Massey Ferguson reckons chopped silage bales can reduce mixing times in feeder wagons by up to half as well as save power, and chopped straw bales are becoming more widely used for not only bedding, but also part of Total Mixed Rations. Users are looking for a finer chop, is the message, which has driven the development of a new rotor system for its 2200 Series large square balers. Called ProCut, and available on the MF 2240 (not in all markets), MF 2250, MF 2260, MF 2270 and MF 2270 XD, the system is claimed to provide a huge increase in capacity with a finer, uniform chop. The 650mm diameter ProCut rotor is equipped with 26mm wide hard-faced, cast steel fingers, which are arranged in a spiral ‘V’ formation. The rotor has 54 fingers for 80cm wide bales and 108 on 120cm balers and turns at 120rpm – 13% faster than previous designs. ProCut balers also benefit from a new, hydraulic drop-down knife bed that holds the knives in a new, full-width ‘magazine’ that rolls out to the left. No tools are required. After hydraulically lowering the knife bed from the cab and releasing a catch, the whole magazine rolls out for easy servicing and maintenance. It’s also easy to change the knives by simply releasing a locking pin and lifting them out. There are two hydraulically selectable knife banks in the bed’s magazine that allow operators to quickly engage or disengage the knives and change chop lengths. Knives are spaced evenly 43.5mm apart across the bed – with 17 fitted to 80cm wide balers and 26 on 120cm machines. Made from 4mm thick tungsten hardened steel, the knives have a new serration design to stay sharper longer and help cut power consumption. Both knife banks are fitted with hydraulic protection. This uses an accumulator on each side that allow each knife bank fold back against the hydraulic pressure – letting foreign objects to pass through. The driveline on ProCut balers has been strengthened, and a new heavy-duty gearbox is fitted to all six-string models (making 120cm wide bales). Other changes include a new slip clutch and a revised cam track design for the pick-up. This slightly ‘advances’ the timing which, tests show, gathers the swath more effectively and this will now be standard on all MF large square balers. The ProCut system is controlled by the ISObus compatible C1000 terminal, which now includes buttons for knife control as well as pressure overrides.
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