Kuhn mowers, balers and rakes on display at Grassland UK

Kuhn Farm Machinery will have a wide selection of hay and silage making equipment on display at this year’s Grassland UK event. Being held at the Bath and West Showground on 7th May 2015, Kuhn will be running a series of machinery demonstrations on a five-acre plot, with the following machines set to take centre stage:

Trailed mower conditioner

Kuhn’s new trailed mower conditioner, the 3.1 metre FC 3160 TCD, uses a centre pivot design which enables it to be operated on either side of the tractor, or in conjunction with a front mounted mower for improved productivity.

The key benefit of the centre pivot design is its ability to enable the mower to work across the field rather than setting it out at the headlands. This reduces the working time for each field by as much as 15% by virtually eliminating ‘dead time’ spent travelling at the headlands. Reducing traffic on headlands also prevents the flattening of headland swaths and can contribute to a reduction in soil compaction and soil contamination for improved silage quality.


The FC range of mower conditioners uses Kuhn’s Gyrodine swivel hitch for improved PTO shaft alignment, better reliability, reduced maintenance and enhanced ground following. The Gyrodine headstock can operate at 540 or 1,000 rpm and allows centre pivot machines to turn sharply, and at speed, without the risk of damaging the input drive and without destabilising the machine’s ground-following capability.

The FC range also uses Kuhn’s Optidisc cutterbar and Fast-Fit cutting knives as standard, and is available with a rotor equipped with free swinging, 560mm steel flails, or a 240mm roller conditioner. Both options offer high material throughput and can be operated at two rotor speeds (780 or 1,000 rpm) for different crop conditions.

The FC’s conditioner also features an articulated hood which can be set for swathing or wide-spreading of the crop, adding considerably to the versatility of this range. A 3.5 metre version, the FC 3560 TCD, is also available.

Four-rotor grass rake

The GA 13131 has a working width of 11.00 to 12.50 metres and is designed for use on farms where a high work output is required. This new Gyrorake features four rotors, each of which holds 11 tine arms with four tines per arm.

Each rotor is mounted on four pivoting, large diameter wheels for excellent ground contouring and high load bearing. The wheels sit close to the tines to further improve ground following, while Kuhn’s three dimensional rotor suspension system provides even greater stability when working at high speeds.

Rotor working height can be adjusted hydraulically as standard, with all four rotors powered by Kuhn’s headstock-mounted hydraulic drive unit which gives the option to increase front rotor speed by up to 20% when working in lighter crops.

The four rotors work together to create one perfectly formed central windrow (from 150 to 240cm in width) and are controlled via a cab-mounted VT50 series terminal which is ISOBUS compatible and which allows operating sequences to be pre-programmed for easy u-turns. Each rotor can be lifted individually for a perfect finish and to give the machine high ground clearance for ease of manoeuvring and unhindered travel across uneven terrain.

The GA 13131 is characteristically robust and utilises Kuhn’s Masterdrive GIII gearbox to reduce power transfer stresses and provide reliable service with low maintenance: the Masterdrive’s patented two-stage design uses bevel and spur gear reduction and is totally enclosed for minimal maintenance – service intervals are every 200 hours.

The GA rake requires a minimum PTO power output of 95hp. It stands at less than 4 metres in height and folds to just 3 metres in width when fully folded making road transportation easy and safe.

Fixed chamber round baler

The latest version of Kuhn’s popular fixed chamber round baler – the FB 2135 MKII – is available with two different intake rotors – the OPTIFEED or OPTICUT 14 – both of which share the same 2.30m pick-up width for maximum productivity.

The OPTIFEED rotor uses double Hardox feeding tines and integrated augers to provide an even and consistent flow of crop into the bale chamber for improved bale consistency. The OPTICUT 14 rotor is fitted with 14 knives to provide a theoretical cutting length of 70mm and which even out the swath by force-feeding the crop into the baler for maximum throughput. Each single knife is spring-protected against damage from foreign objects.

The FB MKII also features several unique innovations such as Kuhn’s PENDULUM pick-up system, POWERTRACK roller and INTEGRAL ROTOR technology, all of which give real improvements in baling performance.

Kuhn’s PENDULUM pick-up gathers the densest of swaths at high forward speeds and has height adjustable guide wheels for accurately carrying the pick-up over every ground contour.

The Kuhn POWERTRACK chamber consists of 18 recently re-designed rollers, all of which are roll-formed and laser-welded on one side and made of 3.35mm thick high-strength steel. These rollers have symmetrical profiles, which generate a high bale compression density in all crop conditions.

Kuhn’s INTEGRAL ROTOR is a maintenance-free and short distance intake system which ensures even feeding regardless of variations in crop quality. With this system even the heaviest crops are forced through the intake, resulting in higher forward speeds for improved productivity.

The FB 2135 MKII also features Kuhn’s hydraulic POWERLOCK rear door cylinders, which work in combination with a hydraulic lock valve to produce maximum bale density. Fast door opening and closing means more bales per hour and improved efficiency.

The intake unit of the FB 2135 MKII is protected by a main PTO clutch which is automatically activated if a blockage occurs. In addition, the complete cutting floor – including the knives – can be lowered to allow blockages to be cleared. Furthermore the rotor drive can be disengaged hydraulically from the bale chamber drive, allowing the operator to net and eject the bale in case of a blockage.