This high-performance baler is designed for efficiency, durability, and ease of use, with a sizeable appetite for forage, thanks to the 2.2m wide MaxiCut HC Premium pickup system
FRS (Fast Release System) is very much like the DRS (Drag Reduction System) in Formula 1, but unlike DRS where it can only be used in certain zones of the track or when they are within one second of the car ahead, the FRS keeps you punching out tin cans all hours of the day and night for superior productivity.
Often dubbed the ‘curtain’ balers, the John Deere C4X1 variable chamber combination balers don’t actually have a curtain like their stand-alone baler cousins, but they possess the same savage appetite for forage.
Pickup
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
Right: Hydraulic opening wrap holders
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, moving 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, which is unique in the market.
Bale Chamber and Transfer
The bale chamber of the John Deere C451R can produce bales up to 1.6 meters in diameter. It features the FRS that releases the pressure on the sides of the chamber when the bale is ejected, allowing for fast bale ejection.
The chamber is equipped with three powered rollers, two large belts with guides, and various scraper rollers to enhance performance in a variety of conditions. The FRS system works where there is technically no tail door, instead massive belt tension keeps the bale in the chamber until the desired bale height is reached. The door then quickly lifts, while the chamber walls move out two degrees allowing it to bind and discharge a bale from the chamber in under eight seconds.
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, which often hampers 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.
At our Harvest Showcase, the test machine we used was also equipped with the hillside kit. This includes handrail type bars over the wrapper table, with half-moon shaped guides on the FRS that keep the chamber sides hugging the bale for longer, almost until the tail door is fully raised.
Binding and Wrapping
Right: The 2.2m pickup has a savage appetite for grass
The C451R offers ample net storage, and the new beefed up drive motor and brake means an updated wrapper speed of 40rpm. It includes two cameras: one for the transfer and wrapping table and another for reversing. The baler can store two rolls of net on the right-hand side in conjunction to the one in the binding system compartment, as well as 10 rolls of wrap under the doors, and two on the wrapper heads. Film-on-film for the variable chamber balers is not currently available.
Controls
The John Deere C451R 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.
The C451R also features a clever system for loading rolls of film without heavy lifting, in a gull wing-type motion, reducing the physical strain on the operator. This is controlled from the intuitive touch pad mounted on the mudguards on both sides of the machine.
Speaking of mudguards, the standard tyres on the machine are 500/45R22.5 although an optional 620/40R22.5 tyre and larger mudguards are available. Additional features include auto grease on the right-hand side and auto lube on the left-hand side, ensuring smooth operation and maintenance.
Summary
The John Deere C451R with MaxiCut HC Premium 25 knife pickup is a high-performance baler designed for efficiency, durability, and ease of use. The FRS and TTS keep productivity high in a variety of conditions and when coupled with the ISOBUS control, make it customisable for a variety of operators.
This baler had a savage appetite for grass and although not overly scientific, was agreed to be packing the most grass into each bale during the showcase. The beauty of being able to bale silage in the morning and hay in the afternoon from a high-capacity baler that’s at home in both conditions will be appealing for many.
Top 5
- MaxiCut HC Premium 25 Knife Pickup: Large diameter rotor integrated with augers and a drop floor system for easy blockage clearing.
- Fast Eject System: Efficient bale ejection, binding and out of the chamber in eight seconds.
- 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 with auto grease and auto lube features.
- Increased Wrapping Speed: New beefed-up drive motor and brake means an updated wrapper speed of 40 RPM.