John Deere has introduced two new L Series Square Balers, the L330 and the L340. These large balers are designed to maximize performance, increase uptime, and lower the overall cost of operation for commercial hay equipment owners and operators.
“We’ve been working for years to develop a large square baler that will meet the tough demands of our commercial hay customers,” says Jeremy Unruh, product line manager, Ottumwa Works. “And now we’re very pleased to launch the new L Series Square Balers with High-Capacity Rotor to offer more efficiency, capacity, and performance to commercial hay producers in the U.S. and Canada.”
The balers are designed with two working widths, 83-inch for the L330 and 90-inch for the L340. These high-capacity balers feature a heavy-duty drivetrain with a 45 stroke-per-minute gear box to transfer power to other components. The 330 Baler produces a three-foot-by-three-foot square bale and the 340 Baler produces a three-foot-by-four-foot square bale.
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“The L Series Square Balers use a dependable gear and shaft drive for the main components including the stuffer system and knotter drive system,” says Unruh. “And, the high- capacity rotor is driven with a cam clutch protected chain. Bottom line, these new balers redefine large square baler performance with added capacity and durability built into very machine.”
John Deere says a special heavy-duty single-fork system compresses the crop tightly before transferring the hay into the bale case, creating dense well-shaped bales in the most difficult conditions. A new on-board hydraulic density control allows the in-cab monitor to control hydraulic pressure on the cylinders against the bale case. Even when the moisture content changes, the pre-set density for the bales does not.
“We’ve designed the L330 with three hydraulic cylinders and the L340 with four hydraulic cylinders to adjust bale case tension,” says Unruh. “This durable density control system ensures the production of consistent, well-shaped large bales regardless of changing field conditions.”
The L Series Square Balers also feature double-tie knotters with an integrated lubrication system. They are designed with a replaceable billhook and wiper plate for easier knotter repair and servicing. Also, hydraulically-operated knotter cleaning fans are designed to keep trash and debris out of the knotter system.
“Another great feature is the hydraulic roller chute, last bale ejection system,” says Unruh. “This feature allows an operator who needs to clean out the last bale for each job, to wrap and eject the final bale regardless of size.”
An optional precutter with 10 knives on the L330 and 23 knives on the L340 is another attractive feature. The 23-knife precutter has a slide out knife tray for easy access and serviceability. Knife removal does not require any tools.
“The L Series Square Balers have also been designed with new technology in mind,” says Unruh. “ISOBUS electronics allows the new balers to work with JDLink™ software and are compatible with GreenStar™ displays. Electonic knotter flags come standard on all balers to allow operators easier harvesting and location of bales in the field.”