Get FinancingAGCO Debuts Industry’s First Class Baler, Hesston Ferguson 2370 Ultra HD
North American producers attending the 2018 World Ag Expo this week in Tulare, California, witnessed the debut of the Hesston by Massey Ferguson 2370 Ultra High Density (Ultra HD) baler that will be available this year from Hesston by Massey Ferguson and Challenger dealers. Global agriculture equipment manufacturer and distributor AGCO, owner of the Challenger and Massey Ferguson brands, billed the baler as the industry’s first and only Class 8 model. AGCO designed the 2370 Ultra HD to output heavy, dense bales from lightweight, dry, slick grass and hard-to-bale crop residue. Compared to Hesston 2270XD baler, the 2370 Ultra HD’s 3- x 4-foot (0.9- x 1.2-meter) bales are 20% denser.
Throughput & Reliability
Hesston, which takes credit for introducing the first large square baler in 1978, touts the 2370 Ultra HD as a particularly good solution for larger commercial hay growers, operations that export hay and biomass material, and businesses that harvest biomass for biofuel and livestock feed industries in North America.
In a statement, Matt LeCroy, AGCO tactical marketing manager for hay and forage products, said the company’s customers are seeking more capacity, density, and reliability from large square balers today as their market demands increase. The industry’s first Class 8 baler that resulted from such demands, he said, “offers the throughput and reliability large operations require when harvest windows are small and tons-harvested-per-day is driving an operation’s profitability.”
Class 8 Distinctions
According to AGCO, Class 1-8 ratings for small and large square balers are based on a baler’s rated plunger load, with Class 8 balers capable of a 750-plus kilonewtons plunger force. To create the 2370 Ultra HD, AGCO says it started with a faster, 15% heavier and more powerful plunger operating at 50 strokes per minute. With a maximum-load capacity punch of 760 kilonewtons, the 2370 Ultra HD’s punch is 63% greater than the Hesston 2270XD baler.
“More crop in the bale means fewer bales to bale, handle, move, store, and transport, which cuts operating costs and drives bottom-line returns for the operator,” LeCroy said. “We’ve taken the time-proven design used for all Hesston square balers and enhanced it to produce the industry’s heaviest bales.”
What Makes A Baler?
The 2370 Ultra HD will feature a new Bale Create interface that provides all relevant baler-performance information to help make easier, quicker in-field decisions and adjustments concerning bale quality and bales harvested per hour. The baler will also include an all-new OptiFlow pickup assembly featuring five tine bars and 80 double tines, which is 25% more tines than previous Hesston balers.
Elsewhere, the 30,180-pound (13,690-kilogram) baler will include six heavy-duty, double-tie knotters using up to 800-knot-strength twine; two rows of EasyFill twine boxes holding 36 balls of twine; a 28-inch longer OptiForm Ultra bale chamber sporting dual-acting 7-inch-diamter hydraulic-density cylinders; and a driveline integrating three clutches in the main drives. AGCO also states a new, heavy-duty midline gearbox increases flywheel energy by enabling the input speed entering the flywheel and gearbox to “step up” from 1,000 rpm to 1,500 rpm.
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Source: AGCO