Down Corn in Minnesota

Last week was spent doing demos with our dealer Minnesota Ag in Plainview, Minnesota.  We demoed the new generation BiG X and the EasyCollect corn head.  The two demos we did were in two completely different crop conditions. 

The first demo was about an hour south of Plainview, MN.  We demoed in two different fields for this customer. The first field was all down corn and the second field we went to was pretty good looking corn.  We took a BiG X 700 with an EasyCollect 7500 corn head to both of the fields.  The new generation BiG Xs are equipped with VariStream to improve crop flow and chop quality.  The VariStream really was able to show off what it is capable of in the down corn since the intake of the corn is somewhat uneven.  You can read more about VariStream by clicking here. The customer was very impressed with the new quiet and spacious cab along with the crop flow out of the spout.  The EasyCollect really showed off in the down corn by leaving the field very clean by down corn standards.

The second customer we demoed to had some maturity variation in his corn.  I was able to show him how AutoScan would help him chop to still make the best quality of silage possible.  Since the brown and green portions of the corn will ferment differently in the silage pit, it is ideal to chop the less mature (green portion) at a longer cut and the mature (yellow/brown portion) at a shorter cut.  Simply preset your length of cut for the less mature and more mature portions and the machine will detect what range of maturity the crop is and will adjust the length of cut on the go.  The customer was very impressed with AutoScan! 

Another feature the customer liked on the BiG X was ConstantPower.  ConstantPower improves fuel efficiency while reducing driver fatigue by automatically adjusting the speed (within a certain preset range) while chopping based on a preset engine RPM level.  To also reduce driver fatigue the head is equipped with row sensors that allow the machines to follow the rows.

-Martin-

Corn in Iowa

Last week was spent in and around Inwood, IA with the Krone dealer there, Faber’s Farm Equipment.  This is the second time to visit Faber’s on the demo tour.  The first stop we made there was during grass season and now we are back to chop corn.  The corn where we were was really good.  It was 7 ½ - 8 feet tall and had large ears of corn. 

We went to a few different places to demo the BiG X.  The first demo was for a dairy and we took the BiG X 1000 and an EasyCollect 903, which is a 12 row trifold head.  The machine really ran well and the customer was very impressed with the capacity of the BiG X 1000.  After examining the chopped corn, they also really like the consistency of chop length and the kernel processing quality of the Krone KP.   For the next demo we took the BiG X 1000 and EasyCollect 903 to a family farm and they were equally impressed with the quality the BiG X had to offer.

The next stop was to visit with two new customers who had just bought BiG Xs.  I was able to get in the cab with them and show them some things that they didn’t know the BiG X could do.  They were very appreciative of the support Krone showed them even after their purchase. 

The last stop was to a customer who was running a John Deere chopper and who recently purchased an EasyCollect 6000F competitive corn head.  (The competitive corn heads are able to fit on John Deere, New Holland, and Claas choppers.)  This customer had some down corn and that is why he purchased the EC 6000F.  I was there for the first time he ran it just in case he had any questions.  So far the customer has been satisfied with his new corn head.

This week I am in Plainview, MN doing some more corn demos.  I’ll let you know how it goes!

-Martin-

Empire Farm Days

This last week was spent in Seneca Falls, NY at Empire Farm Days.  Last Tuesday, the first day of the show, was very wet.  It rained off and on all day with some of the showers being complete downpours.  There were quite a few people that braved the rain and mud and came to the show anyway. All of the demos were canceled for the day. 

Wednesday and Thursday were much sunnier days and there was a good crowd at the show.  The first demos started at 10:00 with the silage chopping.  I ran the BiG X 700 with the EasyCollect 753 ten row corn head and the EasyFlow 3801 hay head.  The corn was planted late so it was only about 4 feet tall.  The BiG X and EasyCollect cut the corn with no hesitation.  The hay was cut with the BiG M 400 CV and merged with the self propelled Obxo 4334 34 foot merger.  The EasyFlow hay head was able to really show off it smooth camless pickup.  Those who came to see the machine in the field after the demo told us that they really like the VariStream on the new generation BiG X.  The VariStream system consists of a spring loaded drum bottom and acceleration back plate to allow larger clumps of material to pass through while using less horsepower.  This helps decreases fuel consumption while maintaining a consistent chop quality and crop flow.

The BiG M 400 CV was shown with the mower conditioners.  It made quite a show with its 32’ working width. 

The KW 782T tedder was the only tedder at the demo and people were very impressed with how heavy built the tedder was and how low maintenance it is.  

The Krone SW 38T was also the only rotary rake to be demoed at the show.  Those who came over to look at the rake in the field after the demo were impressed with the maintenance free rotor gearbox and the heavy built, tubular tine arms. 

Check back to see where we will be next week!

-Martin-

Chopping and Baling in Minnesota

Last week we were in Plainview, Minnesota at Minnesota Ag Group.  We were able to conduct a BiG Pack 1290 XC HDP and a BiG X 700 demo in between the raindrops. 

The BiG Pack 1290 XC HDP demo was for a customer who is doing custom work.  He is currently working in Canada and Minnesota running a 3 x 3 large square baler. He is interested in the HDP baler because he wants heavier bales to reach the maximum weight limit a truck can haul. 

The BiG Pack 1290 HDP is the perfect baler to increase the bale weight, while still maintaining a 3 x 4 bale size.  HDP stands for High Density Press meaning a 3 x 4 HDP bale will be approximately 25% heavier than a standard 3 x 4 bale.  Another way to think about it is a BiG Pack 1290 HDP can put the weight of a 4 x 4 bale into a 3 x 4 package. To read more about the BiG Pack balers click here.

For the demo the HDP was run in wet hay at 9 to 12 mph.  Running at these speeds was not a problem for the camless pickup; the field was left very clean.  The plunger pressure was set at only 50% and the bales that were made were nice and heavy.  The customer was very satisfied with the bale weight.

The customer who was interested in seeing the BiG X 700 run was already familiar with Krone.  He has owned BiG Xs in that past and currently owns a BiG X 500.  He really likes the changes made to the new generation BiG X.  The new generation has been completely redesigned with a spacious and quite cab, a new ergonomic joystick, an efficient MAN engine, and VariStream which results in better crop flow and decreased fuel consumption.  Of course the tried and true features of the previous generation are still available on the new generation such as rock protect, crop control, and moisture measurement. The demo was conducted on terraced fields and due to the VariStream the machine ran through uneven clumps in the windrows without having to slow down much. 

To read more about VariStream and the new generation BiG X click here.

-Martin-

BiG M vs. Alfalfa

The BiG Performance Demo Tour was at Faber’s Farm Equipment in Inwood, IA last week.  Despite the record heat in that area of the country the day of the demo was a breezy 85°.  Several people interested in the BiG M came to see it work.  Some were dairymen and ranchers while others were custom harvesters.   Two fields of alfalfa were cut that day.

The first field cut was 25 acres right behind the dealership.  After finishing off the 25 acres, in no time at all, we moved three miles down the road to a 40 acre field of alfalfa.  Each person that came to the demo was given a chance to ride in the BiG M while cutting.  This gave everyone a first had experience of the features, advantages, and benefits of the BiG M.  While people were taking turns riding, others had the opportunity to talk to me, along with a few others from Krone, about the BiG M and other pieces of Krone equipment.  I showed everyone the heavy duty, EasyCut cutterbar along with the SafeCut hubs, which provide ultimate cutterbar protection.  The SafeCut hub system centers on a roll pin that connects each mower disc to the disc drive shaft and that shears upon impact, allowing the disc to rotate up out of the way of neighboring discs and protecting all elements in the cutterbar driveline.

After the BiG M demo I did a BiG Pack 1290 HDP walk around for some people that were interested in the large square balers.  I showed and told them what the differences were between the BiG Pack 1290 and the BiG Pack 1290 HDP.  The BiG Pack 1290 HDP produces a 3 x 4 bale, like the BiG Pack 1290, but using the HDP baler will result in a 25% heavier bale.  The HDP baler has a much heavier flywheel, a longer bale chamber, and the frame is much stronger.   

This week the demos are at Plainview Agri Power in Plainview, MN.  We have already demoed a BiG Pack 1290 HDP and a BiG X 700.  I will let you know about how those demos went next week.

-Martin-

Custom Harvesters Meet the BiG X 1000

Last week was spent in Indiana where we were able to conduct demos for two different custom harvesters.  A BiG X 1000 with the EasyFlow 3801 hay head was demoed to each custom harvester.  

 

The first gentleman we demoed to has been running various choppers to try to find the best one that suites his needs.  I was able to explain all of the great features of the BiG X to him and he got his two main operators in the seat for the demo.  We chopped about 100 acres of Alfalfa and ran the chopper most of the day.  The operators commented that the ride in the BiG X was very smooth, which is very important when you spend the whole day in the machine.  The smooth ride is due to the large tires and rear axle suspension.  They were also very impressed with the high chopping capacity in combination with the fuel efficiency of the BiG X 1000.  Another convenience on the BiG X they mentioned was the easy access to the engines and main components, such as the kernel processor.  

The second custom harvester that we demoed to ran the BiG X 1000 himself to determine how the machine ran.  By the end of the day he ran the BiG X 1000 for about 50 acres and he had found many features he really liked.  He liked the EasyFlow hay head because of how heavy it was built and because of its camless pick up.  The camless pick up was very important to him because in his area of the country there is a lot of sand which causes parts to wear out quicker.  The camless pick up on the EasyFlow head has fewer moving parts which means less wear, fewer replacement parts and less down time.  Inside the cab of the BiG X, he liked how easy it was to change the chopping settings on the monitor while on the go.  He also noted the view out of the cab was unobstructed and he was able to see everything he needed to while enjoying the benefits of having tented windows. 

This week we are around New Hamburg, Ontario.   I will give an update on the demos up there when we finish them.  

-Martin-

Rain, Rain, and More Rain

The rain just cannot hold off long enough for us to run some demos!  We were up in New Hamburg, ON last week, but the rain made it impossible to work the machines.  To still make the best of our week in Canada, we visited some large farms to see what their equipment needs were.  First, we visited  a custom harvester who is looking for a reliable self propelled forage harvester that stays in the field for the whole season.  He explained that he cannot stop in the middle of the season to fix wear parts.  Also, we saw one of the best farms in western Ontario.  They make it on the front page of farm magazines on a regular basis.  They are interested to see a BiG M 400 because they want to be able to cut faster to get the crop out of the field quicker, since they have so much rain there during the harvest season.  If they ran a BiG M 400 they would be able to replace their two windrowers with one BiG M and free up one of the two operators.  They also want to see the BiG X in action. They like the way the BiG X is built heavy, how it has six pre-compression rollers, the durable kernel processor, and the way the Krone EasyCollect corn head works.  These customers were very excited about the Krone machines and requested a demo with Stratford Farm Equipment when the rain finally quits. We also went and visited a customer who recently bought a BiG X 500 to do custom work with. (He also has a Krone triple mower.)  He likes the heavy built machine, the easy maintenance, the cam-less EasyFlow hay head, and the central lubrication system.  He is looking forward to corn season so he can see it work with the EasyCollect corn head.

This week we are back in Vermont since we had to skip that stop earlier in the demo schedule due to rain.  We demoed a BiG X 650 with the EasyFlow 3801 hay head.  We had a group of customers come to one farm to demo the machine.  The windrows that we chopped where really heavy with water, due to the rain. The BiG X picked them up perfectly and did not get plugged once and the cut quality was excellent.  We had one person at the demo that operated the machine in corn last year and he came out to see the heavy built, cam-less EasyFlow hay head work.  They all liked the speed adjustment for the head because “there is no need to have the head run faster than necessary,” they explained.  Many of the customers that came out to see the BiG X in the field got in the operator’s seat.  They all liked the power of the machine.  It has enough power and torque to go through the uneven windrows without plugging up or slowing down too much.  They all were pretty impressed that we did not leave bigger footprints with our machine.  The tractors with dual wheels where causing more damage to the field than the BiG X.  You could barely tell where the BiG X was in the field due to the big tires on it. That was a huge plus for our machines.

         Here are some pictures from the latest demos:

There are more demos to come next week so make sure to check back for my next blog post!

-Matrin-