Built around 12 models covering working widths from 2.60 to 4.20 metres, the updated Claas Disco Contour mowers ensure maximum quality of the treated crop thanks to exclusive solutions designed to preserve its nutritional and organoleptic properties
The growing importance of haymaking operations in European agriculture, and especially in Italy, is a direct consequence both of the now structural difficulties affecting the livestock sector and of the crop rotation obligations imposed by the CAP.
On the one hand, haymaking is the foundation of livestock farming, and today more than ever it is essential to protect a sector in Italy and across Europe that is increasingly under pressure due to rising production and management costs. On the other hand, proper forage management helps preserve biodiversity while also offering more structured farms an opportunity to diversify operations and safeguard profitability from the imbalances caused by increasingly frequent fluctuations in agricultural commodity prices.
This is therefore a strategic sector, and it is no coincidence that all the leading agricultural machinery manufacturers are active in it with product lines capable of covering every working phase, from mowing to collection. Among these, mowing operations are the most critical for obtaining a final product free from dirt and unwanted microorganisms, such as clostridia present in the soil, which reduce forage quality by contaminating it with harmful substances.
This is a well-known issue for Claas, which recently renewed its “Disco Contour” disc mower range with 12 different models capable of operating at the highest quality standards to ensure a working cycle that fully preserves the organoleptic characteristics of the cut crop.
A major contribution to this goal comes from the cutting action performed by the “Max Cut” cutter bar, an exclusive Claas patent featuring a one-piece pressed wavy profile that allows the forward positioning of the mowing discs, ensuring optimal cutting quality in all working conditions.
The wavy design also accommodates two differently shaped Hardox intermediate inserts designed to enlarge the cutting surface in order to maximise the overlap of the circular knife trajectories and consequently improve working efficiency. The mowing discs are additionally protected by anti-wear rivets, while a tungsten carbide coating on the underside of the blade holders guarantees long-term durability.
Permanently lubricated and therefore maintenance-free, the “Max Cut” bar is available in widths ranging from 2.60 to 4.20 metres. Applied to rear-mounted, trailed and front-mounted models, these dimensions allow large farms and contractors to create double or triple mower combinations capable of achieving a working width exceeding 10 metres.
This productivity-oriented approach is further enhanced by the presence of the “Active Float” weight-relief system, essentially a hydropneumatic suspension managed through a single-acting hydraulic valve adjustable directly from the cab. In practical terms, this allows the “Disco Contour” mowers — available with either roller or tine conditioners — to require less power while operating at the maximum speed allowed by mowing conditions. As a result, they can even work at a reduced PTO speed of 850 rpm instead of the conventional 1,000 rpm, helping reduce tractor fuel consumption by up to one litre per hectare.
The operational efficiency of the new-generation “Disco Contour” mowers is also improved by the possibility of integrating dedicated counterweights designed to ensure a more even load distribution on the tractor’s rear wheels, a particularly useful solution when working with wide operating widths or on sloping terrain.
Equipped as standard with continuously adjustable swath plates designed to ensure precise and uniform windrow formation, the updated “Disco Contour” models can, as mentioned, be fitted with polyurethane or steel roller conditioners or tine conditioners. The latter are particularly suited to mowing grasses such as ryegrass thanks to spiral-arranged V-shaped tines whose conditioning intensity can be adjusted through a dedicated deflector.
Polyurethane rollers, on the other hand, are mainly intended for fibre-rich forage crops such as alfalfa. Through an intensive yet gentle action, they provide continuously adjustable conditioning by means of a spring preload system that also protects the rollers against the entry of foreign objects.
For some models, a gearbox for double roller drive is also available to ensure maximum performance even in wet or very dense crop conditions. Finally, the steel roller system is specifically designed for thick-stemmed crops such as sorghum. Its specially engineered profile with pointed edges guarantees intense conditioning and allows uniform wilting even in heavy or wet crops.
At the service of business
The updated top-of-the-range “Disco 1100 Business” large-area mower is aimed directly at the operational needs of larger mixed farms and contracting businesses. Claas engineers redesigned the machine with the objective of maximising both working capacity and operational safety.
In this context, reinforced telescopic arms equipped with additional spring-loaded sliding elements ensure constant ground pressure, guaranteeing precise and uniform cutting even on sloping terrain. The position cylinders integrated into the arms, and therefore protected, also make it possible to flexibly adjust overlap with a possible front mower, adapting the two 3.80-metre cutter bars featured on the “Disco 1100 Business” model to create an operating width ranging from 9.70 to 10.70 metres.
Equipped with the same working units used throughout the entire “Disco” range — namely the “Max Cut” cutter bars and the “Active Float” weight-relief system — as well as tine or polyurethane or steel tooth conditioning systems, the mower can also be conveniently managed from the tractor terminal via the ISOBUS protocol thanks to the “Business” configuration. This includes a load detection system as standard and can optionally be paired with a slope control system which, through an inclination sensor positioned on the headstock, automatically adjusts the telescopic arm stroke to adapt the mower bar position to the slope of the terrain being worked on.
Title: Claas Disco Contour mowers: quality first
Translation with ChatGPT
