9YFS-2.2 Square Baler

The 9YFS-2.2 takes the hammer-claw and shredder platform of the 9YF-2200S and makes two critical additions: a dual-stage shredding mechanism that processes hard stalks more thoroughly than a single stage, and a negative-pressure fan that actively separates dust, fine sand and field impurities from the incoming material before it reaches the compression chamber. The result is bales that are not just denser than those from non-shredding machines, but significantly cleaner — an important distinction for high-value forage markets, livestock feeding programs and export applications.

At ≥73.5kW (≥99HP) PTO with a 2,200mm hammer-claw pickup and 460×360mm auto-rope bale, the 9YFS-2.2 is the choice for operations where clean, dense, well-formed small square bales are the quality standard — regardless of how difficult the crop or field conditions are.

Two sequential crushing and shredding stages process hard stalks — corn, sorghum, cotton — more completely than a single stage. The first stage breaks the stalk; the second stage shreds the broken pieces into shorter, finer fragments that pack more uniformly in the compression chamber. The practical result: higher average bale density, better bale shape stability, and shorter stalk fragments that improve forage palatability in ruminant feeding.

A dedicated fan unit draws air through the crop material stream before it reaches the compression chamber, separating dust, fine sand, soil particles and light chaff through negative pressure adsorption. These impurities are ejected through the clean windrow — reducing the impurity content of bales by a significant margin compared to direct-compression machines. Cleaner bales mean less soil in the feed ration, lower dust exposure for livestock, and bales that present better for sale.

The same rotating flail-type pickup used on the 9YF-2200S — capable of recovering standing, lodged and tangled material from the ground surface that a spring-tooth system misses. The 9YFS-2.2 can operate in difficult field conditions — traffic-compacted stover fields, wind-damaged cereal crops, and matted paddy residue — that would require a separate raking pre-pass on a standard pickup machine.

Crop Types and Field Conditions

The 9YFS-2.2 operates across the same crop range as the 9YF-2200S — with the added capability that the dual shredder and dust-removal fan provide when crop quality or field cleanliness are performance factors. Rated for: legume and gramineous forage 17–23% moisture; rice, wheat and corn stover 10–23% moisture; soil moisture 12–25%; slope up to 8 degrees.

• ▸Corn and sorghum stover — dual shredder provides more complete stalk breakdown than single-stage for the densest, hardest crop residues
• ▸Standing and lodged crops — hammer-claw recovers material flattened by wind, rain or harvest traffic that standard pickups cannot lift from the ground surface
• ▸Alfalfa and legume hay (fresh and dry) — fan removes dust and fine particulate from the windrow before baling, significantly reducing the impurity content of alfalfa bales fed to dairy cows and horses
• ▸Wheat and rice straw — fan removes the fine dust, chaff and light soil particles characteristic of combine-harvested straw windrows
• ▸Cotton stalks and mixed crop residue — the dual shredder handles the variable hardness of cotton stalk material; the fan removes soil contamination common in post-cotton windrows

Markets Where Clean Bales Matter Most

• ▸Dairy and equine operations — animals sensitive to dust and soil contamination in feed respond measurably to cleaner forage; reduced respiratory issues in horses and improved DMI in dairy cows
• ▸Export and commercial resale — bales inspected at the receiving end for impurity content and appearance meet a higher standard when produced from fan-cleaned material
• ▸TMR ration mixing — shredded, fan-cleaned stover and straw integrate more evenly in total mixed rations than whole-stalk or dusty material

The first shredding stage receives material from the fork feeder and breaks hard, intact stalks — corn, sorghum, thick-stemmed alfalfa — into smaller sections. This initial breaking stage handles the structural integrity of the stalk, which is higher than the secondary stage mechanism is designed to process alone. Operating the dual shredder on material that a single stage handles adequately does not damage the machine — it simply uses more power and produces finer shred length.

The second shredding stage receives material from Stage 1 and reduces it further — rubbing and cutting the broken stalk sections into finer, more uniform fragments. The finer and more uniform the shred length entering the compression chamber, the more evenly the material packs around the perimeter and across the width of the 460×360mm bale — eliminating the large void zones that whole or partially broken stalks leave.

Bales from the 9YFS-2.2 in corn stover or sorghum conditions are noticeably denser and more dimensionally stable than those from a single-stage or non-shredding machine in the same crop. Stacks of these bales maintain their shape across a storage season rather than compressing or deforming as the internal void structure collapses over time.

I sell alfalfa to three boarding stables, and horse owners are very particular about dust. After switching to the 9YFS-2.2, two of my buyers commented without being prompted that the new bales produced less dust when they opened them in the barn. The lab analysis from one buyer showed ash content down measurably from my previous baler on the same fields. For the premium horse hay market, that is a real quality difference that supports higher pricing. The dual shredder also handles my late-season thick-stemmed alfalfa much better than the single-stage machine I had before.

I run 800 acres of corn and the stover recovery is an important secondary income. The 9YF-2200S was good but the dual shredder on the 9YFS-2.2 makes a noticeable difference in stover bale density — the bales weigh more per unit length and the stacks are more stable across winter storage. The fan is the feature I did not expect to value, but my cattle show less sorting behavior with the fan-cleaned stover than they did with the previous baler output on the same fields. That is a real feed efficiency improvement even in a beef operation.

We supply a dairy with TMR-mixed small square bales of wheat straw and alfalfa. The dairy nutritionist tracks ash content in the forage analysis as an indicator of soil load in the ration. Our 9YFS-2.2 bales consistently test lower ash than the previous baler from the same fields — our buyer confirmed this is meaningful in their ration formulation and has made our product the preferred supplier over the competitors who use standard balers. The dual shredder also produces bales that mix more uniformly in the TMR — the nutritionist noted less ingredient separation in the mixer truck.

Sorghum and cotton stalks are hard on any baler, and the 9YFS-2.2 handles them better than anything else I have used. The dual shredder processes sorghum stalks to a point where the bale density is genuinely commercial-grade — something I could not achieve with single-stage or non-shredding machines. The fan removes the cotton field dust that used to make our bales gritty in the outside layer. One practical note: the fan belt requires attention in cotton season — cotton fibre can wrap around the belt pulley and needs clearing at each day end. Once I added that to the daily routine, no issues. Would buy again.