KRONE has introduced a new generation of its RX and ZX forage wagons, combining a redesigned crop intake system with a new electronic architecture and a series of changes aimed at increasing harvesting capacity, operating convenience and serviceability. The update builds on the RX and ZX generation introduced in 2023 around the OptiGrass cutting system, but extends the development into machine control and material flow. A new software platform and more powerful job computer bring KRONE’s latest Human-Machine Interface to the wagons, with redesigned menus, clearer machine information and greater customisation of automatic functions.
One of the most substantial changes is the redesigned pickup. Working width increases from 2.12 to 2.24 metres, while KRONE replaces the previous W-shaped tine arrangement with straight-positioned tines, allowing seven tine rows instead of six. The objective is higher throughput, improved crop flow and more consistent cutting performance. A hydraulically adjustable crop roller can now be controlled directly from the tractor cab, while the knife cassette has been redesigned for easier access and can carry a second set of knives. Reinforced front-wall cylinders increase compression, helping maximise the effective loading volume. On the ZX, modified floor-conveyor drive motors also enable a third, faster unloading speed to reduce turnaround time between field and clamp.
Strategically, the development shows KRONE continuing to push forage-wagon productivity through the integration of mechanical capacity and digital machine control rather than simply increasing machine size. The 2023 RX/ZX redesign concentrated heavily on OptiGrass and cutting quality; the 2026 generation extends that platform with greater intake capacity, more intuitive electronics, faster servicing and improved unloading logistics. For professional forage operations and contractors, this matters because overall harvesting performance increasingly depends on optimising the entire cycle, pickup, crop flow, cutting, loading, transport and unloading, rather than maximising any single stage of the machine.
Bottom Line
KRONE’s 2026 RX and ZX development is more than a cosmetic facelift. Three years after the OptiGrass-based redesign, the company is upgrading the machines around a broader productivity equation: more crop entering the machine, improved flow through it, greater loading efficiency, easier operation and maintenance, and faster unloading at the end of the cycle.
The particularly interesting signal is the increasing role of electronics and software alongside mechanical engineering. KRONE is progressively bringing a common HMI and digital architecture across its machinery portfolio, making the RX/ZX update another example of how forage equipment is evolving from individually optimised mechanical systems toward more integrated machine platforms.
