New Holland’s BigBaler receives SIMA Silver Innovation Award for industry-leading safety
• Best-in-class baler safety enhances the operator experience
• Industry-leading throughput of up to 110 bales/hour
• Up to 20% capacity increase and up to 5% denser bales for improved productivity
New Holland’s BigBaler range of large square balers has further cemented its position as the industry-leader with a coveted SIMA Silver Innovation Medal. The international jury of agricultural experts were particularly impressed by the cutting-edge safety features, which enhance operator safety with a zero-tools approach, whilst maintaining best-in-class outputs. Furthermore, the BigBaler is just the latest product in the renewed, professional hay and forage product line up, which features the updated FR range of forage harvesters and the new Roll Baler, high density, fixed chamber round baler.
The BigBaler is produced at New Holland’s global Centre of Harvesting Excellence, in Zedelgem, Belgium, where it benefits from the world’s most advanced harvesting expertise. The facility, which recently gained the World Class Manufacturing bronze level, is home to both product management and development teams together with the testing and manufacturing departments; this fully integrated model ensures close collaboration and continual dialogue to guarantee the peerless competitiveness, functionality and quality of the BigBaler. Zedelgem is also home to the flagship rotary CR and conventional CX combines, as well as the renowned range of FR forage harvesters.
“We are delighted that the jury have recognised the great strides that we are making to improve operator safety in the current BigBaler range, the culmination of over twenty-five years of continuous development.” Stated Franco Fusignani, Head of New Holland Agriculture. “We are not only committed to enhancing agribusinesses’ profits, but also to improving the lives of the people who work with our machines every day. Safety is right at the top of our agenda.”
Guaranteed safe and secure operation
The BigBaler range was designed with safety in mind, as New Holland knows that safety is fundamental, and that when operators are under pressure to bring the crop home in prime condition, short cuts can be fatal. Furthermore, these advanced safety systems have been engineered by design to be tool free for swift, hassle free access.
A unique safety system has been developed so that the front shield can only be opened when the baler is completely stationary: when the PTO has been deactivated and when the flywheel brake has been engaged. Only when these conditions have been met, can the operator unlatch the front shied, using a dedicated lever.
Side doors are opened in absolute safety, and operator strain is reduced, as opening is assisted by powerful gas struts, which also support the side shields when they are open. Operator safety has been further enhanced, as there is no access to any moving components via the twine boxes. The super flat service platform on top of the baler makes working at height even safer, especially when combined with the grab rails. A dedicated needle-locking device is conveniently situated near the rear-access ladder and prevents access to the knotting system unless the lock has been engaged.
Industry leading productivity, efficiency and throughput: up to 110 bales/hour
The BigBaler range has further raised the benchmark in the large square baling sector, and it has become the default choice for professional baling operations, biomass contractors and power generation businesses. As most productive large square baler in the segment, the BigBaler can produce up to 110 bales/hour, for unsurpassed throughput.
The MaxiSweep™ pickup ensures constant, smooth feeding of an even greater volume of crop, and has contributed to up to a 20% capacity increases. Bale density has been further improved by up to 5% courtesy of the enhanced pre-compression chamber which benefits from advanced SmartFill™ technology, which uses a network of sensors to guide the operator to maintain even flake formation for uniformly dense bales.
Advanced PLM solutions such as ActiveWeigh™ on-the-go bale weighing technology, can be recorded together with moisture content, date and time and the bale’s GPS location to create precise yield and field mapping data, so that inputs can be fine-tuned to increase productivity and profitability for future seasons.
The significant throughput and quality advantages of the BigBaler have been further recognised with a prestigious AE50 award, conferred by the American Society of Agricultural and Biological Engineers. The BigBaler range was regarded as one of the fifty most innovative product ideas to enter the market in 2012.