World premiere

KRONE Swadro BaleTrain TC 880 Pro: Swathing and baling in one process

For the first time, a manufacturer is combining a rake and round baler for single person operation with maximum automation and efficiency.
Spelle, Germany, September 2025: With the Swadro BaleTrain TC 880 Pro, KRONE is the world’s first manufacturer to offer an intelligent combination of KRONE machines for swathing and baling that are designed for efficient single person operation. This combination is based on the modified Swadro TC 880 twin-rotor rake from KRONE, which merges with a KRONE round baler to form a highly efficient unit. The sole requirement placed on the baler is the ability for bottom hitching using a K 80 ball-head hitch and a PTO drive operating at 540 rpm.

Efficient, flexible and economical
The functions of both machines and their work processes are automatically controlled and coordinated via intelligent sequential controls. The positive result: By combining two processes during forage harvesting, working time is reduced, along with fuel consumption and CO₂ emissions, and the number of field passes and road journeys are kept to a minimum. This concept also helps to significantly relieve the burden on the ground and, of course, on drivers. Another benefit: Both the rake and the round baler can still be used in solo operation. This boosts the flexibility and efficiency of the Swadro BaleTrain TC 880 Pro.

Perfectly harmonised processes
The Swadro BaleTrain TC 880 Pro is hitched to the tractor via a K 80 ball-head hitch and is also forced steered via a K 50 and a steering linkage. The twin-rotor rake is equipped with an end-to-end drive train for the PTO drive of the round baler. A manual gearbox on the rake ensures that the round baler is always driven at the required rotational speed and the rotational speed of the rotors can be adapted to the harvesting conditions. This means that the rotors can be set to two speeds or completely decoupled by means of a neutral gear.
The rake offers all the necessary connection options for coupling a KRONE round baler. The forced steering of the rake ensures that the entire machine combination follows the track, so that the pick-up of the baler can pick up the swath, cleanly and without loss, even when driving around the tightest curves. The forced steering also ensures excellent manoeuvrability at the headland and additionally enables easy manoeuvring in narrow field or yard entrances.

High operator comfort, including automatic functions
A real highlight is the KRONE AutoBale system, which combines several automatic functions. The automatic lifting system ensures that the rotors of the rake and the pick-up of the baler are automatically lifted when the net or the (peripheral) film of the baler is inserted. The automatic reversing function ensures the same effect when reversing the combination. This significantly relieves the burden on drivers when operating this complex machine combination. The automatic steering system is also extremely helpful. It automatically deflects the rake axle to the left or right with the help of the steering signal of the baler, thus enabling optimum filling of the bale chamber by picking up the swath as required. In particular, the automatic steering system always intervenes by readjusting if there is no uniform swath in inhomogeneous crops. This ensures that the baler is optimally supplied with crops under all circumstances and always produces optimally shaped bales.
The Swadro BaleTrain TC 880 Pro is operated via the new and clearly laid out ISOBUS user interface. With the interface, the basic functions of the baler – such as lifting/lowering the pick-up or opening/closing the tailgate – can also be carried out via rake operation, even if the baler otherwise has to do this via control units. The baler can then also be included in the automatic functions.

Conclusion: With the Swadro BaleTrain TC 880 Pro, KRONE once again underlines its expertise as a forage harvesting specialist. The combination of a tractor with Swadro TC 880 and a KRONE round baler clearly shows how harvesting can be made even more efficient and economical by intelligently combining machines.

Quick read

• World first: KRONE presents the Swadro BaleTrain TC 880 Pro, the first fully automated and efficient combined rake and round baler for single person operation.
• Increased efficiency: By combining the two work steps, the working time, fuel consumption and CO₂ emissions are significantly reduced, while also offering sward protection and reducing the driver's workload.
• Flexibility: Both machines can also be used individually, thus increasing the range of applications and improving cost-effectiveness.
• Technical tuning: Forced steering, a continuous drive train and manual gearbox ensure optimum rotational speeds and loss-free swath pick-up, even when driving around tight corners.
• AutoBale system: Automatic functions such as lifting mechanisms, reversing and automatic steering relieve the driver and ensure even bale filling even when crops are uneven.
• ISOBUS operation: All of the basic and automatic functions can be controlled via the new, intuitive user interface.

Press contact:
Markus Steinwendner
Head of Marketing KRONE Agriculture 
+49 5977 935 188 20
markus.steinwendner@krone.de
www.krone-agriculture.com