Innovations brought about by YBL include towing 17m3 high dump wagons, reducing truck loading times by 50% or to approx 5 min per truck. A truck doing 90kph travels 7.5kms in 5 minutes, at 45kph this equates to 3.75km in 5 min. So if you are carting 3km YBL use one less truck. These wagons also allow continuous chopping in places where trucks can’t follow or are returning from the stack. These wagons also feature a 1000 ltr holding tank, holding enough inoculant for 10 continuous hours of chopping, an emergency fire fighting unit, coolant and cleaner for the chopper spout and accelerator.

Another innovation is the 4.5 meter pick-up reels which allows convergence of 12m mower swaths increasing production and reducing costs in lighter crops.

Reels can be folded up from cab allowing rapid movement from field to field and quick convenient versatility in heavier crops where it is more productive to take narrower swaths.

Kemper row independent rotary heads for maize, whole crop and other tasks such as black current mulching and harvesting bio fuels.
YBL took delivery of the first 4.5 meter Kemper head delivered to NZ in 1994. We wanted a head that could handle a variety of crops without major modification or adjustment and folded for easy transport.

Later, after looking at a number of whole crop options, a Kemper 360, 6m unit was purchased in 2002. This was the first 6m osculating, whole crop specific kemper head sold in NZ. The oscillator allows better ground contour following and relieves stress on the cutter head frame, which allows for improved reliability and performance. The whole crop specification allows rapid efficient management of all stem crops. Another bonus is the kemper features rotary knives that are equipped with cleaners that shatter the crop stems left behind encouraging rapid stubble breakdown.

Looking ahead YBL can see many improvements to be made in forage harvester design and are waiting for new innovations equal to the ground breaking step forward of the John Deere 6000 series before investing in new equipment. Some of these improvements would include:

• Pivot steering main frames,
• IV transmissions replacing current hydrostatic providing positive 4WD performance and safe braking.
• Simplified electrics
• Wider folding pickups
• Improved visibility for loading trucks
• Improved efficiency for better economy,
• Less moving and longer wearing consumable parts
  

MOWERS
YBL use front and rear mower units for silage processing. We prefer the John Deere 131 & 228 front mocos as they offer superior flotation and conditioning. These mowers working in conjunction with the John Deere 1360 rear mocos equipped with groupers give a cutting width of 5.8-6m. Driven by a 150hp 7800 tractor they offer an efficient 25hp per metre as opposed to most triple combos offering as little as 16hp/metre.

The YBL moco grouper combination allows the placement of a 4m wide windrow off a 12m cutting width, giving maximum wilting + productivity without the dragging of the crop across the ground, picking up stones, dirt and undesirable bacteria.

Double mowers with groupers also facilitate rapid, efficient, harvesting of border dyke irrigation and rough contour land because the cutting units are completely independent of each other they offer superior contour following for a more even cut

In the event of a breakage on the front mower, the rear unit can finish the job. Operators can monitor ground conditions and negotiate obstacles easily with both mowers in their field vision.

YBL have used these combinations for over 10 seasons. They are a field proven system unsurpassed by more recent innovations primarily designed for European conditions.

Looking to the future, larger 4m plus trailing mocos with end tow and auger type groupers will be adopted as they become available. Further down the track will be trailing mocos up to 8-9m wide with groupers swathing to one side. These will allow fields to be cut round and round as opposed to current practise of working up and down. Mowers and Forage Harvesters cutting round and round are up to 20% more efficient than up and down as the machines are feeding and cutting continuously.