XtraBlatt Issue 01-2023

Optimal forage quality
“One of the keys to optimal forage quality is the
chop length,” says Harry Wesch. And this should
be short, because short chops causes pH to drop
more rapidly during the ensiling process, thereby
minimising the risk of butyric acid fermentation.
Furthermore, a shorter chop length creates a
greater surface area, which in turn enables cows
to digest the feed more easily, absorb more energy
and thus more milk.
The system is particularly popular with
customers who often harvest sandy or
stony land.
Harry Wesch, contractor
In brief
Fact 1
Abound one third of all
Krone forage wagons
have the SpeedSharp
blade grinder.
Fact 2
The economic benefits
of the grinding system
include a noticeably
better fuel economy in
the field and significant
time savings during
sharpening.
Fact 3
Chop length and
quality are among the
key factors for optimal
forage quality. Shortchop
forage leads to a
more rapid reduction in
pH, thereby minimising
the risk of butyric acid
fermentation.
1 The blade grinder is
lifted into position. A few
simple operations, then
grinding can begin.
2 Ready to go again.
Dennis Jenk shows a
cutting edge that
has just been sharpened
while on the machine.
3 The discs produce
a consistent grinding pattern,
thanks to springs
ensuring a uniform
contact pressure.
“In addition, farmers and contractors who seek
to produce optimal quality forage require consistently
sharp blades and therefore appreciate
the fact that our SpeedSharp system can sharpen
those 48 blades on our forage wagons in a matter
of minutes!”
A sandy challenge
Having consistently sharp blades is a particular
challenge for contractors who harvest on varying
soils. “The sandy, often stony soils in the local
Geest region soon take it out of the blades. And
if the customer prefers a very short cut, you just
have to accept that the blades will need re-grinding
after only a few trips to the clamp,” explains Harry
Wesch. The blades were not always able to cope
with these stresses, he went on to explain. “In the
first few years we often had to deal with broken
or torn blades,” says the contractor. A problem
that Krone has now solved with the introduction
of the more resistant HD blades, says Benedikt
Lambrecht-Speller. Harry Wesch values this level
3
1 2
of customer focus: “You call them, explain the
problem – and a few weeks later Emsland comes
up with a solution.” It’s not something the contractor
takes for granted, but ultimately this level
of service is behind his decision to rely almost
entirely on Krone for the forage harvesting side
of his business.
Although today, the cut grass is also often picked
up by foragers, forage wagons do present a more
cost-effective option in many situations. “This
is especially true when the fields are small or remote,”
explains Christoph Jenk, who is responsible
for the workshop and scheduling. Apart from that,
some farmers don’t like to see the heavy foragers
go into their boggy grasslands that are so abundant
in the region. Therefore, during the grass season
the contractor’s three forage wagons are usually
kitted out with their own pick-ups. “Of course, we
also run the forage wagons alongside the forage
harvester, depending on the harvesting chain,”
says Dennis Jenk.
For delivering their customers forage of a consistently
premium quality, the contractor must
use sharp blades in the first place. Therefore, the
company makes a particular point of diligently
sharpening the blades at the end of each harvest
day. Most blades are resharpened in a stationary
grinding machine at their workshop. But at peak
times there’s often a backlog of blades waiting to be
re-sharpened during the evening. The SpeedSharp
blade grinder has gone a long way towards alleviating
this situation. However, the forage wagon
blades still need re-sharpening on the stationary
machine at regular intervals.
The Harry Wesch contracting business began
operating from a farm in 1991 and now employs
eight full-time and twelve temporary staff. Forage
harvesting is the mainstay of their business, and
for this, the company uses mainly Krone machinery.
The cutting is done with two butterfly mower
combinations. Raking and grass collection is done
with Krone equipment. The machine fleet includes
three forage harvesters – two BiG X 850 and one
BiG X 1080 –, two Krone rakes and the three ZX
series forage wagons already mentioned.
Less diesel consumption
Colleague Torben Trzeciek has just resharpened
the blades on his forage wagon combination. Like
all drivers of forage wagons, he knows exactly how
to operate the blade sharpener and uses it a dozen
times per year during forage harvesting, which
can involve up to five cuts. In his view, abrasive
consumption is comparatively low. “We replace
the abrasive flap discs that have reached their wear
limit at the end of the season,” explains Torben
Trzeciek. But he doesn’t just use the SpeedSharp
when the blades are noticeably blunt. He also
grinds the blades before heading off to a new customer.
“New customers tend to inspect the first few
loads particularly carefully. So obviously it’s a good
thing if the first wagon load has been processed
with freshly sharpened blades,” he explains, ever
the grassland professional.
Regular resharpening also makes sense in terms
of operating costs. “Significantly less tractor power
is needed for cutting when you have freshly
sharpened blades,” explains Christoph Jenk. This
is reflected in a reduced fuel consumption, which
the Wesch repair shop manager puts at around 1 to
2%. But it’s the same story with any machine with
blades. Sharp blades cut through the forage with
ease. As the blades become dull during the course
of the day, there is a noticeable increase in fuel
consumption. So for contractor Harry Wesch, the
SpeedSharp blade grinding system is a win-win.
The customer benefits from optimum chop quality,
the contractor from reduced fuel consumption and
there is less risk of customers complaining about
the silage quality. «
A highly motivated
team – Harry Wesch
and his team provide
local farmers with an
efficient and reliable
service that covers
more than
forage harvesting.
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