Exclusive test drive of the Massey Ferguson MF 1840 small baler

For another opportunity to test a baling machine, we traveled to Holambra, São Paulo state, to work with the Massey Ferguson MF 1840 SB. Previously, we tested the MF 2234 at the Pedra Mill in Cravinhos, São Paulo, baling sugarcane straw into giant bales for energy production.

Our field test involved a prismatic baler for a grass species. It was conducted on a site owned by Fibrafeno, a company specializing in producing, baling, and marketing grass hay. During our visit to the company's facilities, located in the Fundão neighborhood of Holambra, we had the opportunity to meet the company's managing partners, Jorge Amadeu Rondelli and Maria José Granchelli Rondelli, who explained their operations, including the main activities of hay production and marketing.

Mr. Jorge explained that, after working with horse breeding and care for many years, he now focuses on supplying feed for horses and cattle, with equestrian centers in the state of São Paulo being the primary destination for the bales they produce. He explained that there is a busy supply schedule that requires planning. The small bales produced with the MF 1840 are suitable for handling both at the company and at the equestrian centers.

The machine we tested is a 2023 model-year MF 1840 SQBALER. It consists of a chassis with a hitch attached to the tractor, and the mechanisms are driven by a driveshaft connected to the tractor's power take-off (PTO) at a speed of 540 rpm. The hitch is supported by a jackscrew-type suspension element that adjusts the hitch height and facilitates operation. The tractor used to drive the baler, provided by Oimasa, a dealership representing the brand and also serving the region with stores in Orlândia, Ituverava, Franca, São Paulo, and Itumbiara, Goiás, was a Massey Ferguson, model MF 4408, with 89 hp at 2.000 rpm and 330 Nm of torque at 1.500 rpm. To operate the machine, the tractor must have at least 50 hp of maximum power and two remote control channels.

Retreat

This machine has a key feature: central pickup. This means it operates in the same line as the tractor, so it doesn't need to be offset from the longitudinal travel of the tractor that transports and drives it, as with other machines. This is a positive advantage in several aspects, primarily due to the ease of collecting the material and reducing lateral forces resulting from an offset coupling between one machine and another, in addition to, of course, ease of transport.

The raked material passes under the tractor and enters the center of the collector pick-up, supported by two leveling wheels, with the help of the pick-up fingers, in the same line as the tractor. For this reason, the collection is defined as centered and is carried out with the help of centralizers and two augers, which gather the material in the center so that the fingers begin to enter the pre-baling chamber. The low-profile pick-up is 1,92 m long and features height adjustments using the tractor's hydraulic control.

Slice formation

The pre-baling or pre-compression chamber begins forming the slices, which together will form the bale. It's easier to compress the material into slices than to compress the entire bale. Therefore, the material enters and is compacted into slices that, in our case, were approximately six to seven centimeters thick.

This pre-formatting phase of the slices is very important so that, when it enters the baling chamber, the material is already very firm and requires less effort from the machine during the compaction phase.

Bale compaction

Bale compaction increases in the compression chamber, starting with the entry of the slices, which rise vertically in sections that will form the bale. Drive, as mentioned, is provided by the cardan shaft connected to the tractor, which actuates a flywheel equipped with a spring clutch, which maintains continuous motion. From this flywheel onward, a shaft with a pinion at the end drives a crown wheel that connects to a reduction gearbox. Through an eccentric arm, which reproduces a connecting rod-crank motion, the plunger is actuated to compress the material in the chamber. This plunger can apply up to 100 strokes per minute to form the bale at the desired density, while a wrapping fork feeds the chamber and compacts from below.

From the top, a rosette-shaped gear wheel moves the compacted material out of the chamber, while two adjustable vertical walls apply lateral pressure, forcing the bale through. At the same time, a hydraulic piston applies vertical pressure, driven by a hydraulic pump with an oil reservoir. The vertical compression force can be adjusted, and the working pressure can be measured using a pressure gauge located on the right side of the machine. This system is known as Optiform density. To protect the machine, the design included three safety points with fusible bolts: one on the flywheel, one on the crown drive, and a third on the tying machines.

The bale formed is a small prismatic type, measuring 35 cm high, 45 cm wide, and a length that can vary from 30 cm to 132 cm, depending on the customer's wishes. To control the bale length, which is the variable dimension, a controller located on the side of the machine is used.

During the test, speaking with the farmer, he told us that with this machine, he can perform professional activities producing grass bales on his own land, or even provide services to third parties, with little variation in machine settings and forming suitable bales with high compaction and homogeneous distribution of the material. According to his experience, the quality is independent of the type of material being baled and the humidity level at the time the machine passes through.

Analyzing the quality of the bale produced during the period we were testing the machine, it can be deduced that the bale's density is determined by the time it is retained in the chamber. In this case, the bale was considered quite stable, consisting of 13 slices, each 80 cm long; therefore, each slice was approximately 6 cm to 7 cm thick.

Tying the bale

The MF 1840 uses a single-knot system for tying bales, unlike the double-knot system found on the MF 2234. A single knot joins the two ends of the twine. Twine is stored in two locations on the sides of the tyers, each with a capacity of up to ten spools. Twine is spliced ​​from one roll to another, ensuring a continuous supply for more than one journey.

It's a fairly traditional yet highly efficient process. The tying system uses knotters placed at the top and needles at the bottom, so that, at one point, the device grips the twine, tightening the knot. Two twines are used simultaneously on two spools, one for each side of the bale.

To clean the area involved in the tying process, there is a fan equipped with a reversing mechanism that causes the air flow to remove the accumulation of dust and straw.

Material production system

The grass production system used for Fibrafeno's bales is highly technological, based on a highly genetically developed grass developed in the United States. Jiggis grass (Cynodon dactylon) is a hybrid, therefore, propagated by aerial vegetative parts, in the form of branches. The soil is prepared, and the seedlings are distributed throughout the area. Immediately after rooting, which is very rapid, some care is required for successful pasture establishment. After maturation, the material can be used directly for livestock feed; however, Fibrafeno uses it exclusively for hay production. After cutting with a mower, the material is raked for subsequent baling.

Bale production is economically very attractive because it allows for multiple cuts in the same area and increased frequency during hotter, wetter periods, such as summer. Within just a few months of recovery, it's possible to harvest the same amount of hay, as grass grows quickly and has a tremendous capacity for recovery.

While crop development depends on the quality of the cultivar and excellent genetics, other precautions must be taken, such as avoiding soil compaction and excessive cutting frequency. The MF 1840 baler aids in this process by avoiding shallow cutting, as it has adjustable pick-up height, and also by reducing compaction by using 31x13.50-15 SL flotation tires. Other positive features include its centralized working position and the free clearance of the tractor that drives it.

At the test site, on fairly even terrain, we found that one windrow produced 15 bales. The windrow was formed by a machine imported from France, which raked the first four windrows and then combined them into one, resulting in a larger windrow, spaced nine meters apart. This was the material the baler worked on. In other words, every three passes created a windrow ready for baling.

By always maneuvering the end of the windrow to the right and alternating rows to minimize the curvature of the maneuver, the operation was safer and easier. The producer was very satisfied with the quality of the bale, which was 80 cm long and weighed slightly over 20 kg, making it suitable for handling, reducing the strain on the machines and improving transportation. Bale grouping and subsequent loading are completely mechanized, avoiding excessive strain on workers.

Mr. Jorge told us that the day's production already had a destination, with deliveries to horse riding stables in the region, and that he would also have a job providing baling services for oat rolls in the coming days.

During the evaluation work, we confirmed that the baling operation with the MF 1840 is part of a humanized process, reducing the effort of the workers in the activity, as there are conditions to group this machine with others, which facilitate the movement and transport of the bales to the storage location.

We've also seen that travel speed is crucial for forming good bales, with positive shape and compaction characteristics. Therefore, speeds of approximately 4 km/h to 5 km/h produce the best results in bale quality.

Final considerations

After a day of working with the MF 1840 baling grass, we recognized the machine's versatility, allowing us to vary the bale's compaction and length, as well as work with a variety of materials during the baling process. Although we only worked with one format and high compaction on the test day, Fibrafeno and the Massey Ferguson field marketing team have extensive experience.

Also, due to its very construction, the machine allows you to work in different ways and with the characteristics of each project, producing professional-level bales.

During the machine's familiarization stage and then in the field test, it was possible to deduce that its operation is quite simple and, with adequate knowledge and training, it is possible to achieve maximum quality in the baling operation.

Jose Fernando Schlosser,

Agrotechnology Laboratory – Nema/UFSM