1977
ROLLANT 85
In the search for full mechanisation of fodder and straw harvesting, the round baler was developed. In contrast to competitors, with the ROLLANT, CLAAS focused on developing a bale chamber formed out of steel rollers. The ROLLANT 85 has a bale size of 1.50 metres in width and 1.80 metres in diameter. These bales simplified the use of front loaders and telehandlers for transporting and stacking.
1981
ROLLANT 62 – 44 and 34
With the addition of the ROLLANT 62 – 44 and 34, there was now a complete series, with bale chamber diameters from 0.90 to 1.80 metres. This meant that all individual farmers or contractors could select the machine that best met their needs. ROLLANT round balers become the market leaders – in 1984, CLAAS delivered 5,400 ROLLANT balers throughout the world.
1983
ROLLATEX net wrapping
Previously, the bale had been wrapped with around 20 windings of twine. The baler had to be stopped during the winding process and could continue to work only after the bale had been discharged. With ROLLATEX net wrapping, which CLAAS launched on the market in 1983, two windings were sufficient. This sped up the process significantly, and the netting protected the bales against rain.
1985
Spiral bale chamber
Increasingly higher compaction was the challenge that CLAAS engineers confronted. The spiral bale chamber, i.e. the spiral-shaped arrangement of the compression rollers, was a step in this direction. Moreover, the bale rotation was thus clearly more reliable, even under very dry harvest conditions.
Next: 1987 – 2002
