In 2012, Kubota closed the deal on its purchase of Kverneland, the international producer of a range of products including hay tools. About a year later, the well-known orange tractor brand started adding hay-focused implements to its line. With its latest announcement, Kubota is claiming its position as another full-line hay and forage equipment provider to the market.

The latest additions include a new 13-foot mower conditioner and two new balers. The new hay tools show that Kubota is serious about competing in this market segment, according to Dave Palmer, senior product manager, Kubota hay tools: "Our entrance into the hay market nearly three years ago was an all-in commitment. And these new balers make sure we are able to meet the demands of our hay customers in markets where silage is starting to develop, enabling them to produce a feed source of much higher quality for their livestock."

The rise of silage baling — combined with bale wrapping — provides beef and dairy producers with another way to put up and store quality feed. Wetter silage products are harder on balers, which has forced manufacturers to redesign round balers to manage this more demanding feed source. Kubota is stepping up with two balers in its BV lineup, the BV4160SS and the BV4180SS. Both are designed to bale silage, as well as traditional hay and straw.

Meeting silage market needs
The BV round baler series gets the two SS models — for Silage Special — that are designed with added silage features. The BV4160SS produces bales 4 feet wide by 5 feet high with its variable chamber design. The machine comes with a silage scraper kit for wet haylage, and a proportional valve to enable the operator to adjust the bale density on the go.

For bigger balers, the BV4180SS makes bales 4 feet wide by 6 feet tall, and it has the features of the BV4160SS. Both are fitted with a fork feeder intake system, providing direct feed into the bale chamber for fast and efficient baling. Both new balers come with the Kubota Power Bind net system for simple, fast and efficient production.

New disk mower-conditioner offered
Kubota is also launching the DMC8540R, an addition to its DMC8000 Series of disk mower-conditioners. The 13-foot machine has full-width chevron conditioner rollers that can take on fragile crops with even conditioning. The new mower features a Kubota-patented, fully welded cutterbar and full-width conditioning, which the company claims sets it apart from the competition. All Kubota DMC mowers have three counter-rotating blades per disk for constant cutting, which reduces the load per blade and creates an even load on the drive. You can learn more about Kubota Hay Tools at kubota.com.