CLAAS Harvest Centre Product Manager – CLAAS JAGUAR and Greenline, Luke Wheeler, says the new process allows 1.2 metre wide x 1.25 – 1.35 m diameter round bales to be wrapped with film – instead of the more usual netting – inside the chamber. “The film wrapping process inside the chamber is exactly the same as the net wrapping process – the only difference is the material being used,” he says. “Once the bale has reached the desired size inside the chamber, it is automatically wrapped in up to eight layers of film, which overlaps the edge of the bale by up to 10 cm. This overlap means it is no longer necessary to apply six layers of film on the wrapping table, which will significantly reduce the amount of film required to produce an airtight seal. In turn, less oxygen will be trapped in the bale, resulting in better quality silage. Film wrapping in the chamber also does away with the laborious task of having to separate netting and film once the bale is opened, resulting in easier handling and disposal of the bale wrap.

The number of layers applied in the chamber and the extent of film stretching can be adjusted ‘on the go’ from the tractor cab. “Obviously, the better the storage facilities available, the fewer layers of film are required,” he says. Luke says CLAAS COATEX film, which has a thickness of 17 microns, a width of 1.4 metre and a roll length of 2,000 metres, is ideal for use with ROLLANT 400 UNIWRAP balers. “Operators can change from net to film wrapping in just a few minutes thanks to a new roll ramp fitted as standard,” he says. "Mounted at the side of the machine, this foldable ramp allows the film rolls – which weigh up to 50 kg each – to be easily loaded into the wrapper. The driver simply has to load the required wrapping material in the baler and change the setting on the cab terminal. The feed and start of the wrapping process takes place completely automatically.”

The new ROLLANT 400 UNIWRAP baler/wrapper with variable film and net wrapping will be available with 2018-delivery machines.