bales or rolls compared to the traditional stack, which is not always convenient to store in the winter.
Balers differ in width and capacity, but the first criterion on the basis of which they are differentiated is the principle of operation.
According to it, they can be:
- Round balers;
- Bale balers.
We will dwell on their differences and similarities in more detail.
Round balers
The bale collector is a well-coordinated system consisting of pressed toothed elements for biomass pickup, a drum mechanism, a press, a tensioner and a binding device, a moving part and a conveyor. Like other attachment adapters, it has a developed electrical system – dimensions and audible alarms.
They function as follows: the cut crop after harvesting enters the baling chamber, where it is pressed and rolled to produce bales. As it rotates, the hay is compacted until the bale density reaches a critical point. This is automatically signalled by a buzzer. The mini-tractor is then stopped to start wrapping. The resulting bale stays on the plot and the tractor continues its work.
The “pros” of the pickup:
- automation of the harvesting process;
- Recreating bales of the same density and size, providing good aeration and eliminating hay chaffing.
“Cons” of the pickup:
- Difficulties with transporting bales over long distances;
- The need for more space to store bales than bales.
Like the previous group of devices, aggregated with PTO minitractor. Less common among consumers, but due to obtaining rectangular or square bales are many times more convenient than their counterparts.
Their internal structure consists of tines, press, auger and knitting element. The straw is grabbed by the tines, which feed it into the baler. A piston press produces bales which are tied automatically, just like in a round baler.
Advantages:
- Ability to set the size of the future bale;
- Wide grip;
- Productivity;
- Long-distance transport comfort.
How to choose a baler for a mini-tractor?
Suitability of such equipment for operation in specific conditions is evaluated according to the following parameters:
- Productive data – for a small landholding perfectly suits the model, harvesting up to 1 ton of hay per hour, and for the areas of several hectares it is better to stop on the variants, the productivity of which exceeds 3 tons per hour;
- Baler working width;
- Parameters of the finished bale or bale – as a standard their size is from 0.8 x 0.7 m to 1.2 x 1.8 m;
- Reliability – shown through the ability to work continuously for many hours of a shift.
The most popular on today’s market are considered to be “Claas” Quadrant 2100-4000 balers with a pre-presser or Rollant 375/374 Uniwrap, “New Holland” Roll-Belt 550, “Feraboli” Extreme 265 LTC.
