By Peter Hill

Existing lower-spec variable bale size round balers from John Deere have been swept aside in favour of new models said to be built tougher and capable of delivering heavier bales.
The current 845, 852 and 862 base machines are all replaced by the V451G targeting relatively low volume producers who make up to 5000 bales of hay and/or straw a year, while the higher-spec 854 and 864 have given way to the multi-crop V451M and V461M, producing bales up to 5ft and 6ft diameter, respectively.
At the top of the range, the 960 and 990 have been re-badged V451R and V461R with only minor changes and John Deere product specialist, Mark Baker, said that such high spec’ balers intended for 8000-plus annual bale production, now represent only 20% of variable baler sales.
“Large farms and contractors are increasingly switching to faster-working big square balers, so around 80% of variable chamber baler sales are to users covered by our new G and M machines, producing up to 8000 bales or so,” he added.
“Variable chamber balers are not universally popular across the UK – about 60% of sales are down the East Coast of Scotland – but the factory in France has done a comprehensive re-engineering job that will increase the appeal of these new machines.”
An all-new heavy-duty welded frame that forms the back-bone of both versions of the new balers is complemented by an upgraded drive-line with heavier duty components for increased durability, and a new bale density belt tensioning system.
The tailgate is now latched to hold it shut, so rams only perform one function and are damped at both ends of the stroke to allow hydraulic flow to be set to maximum for fast opening and closing.
While previous designs have just one bale-starting roller and a small initial bale forming space, the newcomers have a more open intake area with three rollers now encouraging material to form a neat bale.
“This approach is proven on the 900 Series balers and although we lose a bit of core density it requires less power and with less emphasis on belt traction we’ve been able to change from patterned belts to six more durable smooth belts,” noted Mr Baker.
Material intake upgrades for the G spec baler include a 2.2m four-bar pick-up as standard and replacing the feeder fork with a rotor, while M models come with a 2m version, with the option of a heavier-duty 2.2m pick-up.
The latter machines come with a parallel-action drop floor as standard to help unplug blockages, Hardox steel intake rotor tines and optional Maxicut crop slicing system while gaining up to 15% greater bale density thanks to the new control mechanism.
Netting is from a rear-mounted dispenser with capacity for rolls up to 4600m, plus one spare of either regular net or John Deere’s water-resistant B-Wrap microfibre membrane for outdoor bale storage.