Italian flair meets the Kiwi paddock: Farm Trader puts the Mascar Multiwrap 130 through its paces in the Waikato
It’s not often you get a newcomer to the combination baler/wrapper market, but this month, I’ve been getting up close and personal with a bit of Italian flair that’s been making waves in the Waikato and beyond – the Mascar Multiwrap, and struth, this machine certainly has features fit for the Kiwi paddock.
While Mascar is relatively new to the New Zealand market, they are certainly not newcomers when it comes to round balers. They have been manufacturing balers since their inauguration in 1998, whilst producing certain models for other manufacturers. The Multiwrap is no newcomer, being tried, tested and updated over the course of the last decade, resulting in a ‘refined athlete’ ready for the big leagues.
Pickup and Rotor
First impressions matter, and the Multiwrap 130 makes a strong one with its 2.25m pickup. Given that we aren’t exactly known for our dainty windrows, the 4-rotor rake has never been more popular. Something that isn’t super popular are our ‘flat’ paddocks, despite how they may look but the Mascar handles high-volume collection and the short, sharp humps and hollows in its stride. This is mainly thanks to the cam’d pickup with four tine bars, each with 28 tines (116 in total) and the pivoting pickup wheels.
Chop to it
A key part of the excellent chop quality of the bales is the way the grass is laid for the knives. Firstly, the heavy crop windroller does two things: it keeps short, fluffy green grass actually in the pickup in windy conditions, and in heavy crops flattens and smooths the crop for delivery to the large diameter spiral auger. You can choose between two knife banks, 15- or 25-knife options (both in two rows so 7/8 and 12/13) depending on your chopping requirements. Chop length is 70mm from the 15-knife option, while the 25-knife option shrinks that to a rumen-friendly 42mm. Another nice addition is If you get a bit greedy and plug the rotor, you can drop the floor from the seat, clear the blockage, and you’re back baling.
Roll up, Roll up
The heart of the beast is a fixed chamber system featuring 18 heavy-duty rollers. The first two rollers are heavily ribbed to aggressively start that bale formation, perfect for chasing that elusive ‘perfect bale’ in varied silage conditions. The Multiwrap 130 delivers a 130cm diameter x 120cm wide bale that’s as tight as a drum. To keep it all running smoothly, auto chain lube and centralised greasing are standard on the package.
Driveline-wise, the T gearbox runs one side exclusively for the pickup and rotor and the other for all 18 rollers. Binding-wise, either film or net binding is available; net-only balers can’t do film, but the film-optioned machines can do both. We tested both in the same paddock, and both ran flawlessly.
The all-important transfer
It’s about the seamless handover. In New Zealand, time is literally money, and the transition from the chamber to the wrapping table is where many combi-units lose their edge. Smooth is the overarching theme here – in the cab there is certainly no whiplash! Yes, it does go onto a transfer table before the wrapping table, which you could argue makes it slower, but it does have a nifty little function. Pop the bale out of the chamber, and it’s then cradled and placed onto the table (perfect for hills). Then the wrapper table tilts back and starts wrapping.
On most balers, the transfer table goes down, and then the door shuts. Not the Mascar folks. The door shuts before the table goes down, another added protection for the tail door on those pesky hills, and more importantly, it lets you start forming the next bale.
Wrapper
Wrapping each bale takes about 23 seconds thanks to the twin satellite arms and the onboard 750mm rolls. Naturally, you run in auto most of the time, but it is equipped with film break sensors and can run in single satellite mode. If you do get yourself in a pickle, the colour pictures on the monitor make it easy to get back in the groove, even for simpletons like me. The only downside here is the ability to carry six rolls of additional film.
Manoeuvrability
Not only has Mascar optimised the bale transfer phase to minimise lost time, but the twin satellite wrapper is positioned to keep the machine’s overall dimensions compact. The large flotation 600/55R22.5 tyres also aid manoeuvrability. This is a godsend when you’re navigating those ‘interesting’ tight gateways on a hilly King Country farm or navigating through the glorious invention, the10ft Taranaki gate – must be a North Island thing!
In-cab monitor
The Multiwrap 130 runs an ‘intelligent identification system’ for every step of the work cycle. The onboard self-diagnostic functions is a clever standout. If a sensor goes haywire, the screen doesn’t just give you a cryptic error code, it provides a diagram showing exactly where the problem is. That’s the difference between a 10-minute fix and waiting for a technician. The 7-inch colour monitor is intuitive; no need for a degree in computer science to change the net wrap layers.
What’s the value proposition
I guess the big question is why would a New Zealand contractor look at a Mascar over the established competition? Turns out there are plenty of very good reasons that all boil down to the total cost of ownership.
Starting with the big one, a three-year warranty that is three times as long as some others and, in a market where trust is hard-earned, that’s a bold statement that speaks volumes about the machine’s longevity – a compelling start.
Secondly, the Multiwrap 130 is built with oversized components to withstand the harsh working conditions we call a standard Tuesday.
Better still and the third good reason – the guys who are bringing these in run full-time workshops and are experts in their field: TractorTech for Waikato and Lower North Island, Garton Mechanical Services for Northland and Diesel-Tech for the South Island.
Verdict
The Mascar Multiwrap 130 is a well-built, high-performing alternative that offers simplicity without sacrificing the “smart” features that modern contracting demands. It’s compact and it’s rugged. Unfortunately, it won’t magically fix bad weather, but it will make sure that when the weather window opens, you absolutely hammer it. And most importantly, the thing you will ultimately be judged on – it makes a bloody good bale.
