Harvest Showcase 2025: John Deere C441R baler

From reliable pickup in all conditions to smart wrapping tech and stable performance on hilly terrain, the John Deere C441R baler delivers consistent, high-quality bales

The couple are relatively new to the contracting ownership game and having started with an unreliable baler that caused nothing but headaches, their C441R experience has been very good – plus customers love the quality of the bales! So, let’s dive into what makes the C441R receive such high praise from the Moorhouse team.

Pickup

This system is designed to handle large volumes of crop efficiently, ensuring reliable crop uptake in any condition. Whether the crop is dry or wet, the feeding system ensures that it is fed into the chamber consistently, resulting in bales with uniform density and shape.

This appetite for forage starts with the 2.2-meter wide MaxiCut HC Premium pickup system. It has five rows of tines on a cammed pickup with extra-large bearings and stainless-steel pickup bands, ensuring durability. The pickup is designed to follow ground contours well, thanks to its pivotable caster wheels on the sides.

Knives and Rotor

Once the pickup has done its job, the MaxiCut HC Premium system is available with either 13 or 25 knives and can be run with either 13, 12 or 25 in. The large diameter rotor is integrated with the augers, forming a single piece feeding system. This integration enhances efficiency and has benefits for the drop floor system, designed as a parallelogram, which moves below both the rotor and the augers.

This feature is particularly effective in clearing blockages, especially on the corners as you have a full-width drop floor, unique in the market. There is also a short distance between the rotor and the pickup meaning that even in short, tacky grass the large windrow roller and this short distance allows for consistent feeding.

Bale Chamber and Transfer

The bale chamber of the John Deere C441R can produce bales up to 1.35 meters in diameter. The baler has 18 rollers to form the bale, with a positive chain drive. It includes an auto lube and an auto grease system. The rear roller has a clutch to stop the bottom door roller as the bale is ejected to prevent ripping the film when using film-on-film during the transfer to the wrapper.

There are three cameras on the baler: two focused on the wrapper and one inside the chamber to check the net or film application. There is also a sensor that prompts a warning if it doesn’t think there is binding on the bale. It then asks you to check the camera and gives you two options: a tick if the film has gone onto the bale (this will spit the bale out onto the table) or a cross (this will reapply the film, and the baler will commence the normal cycle). It’s a very handy feature aiming at no more unwrapped, ejected bales.

Once the bale is out of the chamber it goes straight onto the wrapper table reducing the need for an additional step in the process hampering productivity. This is called the transport table system.

This six-second trip from the chamber to the wrapper is chain-driven, ensuring positive bale transfer even in challenging terrain often found here in New Zealand.

Binding and Wrapping

The John Deere C441R offers ample net/ film storage. The baler can store an additional two rolls of net/ film, one on the right-hand side, and one on the front, in conjunction to the one in the binding system compartment. It also features a clever system for loading rolls of film or net without heavy lifting, via a series of pivoting stainless-steel rollers.

A similar design is utilised on the back for loading rolls of film without heavy lifting, using a gull wing type motion to hydraulically drop down 10 rolls of wrap under the doors, and two on the wrapper heads. Speaking of wrapper heads, they can spin up to 40rpm to maintain a high work rate in heavy crops. This means you are never waiting on the baler, so having a fast wrapper is key.

Controls

The John Deere C441R is ISOBUS controlled through the John Deere monitor (the G5 display in this case) and is available with a 540 or 1000 speed PTO. It requires one set of remotes for the pickup control and is equipped with trailer brakes, but all other controls are done via ISOBUS. Outside the machine an intuitive touch pad mounted on the mudguards on both sides of the machine.

Stability and Visibility

The low profile of the John Deere C441R contributes to its stability and visibility from the tractor cab. This design is particularly advantageous when operating on uneven or hilly terrain, reducing the risk of tipping and providing the operator with a clear view of the baling process. Further enhancing the stability of the C441R is our test machine was fitted with the optional 620/40R22.5 tyres, although the standard tyres on the machine are 500/45R22.5, which still offer plenty of floatation.

Summary

The John Deere C441R balers are recognised for their consistent bale shape and high weight. The baler has a bale diameter range of 1.25m to 1.35m and a cutting length of 80mm or 40mm. It features a high capacity feeding system that ensures reliable crop uptake in any condition. The transport table system efficiently transports bales from the chamber to the wrapper in less than six seconds, even in hilly terrain, preserving bale shape. The high-speed wrapper operates at 40rpm, ensuring timely wrapping even in big swaths and at high forward speeds. It’s not all about speed; little features like the clutch on the bottom door roller ensure the film binding isn’t compromised during transfer means that speedy can also be snazzy.

Top 5 features

• MaxiCut HC Premium 25 Knife Pickup: Large diameter rotor integrated with augers and a drop floor system for easy blockage clearing.
• Low Machine Profile: Great for hilly terrain, operator visibility around the baler and high-speed road transport.
• Transport Table System: The wrapping table comes all the way under the chamber and then via a chain drive, positively makes its way to the wrapping position in seconds, even on hilly terrain.
• ISOBUS Control: User-friendly control system.
• High Wrapping Speed: 40 RPM wrapper and fast bale transfer mean high forward speeds in heavy crop can reliably be achieved.