Study of a Large Square Baler with Innovative Technological Systems that Optimize the Baling Effectiveness

• Main Authors: Arrigo Salvatore Guerrieri, Alexandros Sotirios Anifantis, Francesco Santoro, Simone Pascuzzi
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: MDPI AG 2019-04-01
• Series: Agriculture
• Subjects: square baler; hay; straw; biomass; soil inside bales
• Online Access: https://www.mdpi.com/2077-0472/9/5/86

The employment of bales is of considerable interest in the agricultural sector due to the mechanization of the production chain, the ease of their manipulation and transport, the low requirements for, and flexibility of, their storage and the low manpower requirements. Forage bales are mainly employed in zootechny, which albeit with important changes, is today still an essential economic sector for our society. The optimization of results in the zootechnical field depends largely on the feeding of the animals; in this regard, fodder-crops play a fundamental role in the European agricultural and economic sector. The soil inside the fodder is often the vehicle for a large number of CFUs (colony forming units) of bacteria of the <i>Clostridium</i> genus, with consequent repercussions for the welfare of the cows as well as for the quality of the milk products. The purpose of this work was to assess the performance of the large square baler HD 1270, made by the Italian manufacturer &#8220;Cicoria Square Bales&#8221;, whose main characteristic is the high cleanliness level of the dried fodder. The experimental tests carried out seem to confirm the efficacy of the technical solutions adopted for this machine. However, in order to better understand the reliability of the machine in lowering the amount of impurities and soil present in the built square bales, further tests in different working conditions should be carried out in order to statistically evaluate the influence and the mutual interaction of the operating parameters.