Producing perfect bales

County Durham, Peterleebased GJ Contracting run by George Jackson uses two RV5216 balers to produce 10-15,000 bales/year from grass, hay and straw.

“Customers want a mix of bale sizes, so the variable chamber is ideal for us,” says George, pictured. “The density and bale shape from these Vicon machines really is superb. Bales are solid, they don’t lose their shape.”

Supplied by local dealer Agriplus of Middlesborough, George says service and backup is every bit as good as the balers.

“Nothing is too much for the team at Agriplus,” explains George. “They’ll do what they can to keep you moving. They understand the pressures on my business and my customers, and that’s all you can ask for.”

With one RV5216 having clocked over 30,000 bales and the second machine not far behind, George says baler reliability is good.

“I’ve never had any balers as good as these two,” he adds. “We’ve never touched an endless belt, though we’ve replaced a couple of chains.”

Both balers use ISOBUS and plug directly into his New Holland and McCormick tractors.

“I was a bit wary about electronics, but needn’t have worried. It just works,” he says. “And with preset density settings on the screen, it’s easy to fine tune as conditions vary.”

“There’s not a baler on the market that I’d swap these RV’s for,” he says.

“We’ve picked up behind 35ft combine headers, triple mowers and baled individual rows too. The intake flows well and those short augers really help to pack the crop in.”

“We rarely have to use the drop floor, but it’s good to know it’ll easily clear a blockage if needed,” he says.