John Deere launches new connected 1 Series round balers

John Deere’s new 1 Series round balers are built with new technology to document bale moisture and weight while in the field and are designed to help farmers increase efficiency and return on investment. 

Baler tech

The new series of balers features John Deere’s new Bale Doc technology, which feeds information directly to the Operations Center for post-harvest analysis. Chase Milem, marketing manager for John Deere, says being able to view bale moisture and weight will help farmers make informed decisions both in real time and postseason.

“Farmers are going to be able to see field tonnage postseason or even the next day to understand the performance of each field,” says Milem. “Farmers can adjust with better nutrient practices, or pull a field out of production. It’s a huge deal and they’re going to see the return on investment by having this technology on their round baler.” 

The technology makes use of a suite of John Deere technology.

“Much like our large ag production and precision ag system, we have the ability to document a harvest layer in Operations Center via the display inside the cab of the machine,” says Kyle Ruth, product marketing manager at John Deere. “When we think about our tech stack, we have core hardware that enabled this: The John Deere display, a Starfire receiver, and a modem releasing that information and sending it to Operations Center.”

Farmers can view this data from the tractor cab on a new, 8-inch G5e display or their standard John Deere tractor display. 

The 1 Series has three available pickups, including the regular pickup, wide pickup, and a new high-capacity pickup. The high-capacity pickup has a dual rotor system to increase throughput on the baler, enabling farmers to produce as many as 80 more bales per day compared to Deere’s wide pickup, according to Milem. Deere also offers an optional pre-cutter, taking stems down to roughly 2.5 inches in size — perfectly bite-sized for cattle. 

Operator comforts

The 1 Series balers are also built with some new technology to reduce operator fatigue. Baler automation technology automatically opens and closes the gate at the right time to eliminate repetitive tasks and operator error. An optional net roll lift assist is also available from the factory. The connecting linkage attaches to net wrap handles and the roll is moved into position.

“Historically, a customer had to pick up a 90 to 120 pound roll off the back of their truck or off the ground and heave it clear up onto the back,” says Milem. “This will decrease the effort it takes to do that.”

The Series 1 also has optional net lighting to help reload in low-light conditions. An optional preservation system uses a tank, sensors, controller, and distribution system to apply preservative to each bale.

Availability 

The John Deere 1 Series Round Baler lineup includes the 451E, 451M, 451R, 461M, 461R, 551M, 561M, and 561R. E models are equipped with a regular pickup, M models are equipped with the MegaWide Plus pickup, and R models are equipped with the new High-Capacity or High-Capacity and Precutting feeding system. 

The balers will have wide availability in 2024, with orders opening September 12, 2023. Prices will be announced when orders open. For more information, visitJohnDeere.com.