New Holland has expanded its hay and forage offering with the launch of the Rolabar 230 Plus rake, designed to help producers deliver clean, quality hay for livestock and export markets.
Latest updates include additional reinforcements in key stress areas, full mechanical basket flotation to support basket integrity and ground following, redesigned tine stripper bars and an updated basket frame that allows the baskets to meet closer in the centre, helping create a tighter windrow while maintaining crop quality and colour.
The 230 Plus will also feature a full yellow livery to align with the wider New Holland hay and forage range.
New Holland Product Manager Hay & Forage, Sune Nielsen, said the Rolabar concept was developed to help producers produce cleaner hay.
“Whether it's dairy, beef or export hay, it all comes back to producing quality feed,” Sune said.
Producing clean hay starts with keeping dirt and contamination out of the windrow. For livestock producers and hay growers, cleaner hay can help support feed quality, while reducing the amount of unwanted material picked up during raking.
“The Rolabar design leaves dirt in the paddock and puts clean hay into the windrow. That's been the strength of the concept from the beginning, because the tines sweep and lift the crop in the same motion, which helps reduce the amount of dirt and contamination picked up with the hay. Not only that, the Rolabar tine action is very gentle on the crop, helping minimise leaf loss and retain nutritional value,” Sune said.
The Rolabar rake has been part of New Holland's haymaking range for more than 50 years. New Holland were key innovators for this concept that continues to play a role in hay production systems around the world.
The 230 Plus brings additional capacity for larger haymaking operations. Using two 12-foot baskets, it can rake up to 9.14 metres of crop into a single windrow, helping operators reduce the number of passes needed to complete the job.
“That’s important when you're trying to get hay raked in a narrow weather window,” Sune said.
“The fewer passes you need to make, the more ground you can cover in a day, which can make a real difference when conditions are right and there's a lot of hay to get through.”
Sune said flexibility was another advantage of the 230 Plus, with operators able to adjust the rake to suit changing crop and field conditions while helping maintain forage quality. The baskets can be configured to either merge windrows or turn a windrow, depending on the application.
“With a low hydraulic requirement, you can also match it with just about any tractor in your operation,” he said.
Australia produces hay for both domestic livestock producers and export markets, making efficient haymaking equipment an important part of the production process.
Sune said every step of the haymaking process contributes to the end result, and the Rolabar 230 Plus is designed to support that by helping producers put clean, consistent windrows on the ground.
“Good feed is where it all starts. Every bale that goes into the shed supports the milk, meat and fibre people rely on every day,” he said.
To find out more about the Rolabar 230 Plus rake, speak to your local New Holland dealer.