Do you attend tractor events?
| Keenan updates bale handling |
 Keenan has developed and refined its Keenan Bale Handling system, adding the Baleblender feature, a unit that can be specified on new machines or retro-fitted to existing mixer wagons and allows the speedy processing of whole bales –round or square. The Baleblender comprises a series of hinged metal bars, which span the open top of the mixing chamber to provide a cradle to support the bale. These now have a deeper curve that not only hold the bale more securely but also exposes more of the bale to the paddles. As the paddles rotate in the mixing chamber their castellated ends draw the material out of the bale and pass it over a knife running the length of the machine. Partially chopped and loosely shredded, the chopping continues within the machine using the fixed knives attached to the sides of the mixing chamber. The system, which normally takes less than two minutes to complete, ensures that the entire bale is pre-processed before it enters the chamber. One of the advantages of the Baleblender is the low power, low fuel requirements, says Keenan, systematically and efficiently chopping and shredding the bale. The Keenan Bale Handling system also caters for those who use large numbers of bales and require a more automated approach. The Bale Shear is designed to slice a wrapped round bale in half and retain the plastic film and netting as its contents are released onto the Baleblender cradle - all without the operator having to leave the tractor cab. Users of square bales can also use the Bale Shear to cut off the required number of bale wedges to make a feed without having to open the entire bale. When relatively small amounts of forage are required the mixer wagon can chop it to the optimum length using blades set on the side of the mixing chamber. As the paddles rotate their castellated ends push the straw across the blades and reduce its length accordingly. |