Fusion 4 Plus builds on McHale’s baler-wrapper formula

For operators working through short silage windows, output from a baler-wrapper is determined by considerably more than how quickly a bale can be formed. Crop has to enter the machine consistently, move through the chopping system without interruption and transfer quickly from chamber to wrapper, while downtime for blockages and maintenance needs to be kept to a minimum.

Those priorities sit behind the latest McHale Fusion 4 Plus, which combines the company’s established integrated baler-wrapper layout with a number of changes designed to increase crop flow, improve operator control and reduce time spent maintaining the machine.

At the front, the 2.1 m Profi-Flo pick-up represents one of the most significant developments. Designed as McHale’s highest-output pick-up for the Fusion 4 range, it uses a tapered feed channel to encourage crop towards the rotor, while the lateral feed augers have been moved forward and angled towards the rotor to create a more direct crop path.

A patented adaptive intake also allows the intake area to respond to changing crop volumes. In lighter crops the intake plate sits higher, before moving lower as crop volume increases. The objective is to maintain an even flow into the chamber and reduce peak loads rather than forcing the same opening to deal with everything from light swaths through to heavy first-cut silage.

The standard Profi-Flo uses a five-tine-bar cam pick-up, while a six-tine-bar camless version is available for operators wanting fewer moving parts and reduced maintenance.

From the pick-up, crop moves through a heavy-duty feed rotor and 25-knife chopping unit. The spiral arrangement of the rotor flights is designed to maintain an even crop flow while reducing load peaks in heavier swaths. Knife selection can be controlled from the tractor cab, with an optional selectable knife system allowing 0, 12, 13 or all 25 knives to be engaged.

The Fusion 4 Plus also provides an automatic knife drop function. This allows the majority of the bale to be chopped before the knives are automatically lowered towards the end of the cycle, leaving the outside layer unchopped. For farmers feeding bales out later, this can help the bale retain its shape once the binding material is removed while still providing the benefits of chopped forage through most of the bale.

Blockages inevitably remain part of baling in variable conditions, so the Fusion 4 Plus incorporates McHale’s drop floor unblocking system. When connected to an Isobus tractor, the Auto Unblock function can detect a blockage and lower the floor automatically. Once the PTO is restarted and the blockage clears, the floor returns to its working position. A sensor also monitors the floor position to help maintain consistent chop quality.

Behind the rotor is McHale’s 18-roller fixed bale chamber, with the Fusion 4 Plus able to use either film or net to bind the bale.

Film-on-film remains the feature that most clearly separates the Plus from the other Fusion 4 models. Instead of relying solely on net around the barrel of the bale, film can be applied in the chamber before the bale moves to the wrapper. This first film layer becomes part of the overall wrapping system and is designed to produce a well-shaped, tightly bound bale while contributing to improved silage preservation and easier feed-out.

Using film for both binding and wrapping also simplifies recycling because the farmer is dealing predominantly with one type of material rather than separating net from stretch film.

Once binding is complete, McHale’s patented transfer system moves the bale directly into the vertical wrapping ring. The lower section of the bale chamber doubles as the transfer mechanism, removing the need for a separate moving table or lift arm.

Five drive rollers transfer the bale while the sidewalls of the chamber keep it controlled, an arrangement particularly relevant on undulating and steeper country, where uncontrolled bale movement can become an issue.

Importantly, transfer takes place as the chamber opens and closes, allowing the next baling cycle to begin without a lengthy interruption. The design also helps keep overall machine length to 5.8 m despite combining the baler and wrapper in a single unit.

Operator control has moved increasingly into the tractor cab. The Fusion 4 Plus is Isobus compatible, allowing it to operate through a compatible tractor terminal or McHale’s optional ISO-Play 10 or ISO-Play 12 terminals. Bale density and binding settings can be adjusted from the cab, while cameras monitor bale transfer, wrapping and the film-binding process.

Automatic progressive greasing and chain oiling are standard, with adjustable lubrication intervals and an alarm helping reduce the amount of routine intervention required during a long working day.

For contractors, however, the fundamental attraction of the Fusion concept remains straightforward. One tractor and one operator can pick up, chop, bale, bind and wrap the crop in a continuous operation.