Only four prototypes of the Premos 5000 currently exist, and the company is still using them in field trials.
Photo: Scott Garvey
The in-field demonstration in Hungary was the first public showing of the Premos 5000 at work. Under peak load, it can demand up to 400 horsepower.
Photo: Scott Garvey
After passing through the forming rollers, pellets move through this slotted drum. Incomplete pellets fall back into the material flow to be reformed, while finished pellets are dropped onto the conveyor for movement to the storage hopper.
Photo: Scott Garvey
The hopper is unloaded in a way similar to a combine.
Photo: Scott Garvey
This tank stores vegetable oil, which is used to lubricate the forming rollers. That makes initial start up easier and reduces power demands on the tractor.
Photo: Scott Garvey
Last June the Grainews e-QuipTV video team travelled to Hungary to get a look at some of German-based manufacturer Krone’s equipment at work in the field. That included the company’s new-concept Premos 5000 in-field pellet harvester.
First unveiled to the public at the 2015 Agritechnica machinery show in Germany, the Premos 5000 is the first machine of its kind. It’s able to turn windrows of straw or hay into pellets right in the field. That provides several new options for producers when it comes to transporting, storing, feeding, bedding and even selling straw or hay. Because the pellets are so dense, they allow for much more efficient storage and cheaper transportation. That also creates the potential for entirely new markets for them, according to the company.
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CNH plans for “more than 15 new tractor launches, 10 combine launches, 19 crop production launches and over 30 precision technology releases between now and the end of 2027.”
Although Krone’s marketing team say the design of the components within the Premos 5000 allow for a much lower power demand than most current, stationary pelleting systems, the machine can still demand up to 400 horsepower from a tractor under maximum load conditions.
The two newest Premos prototypes to hit the field incorporate some design changes from the original pair. And there may be more refinements ahead for the machine as field trials continue ahead of a market launch. A date for its official release to dealers hasn’t yet been announced and is likely at least a year or more away.
