

Here, it's all about the rotor.
At a glance.
- Unique to CLAAS: the rotor gets the bale rolling
- The soft core can be adjusted from the cab (option)
- Even filling of the bale chamber by the rotor

The rotor feeds the crop into the baling chamber where the bale is forced to start rotating immediately.

Optimal core compaction to produce extremely high bale weights and a storable, uniform bale shape from the start.

With a belt speed of 9.84 ft/s (3.00 m/s), the VARIANT can process more than many other round balers, and requires significantly less time to bind the bale.
Unique to CLAAS: the rotor gets the bale rolling.
Only from CLAAS: the belts and the chopping rotor turn in opposite directions, allowing for the immediate bale start necessary to produce a compact core. The high-speed rotor reaches directly into the bale, forcing the bale start – for each and every bale, and in all conditions. This also prevents belt slippage.
Benefits that you can see in every minute of operation, because you can operate the VARIANT at full speed all the time.
Core compaction on demand.
You can determine the core compaction in regard to forage quality, and control this conveniently from the cab – for example, maximum core compaction with straw, or a soft core with hay. You can also choose between three default settings, or use two freely adjustable parameters.

Even filling of the bale chamber by the rotor.
A further benefit: the standard feed rotor delivers a uniform crop flow to the bale chamber, allowing significantly more crop to be processed per unit time, and, as a result, you can operate the VARIANT at incredibly high work rates.

NEW: ROTO CUT with 360° tine arrangement.
The tine arrangement in ROTO CUT and ROTO CUT HD has been improved. The four-star rotor's tines are now distributed in a spiral over 360°, which allows for optimum distribution of even short material and small swaths, and results in a better bale shape.
The perfect cut:
Fourteen blades for top forage quality. The VARIANT ROTO CUT with its 6.00-mm-thick, four-star dual tines works more precisely, more effectively and faster than other balers.
- 14 aggressive DEGUY blades
- Precise, close-cropped feed quantities for greater compaction and easier unwinding
- Saves time when mixing feed, and the top-quality forage increases milk yields
- New: spiral tine arrangement (360°)
- Helical rotor for a short chop
- Combined stripper system between and within the double tines
- Individually secured, double-tempered steel blades
- Hydraulic knife engagement

ROTO CUT HEAVY DUTY.
Heavy work? Bring it on! With the Heavy Duty drive system concept, the VARIANT 465 is well suited for demanding work with silage, thanks to the 8.00-mm-thick, four-star dual tines, the more robust, individual knife protection, and the more stable blade bracket. This means that, even with silage, the cutting quality is exceptionally high – just as you would expect from CLAAS.
- ROTO CUT 360°, 8.00-mm tine stars
- Reinforced single knife protection device
- Reinforced Tsubaki chains (main drive and rotor drive)
- Silage kit
ROTO FEED | ROTO CUT (6.00 mm) | ROTO CUT HD (8.00 mm) | |
VARIANT 480 | □ | □ | – |
VARIANT 465 | – | – | □ |
VARIANT 460 | □ | □ | – |