Kuhn unveils 14.5m mower for high HP harvesters
With most forage harvester manufacturers offering machines touching 1000hp, the logistics puzzle has always been ‘dropping” grass and pulling into a swath big enough to feed the “beast”.
Four-rotor rakes have become the prerequisite for satisfying the enormous appetites of the latest self-propelled forage harvesters and large square balers.
So the launch of the Kuhn GA 15131 machine, with a working width of 14.7m, should warrant a closer look.
Using four 3.65m rotors, with the front pair carrying 13 tine arms and the rear pairs carrying 15, each tine arm is fitted with four tines. These are driven by the Master Drive gearbox, which carries a 200 hour service interval.
Rotors are carried on four pivoting, large diameter wheels and combine with the Kuhn 3D rotor suspension system to ensure good ground following, stability and a clean raking action over the working width, adjustable from 9.50 out to 14.70m.
The machine also has the Kuhn Stabilift system that allows individual rotors to be lowered parallel to the ground, which stops tines digging in and causing soil contamination.
A central windrow can be created with widths from 1.40 to 2.5m, and the VT 50 series control terminal can carry out pre-programmed sequences for effortless headland turns. Additionally, each rotor can be lifted individually for a clean finish or to achieve extra ground clearance in difficult areas or poor terrain.
In work, the raking height is controlled hydraulically from the integral hydraulic drive unit, which also drives the four rotors and offers the option to increase rotor speeds by up to 20% in light crops.
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