Bas Seward bought an RV4216 baler in 2011 as part of a move from a fixed chamber to variable chamber round baler in a bid to get more consistent bale shape and density throughout a broader range of crop types.
"I had previously been using a six-year old fixed chamber RF2235 which worked really well, but the increasing amount of different straw types I was being asked to bale meant the RF sometimes struggled to cope,” says Bas Seward, who operates BMS Farm Services from Cheriton Bishop, Devon.
He says linseed straw and rape straw have recently become much more favoured for cattle bedding, and the difficulty in baling such abrasive, long fibre straw with a roller baler meant a variable chamber type would produce far more consistent results when baling these varied crop types.
“I was told by a lot of people to stick with fixed chamber, but I’m glad I changed,” he says. “I absolutely love the bales – the shape is as good as anyone could hope for and the density is amazing. Whatever the crop, these bales do keep their shape.”
Since the baler arrived at the end of July 2011, Mr Seward has produced 2,000 bales with the RV4216, and with a 160hp MF8190 up front, he says 8-9mph on level ground is easy.
Output though does get held back on the slopes as safety comes first.
“The small fields, tight lanes and rolling countryside make round baling a challenge in this area,” he says. “But a powerful, heavy tractor helps to keep the outfit under control on the steeper slopes.”
With many customers mowing and raking up their own crops for Mr Seward, he says swath widths vary tremendously. But the simplicity of the Focus II control box makes it easy to fill the chamber, simply by following the on-screen graphics.
“It’s a very easy baler to use, and I’ve not seen any irregular shaped bales leave the chamber,” he says. “It’s impressive.”