If its knife options your after, its knife options your going to get. This baler is no one-trick pony, however, we were certainly impressed by the Pottinger IMPRESS.

I was lucky enough to be at the Pottinger Days in 2014 when they released the very first versions of the Impress balers to around 800 dealers, journalists and customers.

This was a hotly anticipated event, held prior to the official launch at Agritechnica 2015.

OriginAg brought in the second generation of the IMPRESS balers in the spring of 2023. These have steadily been gaining popularity due to some standout features which we were happy to take a closer look at.

 

PICKUP AND DRAWBAR

The pickup system in the Pottinger 3130 FC PRO baler features a 2.3-meter floating pickup with 120mm of oscillation. It includes a five-row-cammed pickup with a cam track on either side. Crop flow into the rotor from the outer edges of the edges of the wide pickup are via two small augers mounted one on top of the other on both sides of the pickup. The pickup is supported by large rear springs, allowing it to either very gently touch or hover above the ground while effectively picking up grass, hence the floating reference.

Unique to the Pottinger during our Harvest showcase testing was the moveable hydraulic drawbar. Not only is it great for hitching and unhitching, but for those who have driven loader wagons, these work great for navigating in and out of dips as well as undulating terrain which helps keep the pickup in good shape.

 

KNIVES AND ROTOR

Another unique system experience at our Harvest Showcase was the fact the crop flows over the top of the rotor, ensuring efficient crop flow as it enters the chamber always with the path of least resistance being on the outside, meaning faster core formation. The 32-knife chopping system is mounted above the rotor, allowing the grass to over the rotor and through the knife bank. this design helps crop flow and significantly reduces blockages. Another nifty feature to reduce the risk of blocking at the point of an almost full chamber is that when you are chopping bales, once the chamber gets to 90% capacity, the knives automatically disengage hydraulically. this means the last 10% of the bale is not chopped, resulting in a nice tight tidy tidy-looking bale. Also, when it comes time to feed out, when you do take the film off it, the bale isn’t going to completely fall apart.

All 32 knives are reversible this certainly saves time as you can remove the entire bank on a trolley system at waist height (using my trusty red lever), sharpen both sides at once and then simply flip them over when one side becomes blunt. The number of knives in the bank means chop length will be up to 20% shorter than its nearest competitor, according to Pottinger. The added flexibility of being able to run anything from a handful of knives all the way up to 32 makes this the standout feature of this baler.

The Knife bank comes out at waist level, making it very easy to work with

 

BALE CHAMBER AND BINDING

The 1.2m bale chamber features an 18-roller system that can produce bales up to 130cm in diameter. PTO drive speed is 1000rpm and cleverly, everything on the baler is separated. All chain and greasing functions are on the left-hand side of the baler and all hydraulic and electric functions are on the right-hand side. This is great for keeping things separate and clean (on the hydraulic and electric side at least). Auto oiling is standard as well as a single grease nipple with a distribution bank.

Given that it’s just one nipple, it is easily retrofittable to an auto greaser if required. For binding, the IMPRESS can be either net or film. The self-contained electric over hydraulic net/film brake system ensures consistent performance throughout the day and isn’t impacted by increases in ambient temperature or tractor hydraulic temp spikes. For contour following and weight distribution our test machine was fitted with 520/55R 22.5 tyres (however up to 710s are available).

Left: Moving the film into position is simple thanks to the swing-out cradle Right: Up to 32 knives make this a dream for creating fine chop bales

 

TRANSFER AND WRAPPING

A bale cradle hand (or so to speak) delivers the ejected bale to the wrapping table. Again, unique on the market to Pottinger (there is a theme here people). It’s mounted from underneath, keeping the weight low and making it great for hill country. It rotates at 36rpm and can be give the bales an extra turn to ensure the film is completely stuck to the bale before wrapping. It can also do the same at the end of the wrapping cycle to reduce the risk of tails. The bale is gently dropped to part of the wrapping table, can place the bale on its end or round. It can also be completely changed as to what it does each bale, which is great for those niggly paddocks often encountered.

In terms of onboard storage, it caters for either 3x net or film binding rolls and 12x x 750mm wrap rolls or one additional roll of net/film and 16x rolls of wrap – either way, plenty!

Left: Twin auger system moves grass from the outer edges of the 2.3m pickup. Right: Twin springs mounted behind the pickup reduce wear

 

CONTROLS

The baler features a full ISOBUS controller. All of the machine functionality via Power Beyond is run through the monitor, even the pickup up-and-down for easy operation and customisation. As part of the ISOBUS controller, you can also set the pickup so that it lifts as the film or net goes on or if the tractor is put into reverse. Via a separate monitor you can have up to four cameras. Our Harvest Showcase test machine was fitted with two, with one showing inside the chamber and one showing the wrapping table. For controlling functions when the unexpected happens or if things get out of sync, a conveniently located touchpad on the left-hand side of the baler controls the door, transfer table film roll holder and wrapping cycle.

Left: The ISOBUS functionally in action. Right: The binding system can be film or net

SUMMARY

The Pottinger 3130 FC PRO baler is a high-performance machine designed for efficient baling. Standouts for me are the 32 knife chopping system and the ISOBUS controller for easy operation and customisation. the baler is also equipped with an underneath mounted wrapper and an over-the-top rotor making the use of the natural force of gravity, which in Pottinger’s native homeland of Austria, is constantly trying to send you to the bottom of steep hills they work amongst, hence the features which are at home in some of our more ámbititous’silage making jobs.

Left: The bale transfer table cradles the bale all the way to the wrapper table. Right: The hydraulic drawbar ram makes short work of undulating paddocks.

A good example of the IMPRESSive bale shape

TOP 5

Movable hydraulic drawbar: Aids in hitching and navigating uneven terrain

32 knife chopping system market-leading chop system

ISOBUS Controller: Allows for easy operation and customisation

Underneath Mounted Wrapper: Keeps weight low, great for hill country

Oscillating 2.3m pickup and crop flow over the top rotor design.

 

Words and Images by: Jaiden Drought / Farm Trader (Harvest Showcase; February 2025)