CLAAS is one of the pioneers in the development and construction of round balers and one of the world's leading suppliers in this product sector. With the VARIANT 500 series, we have now succeeded in incorporating a clear plus in operator comfort and ease of maintenance with increased baling density, further optimizing net wrapping and at the same time meeting practical demands for tyres that protect the soil.
More knives for VARIANT 565 RC and 585 RC
The VARIANT 500 series comprises four models. The VARIANT 560 RC and 565 RF can create bales from 0.90 to 1.60 m in diameter, while bale diameter with the VARIANT 580 RC and 585 RF is up to 1.80 m. The new VARIANT 560 RF and 580 RF both feature a spiral ROTO FEED rotor, while the VARIANT 565RC and 585RC both come with a spiral ROTO CUT four-star cutting rotor that ensures excellent forage quality and high baling density.
The VARIANT 565 RC and 585 RC also incorporate heavy duty drive components such as reinforced drive chains, a strong cutting rotor with 8 mm double-tine stars and special knife protection for where the baler is heavily used and primarily for silage. Both balers are equipped with a 17-knife cutting mechanism with a theoretical chop length of 60 mm. The standard PRO rotor drop floor can be lowered hydraulically to clear blockages at the push of a button from the tractor cab, while the knives are automatically depressurized. In order to prevent blockages in advance, the PRO rotor drop floor compensates for uneven swaths by being able to lower itself by up to 30 mm and automatically return to its original position. An acoustic signal warns the driver before the rotor is blocked, so that there is enough time to reduce the driving speed.
Optimized SMART DENSITY pressure control system with soft core
A key focus for the engineers from Metz-Woippy has been on the new baling pressure control. This includes a new hydraulic control block with independent lines for both belt tensioning arms. This means that both the position and the baling pressure can be measured independently for both arms. The newly developed control software not only optimizes the baling process, so that perfectly formed bales leave the chamber even under difficult operating conditions in grass silage. The new regulation also achieves a higher bale density in the outer area of the bale, which better protects the bales from the effects of the weather. As a further effect, this allows an even more precise adjustment of the soft core if required, for example when baling hay. The dimensions and baling pressure of the soft core can be adjusted independently of one another for all operating conditions.
Binding with edge covering now standard
In the binding area, most noticeable is the ideal position of the net roll, which is 25 cm lower than in the previous generation and thus enables easy and safe roll changes. Thanks to the new net brake, which is independent of the roll diameter, for absolutely constant net tension, a further improved feed plate and the new knife release guarantees a reliable and trouble-free completion of the tying process under all operating conditions.
The tried-and-tested comfort net wrap for the fully automatic binding process has been carried over from the previous series in the VARIANT 500. The same applies to the COVERED XW net wrap, which is 1.30 m wide to cover the edge of the bale, which is now part of the standard equipment. Downtimes are minimized thanks to the comfort wrapping, the high belt rotation speed of up to 3 m/s and the rapid ejection process. As an option, all models can be equipped with twine binding as usual.
Soil-friendly tyres
The topic of soil protection is becoming increasingly important for farmers and contractors, especially when working on sensitive, less stable locations. CLAAS does justice to this with new tyre options up to size 560/45 22.5, i.e. more than 1.05 m outside diameter, for the VARIANT 500. This is made possible, among other things, by a newly designed chassis frame. On request, the VARIANT 500 can be supplied with an air brake system.