Exclusive test drive with the Massey Ferguson MF 2234 Baler

Agricultural mechanization is increasingly required in processes involving compliance with environmental standards and procedures in agricultural production. Agricultural engines have incorporated pollutant emission control systems, agricultural vehicles have begun using high-flotation tires to reduce soil compaction, and sprayers can detect overlapping passes, controlling nozzle flow rates, as well as reusing products and minimizing waste. In short, the entire agricultural machinery chain is currently being used to help develop technologies to mitigate environmental problems.

In this test, the Massey Ferguson MF 2234 rectangular baler is being used to collect straw that will be used to generate energy by burning it in boilers in alcohol and sugar production plants.

To learn about the machine and test it, we went to a sugarcane production area, at Usina da Pedra, on the edge of Via Anhanguera, SP-330, between the cities of Cravinhos and Ribeirão Preto, to evaluate how it works with this raw material, in the formation of large rectangular bales.

These machines are manufactured in the United States at a Hesston facility in Kansas. Hesston, an AGCO brand, manufactures Massey Ferguson balers. A traditional manufacturer of these products in the US, the company has decades of experience building hay and forage equipment and brought the MF 2234 to Brazil, offering baling solutions that span across the various models it manufactures.

Currently, Massey Ferguson offers the Brazilian market, in addition to the model we tested, the MF 1840, which builds small rectangular bales measuring 356 mm high by 457 mm wide, and the MF RB F and MF RB V, which produce round bales. The first has a fixed chamber and the second a variable chamber. These two models are designed for large volumes of material. The MF 2234 was launched in Brazil in 2025 at the Agrishow in Ribeirão Preto, São Paulo, and is currently in full commercial production. From the 2200 series, in addition to the model we tested, Massey Ferguson sells the MF 2233, MF 2234 XD, and MF 2244.

Our previous experience testing balers for Cultivar Máquinas Magazine was in November 2012, when we tested four Hesston models at Estância JE, in the Santa Eudóxia subdistrict of São Carlos, São Paulo state. At that location, we tested the SB 34 for small bales, the LB 34B for large rectangular bales, and the RB 452 for round or rolled bales. This new line, currently sold in Brazil, is similar to the one produced at the time, but with several improvements that suggest an evolution of the product, both visually and in terms of bale production technology.

Usina da Pedra belongs to Grupo Pedra Agroindustrial S/A and has been producing sugarcane for ethanol, sugar, and energy since the 1930s. It currently has four units in Serrana, Buritizal, and Nova Independência, in the state of São Paulo, and Paranaíba, in the state of Mato Grosso do Sul. Like most companies in the sector, the company's social and environmental responsibility is evident in its production processes. Concern about fires and a commitment to generating clean energy from waste fit perfectly into the agreement with Sítio Muro de Pedras, in Serrana, São Paulo, owned by engineer Antonio Fernando Tittoto, who harvests sugarcane straw and produces bales for later energy production.

A longtime Massey Ferguson customer, Sítio Muro de Pedras has several balers and other equipment for windrowing, collecting, and transporting bales. The area we worked was sugarcane regrowth, harvested 20 days ago, but which will be cleared for subsequent soybean cultivation on the plot.

Although the most frequent use of a machine for baling plant material is with lighter material, such as alfalfa, pastures, and annual crop residues, all tests carried out by the MF development team, such as the work being carried out by the Sítio Muro das Pedras team, have shown that it is capable of processing this heavier and more resistant material, such as sugarcane residue.

In this intense production environment, we tested the Massey Ferguson MF 2234 baler on a sunny day and involved extensive fieldwork. We were supported in this field test by engineer Marcelo Pupin, who is the Marketing Coordinator for Massey Ferguson's South America Product – Hay and Forage and has extensive experience with this type of equipment. These were moments of intense information and intense work.

The machine in the field

The machine was coupled to a Massey Ferguson 8S 265 tractor, with a maximum power of 265 hp and a six-cylinder AGCO Power engine with a displacement of 7,4 liters. Other tractors, especially those equipped with powershift transmissions, can be used with this mechanized system, as long as they develop at least 170 hp to 180 hp of maximum engine power.

The machine's main hitch is provided by the drawbar, mechanically actuated by the 1.000-rpm, 21-spline PTO, and hydraulics via five remote control connections (RCVs). Attached to the hitch is a safety chain and a suspension and adjustment device (jack) to support the hitch, which is retracted by a spring after use. This device adjusts the hitch point according to the height of the tractor's drawbar, which varies depending on its size and tires.

With the sugarcane row spacing being 1,80 m, the tractor and machine wheel gauges must be adjusted to this measurement. A machine, a rake, gathers the straw, forming a windrow 80 cm wide and approximately 30 cm to 35 cm high, between the rows. A windrow is then formed every four rows, or five rows, as technical staff usually refer to. Optimal baling conditions require dry straw in the windrow. The baler's track gauge is 2,25 m, measured at the collector's support tires, which are 4.80/4.00 8 NHS, and at the machine's support tires, which are high-flotation tires measuring 700/50-22.5. This machine was equipped with a single axle, but the model was to come equipped with a tandem wheel, with tires specified as 500/50x17. The tractor's track gauge, in turn, was 1,92 m, measured at the rear wheel.

System operation

This machine's operation is quite complex, as it consists of a set of mechanical systems that must work in absolute synchronization. The first system is the collection and elevation system, responsible for lifting the straw from the ground and feeding it into the machine. Another system separates and forms a slice, and, once in the chamber, a third system compacts and consolidates the bale, providing consistency and increasing the material's density, according to the operation's objective. These basic systems are complemented by others, such as the complex bale-tying mechanism and the bale ejection system.  

It's clear that for a baler to function properly, cutting and conditioning the material are crucial to its success. Factors such as material type, cutting method, windrow conditioning, and the material's moisture content directly influence the machine's proper operation.

The system adopted in this machine allows baling without prior windrowing, allowing material spread on the surface to be collected up to an approximate working width of 2 m. However, it is known that windrowing and collecting a windrow in the central part of the collector significantly improves the quality and quantity of the work.

The machine draws mechanical power from the tractor through a first cardan shaft coupling to the PTO and transmits it to a second cardan shaft containing the slip clutch and a high-inertia flywheel, which serves to ensure the continuity of movement and prevent the machine from binding. Through the transmission, the rotary motion is transformed into various reciprocating motions, necessary for bale formation and compaction. Thus, the motion enters the tractor's PTO shafts, passes through the clutch and flywheel, and, passing through a safety pin, activates the built-in double reduction gearbox, which directly drives the plunger.

Material enters the machine through the pickup, a set of two cylinders, the lower one equipped with fingers. The straw enters between the two cylinders, lifted by the forks of the lower cylinder, which must be adjusted to touch only the straw and not the ground. The pickup is floating, with its working height controlled by support wheels.

The incoming straw is gathered in the center by two augers placed on each side. From this point, the material concentrated in the center is moved by a crankshaft, which moves the material through forks, beginning to form the slice and beginning its insertion into the compression pre-chamber.

The pre-formatted slice enters the pre-chamber horizontally, gradually accumulating and being placed vertically before entering the compression or baling chamber. Slice compaction begins there, using the piston, which compacts the bale. The loading arms are automatically controlled by the monitor settings. The piston, which compacts the material according to the pre-programmed load, performs a slice compaction cycle until the insertion of a new slice begins, which will form another bale.

Once the bale is formed and tied with twine, teeth at the bottom of the chamber lock the bale and move it, acting as a bale removal mechanism. The bales are pushed one by one, running along a conveyor belt with an adjustable incline to reduce the impact of the fall. However, due to the density with which the bale exits the machine and the perfect action of the ropes that tie it, no damage is noticeable upon exit.

At the end of the process, another machine collects the bales, accumulating them in a trailer that holds up to ten bales.

Knockers

Once compacted, the bale receives the yarn through a set of six needles and knotters, meaning six yarns run the length of the bale. In fact, 12 yarns will be used, six entering from the bottom and six from the top, with the bottom threads covering the bottom and two sides lengthwise. The knots are tied at the top, beginning, and end of the bale using a double knot system.

This entire complex system of yarn rollers, needles, and knotters works in conjunction with a hydraulically driven turbine-type fan that helps clean the entire tying system. The polypropylene yarns have a self-lubricating oil system, essential for proper operation.

Access to the tying area and the top of the machine is via a rear ladder. The area is protected by a support tube structure, complying with safety standards.

Operations

Throughout the day of testing, we monitored the bale formation and adjusted the machine's operation to operate at travel speeds of 4,8 km/h, 5,5 km/h, and 6,6 km/h. We verified that bales could be formed at all speeds, meeting the client's expectations, which required high compaction. Working speed will always depend on the size of the windrow and material availability.

With the setup we used, and operating with the tractor engine at 1.950 rpm and a compaction force (stroke) of 180 kN, we were able to form a bale with 33 slices and 47 strokes per minute for compaction. It's known that the fewer slices in a bale, the better the labor productivity, in terms of weight per time.

Operationally, we were extracting one bale every 45 m, with a distance between bale rows of 7 m. With a travel speed of 5,5 km/h, this yielded approximately two bales per minute, or 122 bales per hour, which exceeded our initial expectations. Although bale lengths can reach up to 2,75 m, our measurements showed that each bale measured 1,20 m x 0,90 m x 2 m, had a volume of 2,16 m³, and weighed approximately 600 kg per bale.

In terms of production capacity, considering a width of 7 m and a travel speed of 5,5 km/h, it can be deduced that under these conditions a total output of 264 m³/h is achieved. Considering an average weight of 600 kg per bale, it can be concluded that the machine can bale, under the test conditions, around 73 tons per hour.

Cabin adjustments

The baler's electronic work management and control system can be used in two ways. If the tractor's function monitor system is compatible with the machine's, the CAN bus communication protocol eliminates the need for the machine's monitor. However, if the tractor isn't compatible, the GTA monitor is the output, and all functions are controlled via Isobus communication.

For full communication between the tractor and the baler, we use the monitor located above the tractor's side console, which is attached to the right side of the seat, with all functions. During the bale assembly operation, it is possible to see the number of slices that make up the bale, progressively increasing in proportion, for example, 15/37, that is, 15 slices out of a total of 37 that will make up the bale, and the 180 kN force required for bale compression. The input speed of 1.000 rpm and the total pressure exerted of 1.400 psi are also recorded. All these parameters can be controlled from the cab, altering the bale compression.

The machine has several sensors that provide important alerts. The first is the baler clutch sensor, the second is a sensor located on the catcher clutch, and the third detects feeder slippage. The baler clutch sensor and the catcher sensor work in coordination. Feeder slippage indicates overload, indicating that the travel speed is too high. There's also a bale counting sensor, which alerts you to the end of a bale with the final movement of the tying needles.

Energy generation from sugarcane straw

As mentioned in the text, agricultural machinery is increasingly required to participate in processes involving sustainability and generate alternative solutions for nature conservation and worker well-being. Generating clean, renewable energy from plant residues is an alternative for sugarcane cultivation.

This procedure is considered a sustainable production method, reusing a relatively undesirable agricultural residue, mainly due to the risk of fires, and fully available when the sugarcane field is renewed. In this process, a significant biomass with high energy potential, previously unused, is now utilized.

The process of generating energy from baled plant residue can be used for burning in boilers, generating steam that drives turbines that generate electricity. This is the simplest process. Another alternative is the production of synthesis gas, but it's a bit more complex.

Thus, for the process to work, the raw material needs to reach the boiler. Among the collection methods, those that transport bulk material continue to be used; however, delivering baled material is the most efficient, as it is easily organized for transport and handling by the system. Once this material arrives at the plant, it is shredded and burned, enabling the energy generation process.

Jose Fernando Schlosser,
Agrotechnology Laboratory/UFSM