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”.
Kuhn has announced an expansion of its range of disc mowers, distributed by Norwood in New Zealand, with the addition of two new vertically folding rear mounted models, the GMD 3515 and GMD 4015.
Offering working widths of 3.50 and 3.95 metres respectively, the units are designed for farms strongly focused on forage production.
“When combined with a front mower, the GMD 1015 series machines will help increase work outputs,” says Peter Manderson, New Zealand Brand Manager for KUHN.
The 125° vertical folding geometry ensures a centre of gravity centred behind the tractor during transport, while also helping to reduce overall dimensions and rear overhang. The configuration is said to provide improved safety during transport, especially when hitched in combination with a front mower.
The mowing unit is suspended from the chassis at its centre, allowing efficient ground following, especially in rolling or hilly terrain, while at the headland, the unit is raised hydraulically, offering clearance of at least 350mm under the first disc for passing over the swath. Hydraulic ground pressure adjustment helps reduce cutter-bar ground pressure which in turn reduces sward damage, particularly when operating in poor soil conditions.
The Lift-Control system combines this hydraulic ground pressure reduction with a Non- Stop safety feature, that in the event of encountering an obstacle, the mowing unit shifts rearwards, resulting in reduced ground pressure that allows the mower to clear the obstacle. Once the obstacle has been passed, the machine automatically repositions itself to the working position.
These two models are equipped with the wellknown, maintenance-free, OptiDisc Elite cutter-bar, said to offer robustness and cutting quality in all conditions, with the additional benefit of the Fast-Fit, rapid knife attachment system. Both models are available to order now, with delivery for the upcoming 2025/2026 season.
New Zealand Young Farmers (NZYF) has launched a new initiative designed to make it easier for employers to support their young team members by covering their NZYF membership.
Sheep infant nutrition maker Blue River Dairy is hoping to use its success in China as a springboard into other markets in future.
Plentiful milk supplies from key producer countries are weighing down global dairy prices.
The recent windstorm that cut power to dairy farms across Southland for days has taught farmers one lesson – keep a generator handy on each farm.
The effects of the big windstorm of late October will be felt in lost production in coming weeks as repair crews work through the backlog of toppled irrigation pivots, says Culverden dairy farmer Fran Gunn.
With the current situation in the European farm machinery market being described as difficult at best, it’s perhaps no surprise that the upcoming AgriSIMA 2026 agricultural machinery exhibition, scheduled for February 2026 at Paris-Nord Villepinte, has been cancelled.