When it comes to grass equipment in Ireland, Krone is a standout for kit such as mowers, foragers, rakes and tedders, while its balers generally wouldn’t be the first thing that come to mind. However, in pockets across the country, Krone balers are popular and have done well for several decades.
Based in Ballycastle, in north Co Antrim, the Wilkinson family are milking 120 cows alongside running a large agricultural contracting business. Having established the contracting business in 1991 with the addition of a Krone KR130 round baler, the Wilkinsons have recently purchased their 16th Krone baler, and almost have Krone running through their blood at this stage. Kenny Wilkinson, and his two sons, Daniel and James, today run the farming and contracting enterprises together.
From 1991 to 1995, Kenny purchased three new Krone KR 130 fixed-chamber round balers. Initially, the draw towards Krone was build quality and proximity to the local dealer. In 1996, the family bought their first new Krone Roundpack. In 1999, they moved to a Krone Combipack, which as the name suggests was a baler-wrapper combi unit. This was actually a prototype machine, and the very first Krone Combipack in the country. Daniel explained that this machine actually had one satellite wrapper. They ran it for a year, and Daniel recalls Bernard Krone having spent time in the fields with his family, making modifications to the baler.
The following year, a new Krone Combipack was added, this one with twin satellite arms on the wrapper. Daniel said they had three Combipacks over the years, up until 2009. Then, the family moved to Comprimas, which were newly launched that year. In 2011, they ran a prototype CS 155, which was an extreme combi baler. It was a semi-variable belt baler, which used metal horizontal slats on the drive line belt. Daniel said it was a seriously beefed-up machine, with heavy chains, bearings and belts. He said that machine was really designed for Irish conditions. They ran this alongside a standard Comprima 155, a non-combi machine.
Shortly after, in 2016, the family bought a new McHale 5600, which was soon upgraded for another Krone, this time a 155 standard model again. In 2017, one of the 155s was upgraded for a new CF 155 extreme, combi unit. In 2024, they sold both previous balers, and bought one new Krone CF 155 XC plus combi baler wrapper unit. Daniel noted that a big part of their fondness for Krone has been thanks to a strong relationship with their dealer, Robin McCullough & Sons.
The Irish Farmers Journal caught up with Daniel to see how the machine has performed after its first year working on the hills near the Antrim coastline.
Krone balers
The Comprima F and CF Plus from Krone are fixed chamber balers with semi-variable bale chambers. These machines are designed to produce high-density bales of six different diameters.
The semi-variable Comprima CF155 XC Plus model produces 1.25-1.50m diameter bales. Operators set the required diameter in 5cm increments on the screen, and bale away.
Krone says the semi-variable bale chamber produces a softer and very small core, also in large-diameter bales. They say this gives the bales a great density, and helps them retain their shape and makes them heavier.
Pick-up
The Comprima is fitted with Krone’s EasyFlow pick-up with a 2.15m working width. Arranged in five rows, the tines are arranged in a W-line, like its forage wagons and Big X foragers, to feed the material in a consistent flow to the rotor.
The pickup tines are 6mm thick. Krone continues to only offer non-cam track pickup reels. Instead of using extra moving parts, Krone says it prefers special strippers that ensure the angle and length of the tines is always correct.
The rotor features three helical rows of tines and a large 53cm diameter. The rotor is made from Hardox steel.
If the feed chamber blocks, the operator lowers and raises the knife cassette hydraulically to remove the blockage. If the unit is specified with hydraulic blade group control, the blades will also be retracted automatically to clear the chamber and allow the crop to flow again.
Chopping system
Depending on the required length of cut, the knife cassette of the XCut cutting system has a maximum of 17 or 26 blades. To fit or remove the knives, lower the blade cassette.
All springs on the single knife locking device are released in one operation, and the knives are then removed from above, which is through the inside of the bale chamber.
Each knife is protected from damage by spring locks. They have a break back if they hit an object and then resume their working position automatically after the object has passed.
The bale chamber
The bale chamber features the NovoGrip slat and belt conveyor, which Krone says suits all types of crops. NovoGrip is an endless belt-and-slat elevator that is made up of rubber fabric belts and horizontal metal slats that form high-density bales.
The slat-and-belt conveyors are driven and guided via large guide and drive wheels. The slat-and-belt elevator at the front has two drives so the chamber is able to handle difficult conditions.
“For as long as I can remember, Krone balers have been camless and we’ve never had any issues with the pick-ups".
How the
semi-variable
bale chamber works
Three components are key to the semi-variable bale chamber: the tensioning arm, the suspension strut and the tensioning kinematics.
The top tensioning arm is pulled down and as it does so, it increases the available space inside the chamber and allows more material to enter. The path of the tensioning arm is limited by a pin that is set on the outside of the machine. This defines the diameter of the bale.
Setting the core
On the baler screen or through the IsoBus screen, the operator enters the core density and the density of the inner and outer layers, and the machine produces bales to customer requirements.
After this, the operator enters the pressure, the diameter, and the number of film and net wraps. Once this is done, the machine will go about its business automatically. The CF 155 XC Plus features a double wrapper orbiting at up to 36 rpm. Krone says that the wrapping table forms a deep cradle and has large guide rollers on the sides to ensure the bale is consistently rolled during the wrapping process even when the conditions are more than difficult.
An optional bale weighing system can be added.
Driveline
The driveline features 1½in chains. Spring-loaded chain tensioners and auto lubrication/greasing reduce maintenance. As standard, the unit comes as net only, but you can also opt for film on film wrapping.
In recent years, Krone has moved to load sensing hydraulics on the Comprima Plus, which it says has resulted in faster bale transfer and wrapping cycles. Although Daniel would agree, he said that previous Krone balers had their own hydraulic system, which meant he could work the balers on older tractors, at their ease.
Controls
Krone offers a choice of three different terminals. The DS 500 operator terminal with a 5.7inch colour screen comes as standard. Krone also offer the well-known CCI 800 and CCI 1200 operator terminals which are equipped with large 8” or 12” colour displays.
They also feature touch function which display the machine controls and camera footage side by side on the same screen.
Both terminals are IsoBus compatible and therefore universal terminals that are ready for use on other machines as well. If the terminal on the tractor is IsoBus compatible, it can log into the on-board electronic system of the baler, meaning there is no need for another terminal.
Daniel’s machine came with a CCI 800 universal terminal. He notes that he’s very fond of the terminal, but for a non-Krone user to sit up on the machine, it would take a little bit of getting used too.
The driveline features 1½in chains.
“We have grown up with Krone balers, and we know them inside-out. I don’t think there isn’t a bearing on a Krone baler that we haven’t changed over the years. With the earlier Krone balers, you needed to know how to drive them. However, our latest CF 155 XC Plus is a serious machine. We’ve demo’d and baled alongside Pottinger and McHale combi balers, and the Krone is every bit as good if not better than the rest. Its intake capacity is up there with anything on the market - you won’t block it. We do a lot of work on hills, and it’s unbelievably stable on tough ground. Similarly, we work on heavy ground, and the tandem axle travels well. It’s also very smooth on the road, it doesn’t get into a fit of bouncing like single axle units. We have 600/50 R22.5 tyres on it, which is the widest we could fit without making the machine too wide”.
“For as long as I can remember, Krone balers have been camless and we’ve never had any issues with the pick-ups. Replacing and sharpening the knives is very easy - it’s done from inside the chamber, so there’s no need to climb under the machine. With the exception of one O-ring, the baler has worked away trouble free. It’s well able to get through work, and it’s very rare that you’d be waiting on the wrapping unit to finish wrapping a bale, while another bale is waiting in the chamber. We run it on a Deutz-Fahr 6170, which handles it very well. I’d rate the baler as an 8.5 or 9 out of 10. We’ll never say never, but I can’t see us moving away from Krone. If I was to move, I think I’d try a Kuhn”, said Daniel.
Model: CF 155 XC Plus
Chamber: semi-variable bale chamber.
Pick-up: 2.15m wide camless.
Knives: 17.
Weight: 6,550kg.
Tyres: 600/50 R 22.5.
List price: €125,000 plus VAT.
When it comes to grass equipment in Ireland, Krone is a standout for kit such as mowers, foragers, rakes and tedders, while its balers generally wouldn’t be the first thing that come to mind. However, in pockets across the country, Krone balers are popular and have done well for several decades.
Based in Ballycastle, in north Co Antrim, the Wilkinson family are milking 120 cows alongside running a large agricultural contracting business. Having established the contracting business in 1991 with the addition of a Krone KR130 round baler, the Wilkinsons have recently purchased their 16th Krone baler, and almost have Krone running through their blood at this stage. Kenny Wilkinson, and his two sons, Daniel and James, today run the farming and contracting enterprises together.
From 1991 to 1995, Kenny purchased three new Krone KR 130 fixed-chamber round balers. Initially, the draw towards Krone was build quality and proximity to the local dealer. In 1996, the family bought their first new Krone Roundpack. In 1999, they moved to a Krone Combipack, which as the name suggests was a baler-wrapper combi unit. This was actually a prototype machine, and the very first Krone Combipack in the country. Daniel explained that this machine actually had one satellite wrapper. They ran it for a year, and Daniel recalls Bernard Krone having spent time in the fields with his family, making modifications to the baler.
The following year, a new Krone Combipack was added, this one with twin satellite arms on the wrapper. Daniel said they had three Combipacks over the years, up until 2009. Then, the family moved to Comprimas, which were newly launched that year. In 2011, they ran a prototype CS 155, which was an extreme combi baler. It was a semi-variable belt baler, which used metal horizontal slats on the drive line belt. Daniel said it was a seriously beefed-up machine, with heavy chains, bearings and belts. He said that machine was really designed for Irish conditions. They ran this alongside a standard Comprima 155, a non-combi machine.
Shortly after, in 2016, the family bought a new McHale 5600, which was soon upgraded for another Krone, this time a 155 standard model again. In 2017, one of the 155s was upgraded for a new CF 155 extreme, combi unit. In 2024, they sold both previous balers, and bought one new Krone CF 155 XC plus combi baler wrapper unit. Daniel noted that a big part of their fondness for Krone has been thanks to a strong relationship with their dealer, Robin McCullough & Sons.
The Irish Farmers Journal caught up with Daniel to see how the machine has performed after its first year working on the hills near the Antrim coastline.
Krone balers
The Comprima F and CF Plus from Krone are fixed chamber balers with semi-variable bale chambers. These machines are designed to produce high-density bales of six different diameters.
The semi-variable Comprima CF155 XC Plus model produces 1.25-1.50m diameter bales. Operators set the required diameter in 5cm increments on the screen, and bale away.
Krone says the semi-variable bale chamber produces a softer and very small core, also in large-diameter bales. They say this gives the bales a great density, and helps them retain their shape and makes them heavier.
Pick-up
The Comprima is fitted with Krone’s EasyFlow pick-up with a 2.15m working width. Arranged in five rows, the tines are arranged in a W-line, like its forage wagons and Big X foragers, to feed the material in a consistent flow to the rotor.
The pickup tines are 6mm thick. Krone continues to only offer non-cam track pickup reels. Instead of using extra moving parts, Krone says it prefers special strippers that ensure the angle and length of the tines is always correct.
The rotor features three helical rows of tines and a large 53cm diameter. The rotor is made from Hardox steel.
If the feed chamber blocks, the operator lowers and raises the knife cassette hydraulically to remove the blockage. If the unit is specified with hydraulic blade group control, the blades will also be retracted automatically to clear the chamber and allow the crop to flow again.
Chopping system
Depending on the required length of cut, the knife cassette of the XCut cutting system has a maximum of 17 or 26 blades. To fit or remove the knives, lower the blade cassette.
All springs on the single knife locking device are released in one operation, and the knives are then removed from above, which is through the inside of the bale chamber.
Each knife is protected from damage by spring locks. They have a break back if they hit an object and then resume their working position automatically after the object has passed.
The bale chamber
The bale chamber features the NovoGrip slat and belt conveyor, which Krone says suits all types of crops. NovoGrip is an endless belt-and-slat elevator that is made up of rubber fabric belts and horizontal metal slats that form high-density bales.
The slat-and-belt conveyors are driven and guided via large guide and drive wheels. The slat-and-belt elevator at the front has two drives so the chamber is able to handle difficult conditions.
“For as long as I can remember, Krone balers have been camless and we’ve never had any issues with the pick-ups".
How the
semi-variable
bale chamber works
Three components are key to the semi-variable bale chamber: the tensioning arm, the suspension strut and the tensioning kinematics.
The top tensioning arm is pulled down and as it does so, it increases the available space inside the chamber and allows more material to enter. The path of the tensioning arm is limited by a pin that is set on the outside of the machine. This defines the diameter of the bale.
Setting the core
On the baler screen or through the IsoBus screen, the operator enters the core density and the density of the inner and outer layers, and the machine produces bales to customer requirements.
After this, the operator enters the pressure, the diameter, and the number of film and net wraps. Once this is done, the machine will go about its business automatically. The CF 155 XC Plus features a double wrapper orbiting at up to 36 rpm. Krone says that the wrapping table forms a deep cradle and has large guide rollers on the sides to ensure the bale is consistently rolled during the wrapping process even when the conditions are more than difficult.
An optional bale weighing system can be added.
Driveline
The driveline features 1½in chains. Spring-loaded chain tensioners and auto lubrication/greasing reduce maintenance. As standard, the unit comes as net only, but you can also opt for film on film wrapping.
In recent years, Krone has moved to load sensing hydraulics on the Comprima Plus, which it says has resulted in faster bale transfer and wrapping cycles. Although Daniel would agree, he said that previous Krone balers had their own hydraulic system, which meant he could work the balers on older tractors, at their ease.
Controls
Krone offers a choice of three different terminals. The DS 500 operator terminal with a 5.7inch colour screen comes as standard. Krone also offer the well-known CCI 800 and CCI 1200 operator terminals which are equipped with large 8” or 12” colour displays.
They also feature touch function which display the machine controls and camera footage side by side on the same screen.
Both terminals are IsoBus compatible and therefore universal terminals that are ready for use on other machines as well. If the terminal on the tractor is IsoBus compatible, it can log into the on-board electronic system of the baler, meaning there is no need for another terminal.
Daniel’s machine came with a CCI 800 universal terminal. He notes that he’s very fond of the terminal, but for a non-Krone user to sit up on the machine, it would take a little bit of getting used too.
The driveline features 1½in chains.
“We have grown up with Krone balers, and we know them inside-out. I don’t think there isn’t a bearing on a Krone baler that we haven’t changed over the years. With the earlier Krone balers, you needed to know how to drive them. However, our latest CF 155 XC Plus is a serious machine. We’ve demo’d and baled alongside Pottinger and McHale combi balers, and the Krone is every bit as good if not better than the rest. Its intake capacity is up there with anything on the market - you won’t block it. We do a lot of work on hills, and it’s unbelievably stable on tough ground. Similarly, we work on heavy ground, and the tandem axle travels well. It’s also very smooth on the road, it doesn’t get into a fit of bouncing like single axle units. We have 600/50 R22.5 tyres on it, which is the widest we could fit without making the machine too wide”.
“For as long as I can remember, Krone balers have been camless and we’ve never had any issues with the pick-ups. Replacing and sharpening the knives is very easy - it’s done from inside the chamber, so there’s no need to climb under the machine. With the exception of one O-ring, the baler has worked away trouble free. It’s well able to get through work, and it’s very rare that you’d be waiting on the wrapping unit to finish wrapping a bale, while another bale is waiting in the chamber. We run it on a Deutz-Fahr 6170, which handles it very well. I’d rate the baler as an 8.5 or 9 out of 10. We’ll never say never, but I can’t see us moving away from Krone. If I was to move, I think I’d try a Kuhn”, said Daniel.
Model: CF 155 XC Plus
Chamber: semi-variable bale chamber.
Pick-up: 2.15m wide camless.
Knives: 17.
Weight: 6,550kg.
Tyres: 600/50 R 22.5.
List price: €125,000 plus VAT.
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