Welger RP435 a contractor pleaser
Greg Burnand admits he is something of a connoisseur when it comes to round bales and haylage production.
It is not only because he wants to deliver the best for his clients in the Patea district of Taranaki that he feels this way. It is also because he will often be feeding out the products of his contracting work himself, to his 400 cow dairy herd. ''This means when it comes to round balers we are pretty fussy about what we use,'' he says.
His business Burnand Contracting also focuses only on cultivation and baling, so achieving a high standard is critical to maintain repeat business in the largely dairying region. High standards were what led him to be one of the first in the country to trial the new Welger RP435 variable chamber baler, distributed here in New Zealand by Lely. The Welger RP435 builds on the reputation established by its predecessor the RP420, which has won on-going praise for its reliability and strength of design from farmers and contractors alike.
''We had usually got three balers on the go over busy periods, but we traded one of our previous balers for a poor replacement machine, leaving us a baler down.''
This made the decision to opt for the lesser known Welger a big one, but Greg admits he has never been one to ''follow the crowd''.
Greg was looking for greater reliability and lower running costs from the Welger after his experience with the previous brand of baler he had. Belt replacement and repairs had proven to be an on-going bug bear with the brand, costs he wanted to reduce, if not eliminate.
''I know the Welger was a more expensive machine, but I was struck by the simplicity of design and the solid build quality through it, it really looked like it would do the business.''
Typifying that strength is the RP435's PowerSplit main drive that divides PTO power, delivering half to the bale chamber and half to the pickup-feeder. This acts to reduce unnecessary torque loading on the PTO shaft, delivering an even, direct drive to the feed rotor and chamber.
Coupled to the gearbox is a wide angle PTO shaft, featuring an auto reset clutch that disengages chamber drive when the power limit is reached. The clutch eliminates the risk of wrap up and overload through the shaft.
''Anything that takes the pressure off all over the drive system has to be a good thing for reducing wear and tear.'' Greg says this first summer has proven to be a challenging one, simply because of the difficulties the weather has presented in getting crops done, and the type of grass crop that has eventuated. However the Welger has managed all conditions outstandingly.
Like many areas, December in Taranaki proved cold with low sunshine hours slicing baling days and growth to a minimum.
''We ended up with a lot of short, very green grass crops when the growth finally did come. These are not often crops that round balers handle very well, being hard on the components. Balers can often clog up with rubbish quickly, slowing you down.''
However he has had no problems with the Welger. ''In fact I have yet to find something it doesn't like. I think it has a lot to do with the design of the chamber which does not tend to clog up the way some do.''
All Welger RP435 machines feature the Mastercut 13 knife set-up that delivers a finer cut to increase bale density, improve balage fermentation and give a more digestible feed structure for dairy cows.
The unique HydroflexControl facility on the chamber intake also does much to explain the Welger's voracious appetite for any kind of grass.
HydroflexControl allows for 15mm flex within the feed table floor, reducing tongue pressure at intake when small lumps and material enter.
Should a larger lump continue into the chute, the RP435's hydraulic drop floor system is designed to cater for this.
The floor is simply lowered to enable the rotor to carry the crop into the chamber without any loss or overspill. The hydraulic operation from the tractor cab has effectively eliminated reversing systems for unblocking grass lumps. This has not only allowed for a simpler gearbox design, but removes the need to get out of the cab for time consuming unblocking.
The E-Link Balercontrol has made the link between operator and machine seamless, and easily understood by Greg's staff. He says features like this and the drop floor have made the Welger hugely popular with his drivers.
''In fact I have used it less than anyone, they are always so keen to get out there with it!'' The summer of 2006/07 has not been the greatest season to try and estimate the Welger's throughput, with many light, small crops imposing a limit on potential productivity. However given the difficult conditions, Greg has been nothing but impressed by the quality of what the Welger has delivered.
''It has been one of those years where what comes out the back is very important, and we have had nothing but excellent, consistent bale quality, despite the conditions.''
The bale consistency of the RP435 is ensured with its unique intelligent belt tensioning system.
It initiates mechanically, then engages a hydraulic system once a set diameter is achieved. Belt tension increases with bale diameter, ensuring a constant surface pressure and bale density up to the maximum bale size. Other brands he has used have their chambers operating at over 3,000psi, but the Welger has been running well under that.
Greg believes this will also mean less stress and maintenance as a result. This will only be enhanced by the endless belt system that has no vulcanised joins which ''has got to be a bonus for maintenance'' says Greg.
With the success he is enjoying with the RP435 Greg Burnand, who admits to never following the crowd, may soon have the contracting crowd following him - all the way to another Welger RP435.