A world first mobile pellet harvester, that also operates as a stationary pellet mill, has been released by hay and silage manufacturer Krone.
Unique in its ability to pellet long-stemmed crops such as straw, pasture hay and lucerne on the move, the Premos 5000 is capable of a throughput of up to five tonnes an hour.
Kubota Australia assistant product manager Nathan Thomas said the company's long-standing partnership with the German machinery manufacturer Krone resulted in innovative products for Australia.
"The Krone Premos 5000 produces pellets with a 16 mm diameter, the high-fibre pellets are made from unchopped material," he said.
"Rich in fibre, the pellets add structure to rations and offer good absorption qualities when used as bedding."
Mr Thomas said a 2.35 metre wide camless pick-up to gathered the straw or crop, while a retaining roller ahead of the pick-up ensured flow was still uniform at low forward speeds.
"An 800 mm wide rotor feeds the material to the feeding belt," he said.
"Foreign objects drop into a stone trap that is arranged behind the rotor while the material is conveyed to the matrix rollers."
Mr Thomas said to ensure consistently high quality of pellet a dispenser metered water or oil onto a bank of jets which sprayed the liquid on the matrix rollers.
"This feature optimises the moisture levels and adhesion properties of the material, which is the basis for a consistently high quality," he said.
"The material is passed through matrix rollers which are heated to between 70 and 100 degrees under high pressure during pelleting."
Mr Thomas said when used as a stationary mill, the Premos included a bale shredder, integral feed table and an automatic twine removal system.
"The bale is removed from storage and fed into the machine via a system of shredding rollers," he said.
"To convert Premos into a stationary mill, remove the pick-up and replace this by the bale shredder which makes an integral part of the machine."
Mr Thomas said the Premos 5000 is currently being trialled and demonstrated to customers in Australia.