The McHale Fusion 3 Plus Update
08/12/2021
In recent years many contractors have turned to the McHale Fusion 3 Plus combi baler to meet the needs of farmers who want bales secured with net replacement film.
While the fundamentals of the Fusion 3 Plus remain the same in the 2021 models, McHale has refined the operating systems and developed a number of new options. These include an ISOBUS monitor.
The McHale Fusion 3 Plus baler-wrapper is an 18 roller fixed chamber baler with integrated vertical wrapping ring. It can make the bale using netwrap or film-on-film technology.
Power Farming grass machinery product specialist Shane Cox says the Fusion 3 Plus is fully automatic and also has an inbuilt camera to monitor wrapper operation.
“McHale now offers two ways to control the Fusion 3 Plus – through the tractor’s ISOBUS monitor or the McHale-branded iTouch control unit produced. Topcon manufactures the McHale iTouch monitor, which is available with a 7-inch or a 12-inch screen,” Shane says.
“The ISOBUS monitor is new and proving to be very popular here in New Zealand. We have sold four Fusion 3 Plus machines for this season with this option. They will be arriving in November or December.”
One advantage the McHale iTouch monitor offers is the camera view appears automatically on the screen when the wrapping begins. With an ISOBUS monitor, the operator has to manually switch on the camera view.
Shane says all Fusion 3 Plus models now come witha 1000-rpm gearbox. With more power, it delivers more efficient baling with fewer blockages.
“We actually recommend that you operate the Fusion 3 Plus at 850 or 900 rpm. This is ideal for bigger tractors with engines that comfortably operate at 1800 rpm. You still get the full efficiency but it is consumes less diesel and is better for the PTO.”
The Fusion 3 Plus has a camless pickup with six tine bars and a double crop roller, automatic drop floor reset. Its knife bank gives the options to work with zero, 12, 13 or 25 knives.
Attractive options are a bale weighing system and bale moisture recording. The bale weighing system records the weight of each bale and calculates the average bale weight for a job. This information is displayed on the customer profile section of the monitor.
It is similar with bale moisture recording. The moisture content for each bale and the average for a job are displayed on the monitor.
V6750 BELT BALER
The latest addition to McHale’s baler line-up is the V6750, a semi-automatic variable chamber baler fitted with a 15 knife chopper unit and heavy-duty rotor.
V6750 balers have a double drive system that gives them the ability to work in tough conditions. The double drive system makes belt rotation and bale formation more efficient.
Shane says the V6750 can produce different sized bales to suit different crops and farming conditions. All bales are 1.23m wide and can be made with diameters from 0.6m (2 ft) to 1.68m (5 ft 6 in).
“Like the Fusion 3 Plus, the V6750 has a 1000 rpm gearbox and can be specified with weighing and moisture sensors. Other important features are drop floor unblocking, a high-performance netting system, and automatic greasing.
“The intake system can handle higher volumes thanks to the pick-up’s larger lateral feed augers and a large rotor. Net and bale density can be adjusted from the cab,” he says.
ORBITAL WRAPPER
McHale adapted the proven vertical wrapping ring technology used in the Fusion combi baler to create the high-speed Orbital wrapper.
The Orbital can apply six layers of film in less than 25 seconds, so it can keep pace with multiple balers. It can wrap bales with diameters of 1m to 1.45m.
Notable features include fully automatic operation, a patented high speed bale loading system, a reliable cut-and-hold system, film break sensors and the ability to wrap one bale while holding another.
The Orbital moves the bale from the ground to the wrapping platform in a smooth, quick action. Once it is in the wrapping position, the wrapping ring applies the plastic to the centre of the bale, regardless of the bale’s diameter.
The vertical wrapping ring has two 750mm dispensers. Together they can apply four layers of film to a 1.25m bale in 20 seconds or less, or six layers of film in less than 25 seconds.
The McHale Orbital high speed round bale wrapper is fully automatic. Its Expert Plus control console provides clear indicators of the machine’s performance on a large screen.
Written by Paul Titus