Kuhn bags tech award
French company KUHN has won a EIMA Technical Innovation Award for its Baler Automation Technology.
French manufacturer Kuhn appears to have taken up the challenge in the world of high output mowing, with the recent release of the GMD15030.
The fully mounted unit, with a working width of 14.5metres features four 3.1metre, seven-disc equipped cutter- bars at the rear and combined with a 3.1m wide GMD plain or FC-F conditioner equipped front mower. The company notes that the latter allows the cut grass to be placed in a narrower swath, rather than be driven over.
Tipping the scales at 3.8 tonnes, which the maker says is comparable with a 6.2m butterfly seup equipped with groupers, the rear unit folds to only 3.0m wide and just under 4.0m tall.
The narrow transport width is achieved by using the gearbox housings of the two outer mowers to form a 180- degree hinge. In addition, mechanically driven throughout, the two mowers are synchronised, rather than being offset, so there is no need for an additional overlap.
A ram between the two beds limits the amount of movement when in-work, limiting the range to between -4.0˚ to +6.0˚. Each wing assembly features a hydraulic break-back system, alongside friction clutches on each side to protect the driveline.
Power requirement is said to be around 230hp, resulting in an output of 20ha/hr at a typical forward speed of 15km/hr, less any turning time on headlands, with an overlap between the two machines of 300-500mm.
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Cutter-bar ground pressure is controlled hydraulically using the manufacturers well known Lift-Control system, with overall control via a dedicated KFA12 control box or through an ISOBUS integration kit, which allows mower control through the in-cab joystick and tractor terminal.
In other news, the manufacturer has also announced an augerbased merger on a new butterfly mower, aimed at bulky forage crops up to 2.0m tall.
The GMD 9530RV features a 500mm diameter auger, mounted rearwards of each mower unit, rotating at up to 900 rpm, to deliver a central swath of 1.60 to 2.20 metres wide. 50cm of hydraulic side-shift on each of the mowers on each mower is partly used to set the swath size. The augers feature replaceable wear edges made of Hardox steel, while primarily protected by a cam clutch and a shear bolt, as the last line of defence against any foreign objects.
