John Deere is showcasing balers - a novelty that no one else has been able to offer so far.

John Deere introduces four new round balers with variable bale chamber and new bale wrapping combinations. All can handle more power. One innovation is unique so far.

The agricultural machinery brand John Deere not only presented its new forage harvesters F8 and F9, but also new round balers. John Deere promises an increase in productivity of up to 8 percent, but withholds technical details. However, John Deere surprises with one innovation, as no other baler currently offers this feature. Also interesting: A hybrid tractor with 400 HP from the Far East, competing with John Deere & Fendt?

John Deere unveils a total of four new models with variable bale chamber and three bale wrapping combinations. There are also new fixed chamber models, but John Deere did not provide further details. The models V452 and V462 with variable bale chamber come with the additions R and M. The letters do not signify special equipment, but rather two completely different balers. As typical for John Deere, the M models stand for Good-and-Cheap machines, while the R models represent Premium. The maximum bale diameter for the R balers is 1.60 and 1.85 m. The M balers compress into bale diameters of 1.63 and 1.83 m.

As the first manufacturer, John Deere introduces a baler that is steered from the hitch over the swath. John Deere calls this feature Weave Automation. The hitch automatically swings 38 degrees from left to right, ensuring that the bale chamber is evenly filled. According to John Deere, manual countersteering is no longer necessary with straight swaths. Less effort for the driver and better-shaped bales are the goal.

The pendulum function for round balers can also steer in curves and accurately pick up the swath. Additionally, the swivel function reduces the turning radius of the round baler at the headland. How the baler detects and steers the swath was not disclosed by John Deere. However, the idea probably did not originate from John Deere. In 2017, Kverneland introduced a baler with a swinging hitch, but it never went into serial production.

The R balers from John Deere are known for their unique feature: Instead of a rear door, John Deere uses a curtain that opens upwards. The ejection process was already fast at 5 seconds. With the update, John Deere has further improved. The new balers can open the rear door, eject the bale, and close the rear door within three seconds.

Furthermore, the high-end balers V452R and V462R can handle up to 15 percent more power in the drive train than their predecessors. This is said to bring an 8 percent increase in productivity. John Deere does not specify if the baler can produce more bales per hour or more pressed crop per hour. According to John Deere, the bale density has been increased by 7 percent to 140 kg/m³.

The M models (V452M and V462M) can handle 10 percent more power and thus achieve an 8 percent increase. John Deere installs new endless belts on the balers, with a rougher surface. This is intended to ensure that the net is fed in even with wet or sticky grass. Finally, John Deere manages to install a hydraulically operated knife protection on the baler. The driver can retract and extend the knives from the cabin.

John Deere emphasizes connecting its tractors and harvesters via telemetry to its online portal Operations Center. Farmers can store the size, drop-off location, and moisture content of each bale. They know how many bales they have pressed per field or analyze maps with the dry matter content of the bales. With the recorded data and the captured working time, it is also possible to create invoices.

As C442R, C452R, and C462R, John Deere introduces three bale wrapping combinations to the market. There is now an optional bale weighing system available. This works with force measuring bolts in the four rollers of the transport table. Farmers and contractors can determine the bale weight while driving. The functions of the ISOBUS baler and wrapper can also be assigned to the joystick buttons of the tractor with AUX N.