Kubota Canada has unveiled its new FastBale – a continuous baler-wrapper that has already proved its worth in Europe over the past four years. This machine uses a massive 800mm intake rotor equipped with a 25-knife chopping system and two chambers to keep things moving.
According to Travis Grubb, Product Specialist of Agricultural Equipment at Kubota Canada, “It’s the first and only continuous round baler on the market.” In a 2019 interview for Canadian Agro-News website RealAgriculture, Grubb explained how the hay tool worked:
“The machine is basically two balers and a wrapper all in one. So there’s a pre-chamber where we start the baling process. Then there’s a main chamber. Once the baling chamber’s full, it transfers the hay to the main chamber. Then, it produces your finished four-by-four bale by putting the wrap on.”
“All the while that’s happening,” Travis went on, “we’re transferring crop that’s flowing into the front [i.e the front chamber]. We start to make the next bale and then we kick the bale back to the wrapper and continue the wrapping process.”
How it Works (source – product brochure)
No stopping – 60 to 100 bales an hour
The FastBale helps with labor shortages and makes farming more productive by helping farmers and operators redirect their time and energy elsewhere. It also makes baling easier and more efficient. “Unlike a conventional round baler, the FastBale’s unique design saves the operator considerable time since there is no stopping to finish the binding and to discharge the bale,” said Yannick Montagano, Vice President of Sales and Marketing for Kubota Canada Ltd.
Because the machine’s able to handle a variety of crops and there are a lot of different modes that it can operate in, drivers can produce anywhere from 60 to 100 bales an hour, depending on whether they are or aren’t wrapping the bales.
Kverneland, an Italy-based subsidiary of Kubota, originally made around 100 units commercially available in Europe before Kubota brought the hay tool over to Canada as a Kubota-branded piece of equipment.
Over the last year, a select few Canadian farmers tested the Fast Bale before Kubota unveiled it to potential customers. It is currently on the Kubota.ca website at a starting price of $201,033.
About Kubota Canada
Kubota Canada Ltd. (KCL) is a subsidiary of Kubota Corporation, a tractor and heavy equipment manufacturer based in Osaka, Japan. KCL markets and distributes Kubota-engineered and manufactured equipment, which includes a complete line of tractors (up to 210 horsepower), performance-matched implements, compact and utility tractors, compact construction, landscaping and public work equipment, residential lawn and garden equipment, commercial turf products and utility vehicles.
For product literature or dealer locations, contact Kubota Canada Ltd. at 5900 14th Avenue, Markham, Ontario L3S 4K4, Canada or visit: kubota.ca.
