John Deere had several new machine announcements to make in January. One of them was the introduction of the new L341R high-density large square baler. This new baler creates high-density bales that are three feet by four feet. When it comes to straw bales, Deere claims farmers can expect bale weight increases of up to 30 per cent.
“There are fewer bales to pick up and move, which leads to less in-field compaction,” said Chase Milem, marketing manager at John Deere. “Since fewer bales need to be removed from the field, farmers save time, labour and fuel. In addition, the heavy bales help ensure trucks are loaded with the most amount of hay possible for enhanced efficiency.”
High-density balers are well suited for crops that have more elastic characteristics, such as straw. The L341R uses increased plunger force and tension panel pressure and a bale chamber that is 18 inches longer than previous models to put extra pressure on the bales and to get more material packed into each one.
To demonstrate what that means for producers, Deere says the L341R can form up to 1,200-pound (544 kilogram), densely packed straw bales that are three feet by four feet. Previously, a bale of the same size only weighed up to 925 pounds (420 kilograms).
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Across a 160-acre field, with straw yielding two tons per acre, a farmer could get by with four fewer trailer loads to transport the bales, according to Deere’s calculations. That saves time and operating costs.
“The time farmers will need to retrieve the bales from the field will be less,” said Milem. “Since there are fewer bales to pick up and move and less traffic in the field, potential crop regrowth can increase.”
John Deere is also making its new Bale Documentation technology available on its large square balers to give producers another precision management tool. Using Bale Doc, farmers can track bale weight and moisture content. That information can be uploaded to the John Deere Operations Center for analysis and permanent record keeping.
“Gathering bale yield data may offer farmers insights into irrigation frequencies and water volume applied,” Milem said.
“It also can improve nutrient application plans and provide an estimate on the volume of residue removed from a field. The L341R helps our customers leverage John Deere equipment and technology they may already use.”
