Agritechnica Gold Medal for 70t/hour Baler
Agritechnica Innovation Awards 2025. The leading innovation award scheme in the agricultural machinery industry received 251 entries of which 234 were approved for the list of exhibition innovations. The DLG Innovation Jury has awarded two innovations with gold and 22 innovations with the silver medal.
An Agritechnica Innovation Gold medal is conferred on an innovation demonstrating a new concept in which the functionality has changed decisively and gives rise to a new process or marks a substantial improvement to an existing process.
Key criteria:
- Practical significance at farm level
- Operating profitability and efficiency benefits
- Improvement on the environment and energy consumption.
- Work load reduction and improved health and safety
The concept of a 70 t big baler that has been completely redeveloped by CLAAS is designed for a combination of high throughputs with constantly high bale densities and secure binding. The machine concept is based on a main gearbox that is integrated into the frame, which enables a linear power flow as well as the use of a slender drawbar and a short propeller shaft. Two flywheels rotating at 1,650 rpm that are arranged longitudinally to the direction of travel and each weight 202 kg store a great deal of energy and stabilise the compaction process. They are positioned on the left and right sides of the machine respectively. As these are switched on in succession on starting, followed by the piston and then the rotor, the technical effort required for starting is less than that of previous solutions. In the event of overloading, the flywheels are abruptly decoupled via an electrohydraulically activated multi-plate clutch and are therefore separated from the main drive. The piston is actively braked in this process, which removes the need for shear bolts and cam clutches. Since the entire drive train consists of power bands and enclosed gearboxes, maintenance effort is significantly reduced: besides the drive propeller shaft, only one other shaft leading to the knotter mechanism has to be maintained.
New assistance systems support and relieve the driver and the technology. The torques of the rotor and feed rake are continuously registered, for instance, and are automatically shut off shortly before overloading actually occurs at the feed rake. This extensively enables the number of failures to be reduced. The load data recorded via the sensors is additionally displayed on the ISOBUS terminal and provides the driver with information on the current operating rate status of the baler. The TIM solution (TIM = Tractor Implement Management) so far familiar from round and big balers can also be used here. After entering the corresponding driving strategy, such as e.g. maximum throughput or high bale density, the system adjusts the driving speed depending on the machine load and material behaviour. The AI- based evaluations of the sensor values enable the optimum performance level to be maintained automatically, even with changing crop types or windrows.
Another AI-supported assistance system regulates the length and weight of the bale in synchronisation with the baling process according to individual specifications. This enables a very high level of bale weight and length homogeneity. The driver only has to set the length and weight; the system undertakes all other adjustments automatically. In addition, the algorithm uses an internal memory to continuously evolve. Regulation is therefore anticipatory rather than subsequently corrective. With weight deviations of only +- 2%, this concept sets new standards in terms of quality and cost-effectiveness, and all without an integrated weighing device.
The new knotter produces a double knot according to the McCormick principle, which combines high knot strength with low yarn tension and consistently rules out yarn residues in the knotting process. 70% of the yarn’s tensile strength are therefore retained, as in the classic loop knot. This enables yarn with a higher running length per kilogramme to be used, or the number of knots per metre to be increased while maintaining the same bale stability – an economically and ecologically valuable development.
With this entirely new baler concept in its 70 t big baler, CLAAS is establishing an entirely new performance dimension in the big baler segment.
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