KUHN, the pioneer, the innovator....machinery innovations and product launches. Innovation and...
Transcript of KUHN, the pioneer, the innovator....machinery innovations and product launches. Innovation and...
01 I 50 years of innovation disc mower
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KUHN,the pioneer...From 1949, KUHN chose to make
the shift to mechanical traction and
manufacture tailored machines.
KUHN rapidly became one of
the fi rst agricultural machinery
manufacturers in France to
modernise agricultural practices.
The fi rst mechanical traction
mowers were side mounted with
fi nger bars.
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KUHN, pioneer in agricultural
developmentThe 1960s marked the golden age of
mass consumption and prosperity. It
was the beginning of a great period of
development.
In the early 1960s, more than
26,000 machines were produced
each year in KUHN Saverne, France,
including 12,000 side fi nger mowers
and 9,500 tedders and rakes (2).
In an era of countryside mechanisation
and modernisation, Kuhn made multiple
machinery innovations and product
launches.
Innovation and quality were the main
priorities while the company was gaining
recognition the in the agricultural
machinery sector.
KUHN, the pioneer and expert
in disc mowersIn 1967, KUHN launched the GMD 4 (1) -
the fi rst rotating disc mower, which
revolutionised fi eldwork. This new
machine was immediately sucessful
as it allowed and increase in forward
working speed and improved operator
comfort.
The need to sharpen the mower blades
daily became a thing of the past.
The GMD 4’s oval-shaped discs greatly
improved the fl ow of forage through the
machine and into the swath, on all types
of fl at or sloping terrain. This disc mower
was also a lot less prone to blocking and
rapidly became the world leader in fi eld
disc mowers.
The new FC 44 (3) rotors with steel fi nger
bars cut the forage and directed it towards
an adjustable comb.
The teeth on the combs aerate and
regulate the swath, accelerating the
drying process. This design made a huge
step in improving forage quality.
KUHN, the pioneer
of new techniquesIn 1980, KUHN launched its fi rst trailed
mower conditioner, the FC 300 (4). This
machine was very manoeuverable and
provided high levels of operating comfort
whilst maintaining high performance.
In 1992, KUHN introduced the fi rst trailed
mower conditioner with in line transport -
the ALTERNA 500 (5). Its 5 metre working
width was able to meet the increasing
demands for higher output.
By 1994, KUHN had developed the
LIFT-CONTROL system (6) that
considerably improved ground contour
following and the mower unit suspension.
This design with an integrated safety
mechanism, maintains constant cutter
bar pressure on the ground. Both GMD
mowers and FC mower conditioners
were then equipped with LIFT-CONTROL.
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KUHN, the innovator.
For years, KUHN has continued to
develop innovative solutions in the
disc mower sector:
• By moving forward with the
modernisation of farming, all
around the world,
• By developing solutions to suit
customer demands such as;
maintaining forage quality,
increased operating comfort,
productivity, safety, reliability and
reducing maintenance costs,
• With the objective of optimising
your profi tability and return on
investment!
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KUHN THE INNOVATOR, HELPING YOU PRODUCE GREAT QUALITY FORAGE
Producing good quality forage for a herd
whilst reducing production costs is a key
challenge for todays farmers. At a time
when reducing production costs is essential,
harvesting the entire feed value
of grasslands to reduce concentrate
øcosts is your main challenge as a farmer.
It is also the goal at KUHN. KUHN’s product
development teams are constantly working
to fi nd solutions that retain forage quality,
using cutting edge technology, engineering
and quality materials. ‘Reducing forage
contamination from 4% to 2% can save you
£78/ha/year*
*Source: Landwirtschaftkammer Niedersachsen
Produce clean cut forage without impurities!Oval discs(1) facilitate forage fl ow to the
rear, preventing overlapping which can lead
to forage loss.
The OPTIDISC cutter bar (2) optimises forage
fl ow, especially with large volumes and at
high speeds, due to wider spaced converging
discs. This also contributes to improving
mowing quality in diffi cult conditions.
Perfect ground contour following (3)The different suspension systems and clever
kinetics of the disc mowers provide perfect
ground contour following thanks to:
- The wide travel range on front-mounted
FCs and GMDs,
- Dynamic height control on GMD 100,
- LIFT-CONTROL hydro pneumatic
suspension on GMD and FC LIFT-CONTROL,
- CONSTANT FLOAT suspension on FC 1060
trailed mower conditioners.
Prevent forage contamination and optimise ground pressure (4). Mowers with LIFT-CONTROL hydro pneu-
matic suspension benefi t from constant,
easily adjustable ground pressure, keeping
your forage clean from impurities.
KUHN the innovator: helping you produce quality forage (5,6,7)The wide setting range of the rotor with
fi ngers (multiple possibilities with rotation
speed and comb position) makes it easier
to adapt conditioning intensity to the type
of forage, crop maturity and weather
conditions.
For more delicate crops use the conditioning
roller. It is pressure adjustable to preserve
the leaves of leguminous plants.
Calibrate your swaths as and when you want (8,9).Adapt forage delivery to humidity levels,
weather conditions and the downstream
harvesting chain with:
- wide spreading for fast drying and one less
pass with the tedder.
- Airy and narrow swath delivery to prevent
the wheels of the tractor from driving over
and fl attening the forage.
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KUHN, BRINGING YOU MORE WORKING COMFORT
Manoeuver in total safety (1)The objective of our innovation is also to
improve operator ease of use and comfort,
maximising productivity.
The GIRODINE headstock that trailed mower conditioners and mowers are equipped with
is a the perfect illustration of this.
It enables you to work at high speeds in total safety.
Even in the tightest of angles and at full
speed, the main transmission is always aligned with the tractor and protected.
Mow with peace of mind! (2)
GMD mowers and FC mower conditioners with LIFT-CONTROL come with an active “NON STOP” safety system.
Should the machine meet an obstacle, the
mower unit pivots upwards towards the rear, to avoid it. It then returns to the working position as soon as the obstacle has been
cleared.
Change knives in the blink of an eye!
(3)The FAST-FIT system is available on most KUHN mowers and mower conditioners.
Changing knives safely takes no time at all!
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KUHN THE INNOVATOR,EXTENDING THE SERVICE LIFE OF YOUR MOWER
In addition to the LIFT-CONTROL
suspension system, other systems protect the vital components of the mower or mower conditioner to extend
the life of your machine.
The most precious components are
protected (4)If one of the discs is met by a sharp impact, the disc shaft will shear just
above the bearing, thanks to an
intergrated shear groove.
The PROTECTADRIVE system protects
the gearwheels.
The savings are huge: in less than 15 minutes the machine can be back up and running at a low repair cost.
Less vibrations (5)Latest generation disc mowers are
equipped with shock absorbers between
the cutter bar and the chassis. They reduce vibrations effectively, especially at higher speeds and contribute to a longer
machine life.
Flexible side guards (6)
KUHN’s newest disc mowers and mower conditioners have FLEXPROTECT polythene side guards that bend without
breaking and without damaging the
machine if hit by an obstacle.
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A master of products from design
to production
The KUHN Group’s strategy has always been to master its product range, from the design phase to
production, including every key step of the industrialisation process. This approach allows us to offer mowers that have been designed, developped and produced entirely by KUHN, down to the fi nest details, to guarantee that
the machine you buy is of highest quality.
This approach is the result of 50 years experience of manufacturing disc
mowers in is unique in the world of agricultural machinery.
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Foundry (1)Having the foundry enables us to provide
the farmer with innovative technical
components.
The chassis is linked to the cutter bar
with a fl at angle bracket in SG quality cast
iron (spheroidal graphite, similar to steel)
and equipped with silent-blocs to reduce
vibrations caused by fast mowing on hard
ground. It also reduces wear on the cutter
bar support zone - a KUHN patent.
Pinion cutting and heat
treatment (2)The cutter bar is a precision mechanism
that can be subject to diffi cult conditions,
such as; intensive and long operations,
high powered tractors, uneven terrain
and low cutting heights... Cutter bars,
disc bearings and gearwheels are
essential parts that undergo high
precision machining, various phases of
heat treatment and perfectly controlled
rectifi cation. For example, this has
enabled us to offer the widest cutter bar
on the current market (5.20m) that does
not need oil changes.
Specifi c bearings (3)Mower conditions vary throughout the
world, therefore we need to be able to
offer advanced technical solutions with
components such as cutter bar bearings.
Unlike many bearing manufacturers we
are able to offer key elements including
lubrication quality, better sealing, abrasion
resistance, reduced clearance and high
rotation speed.
High quality spare parts (4)Discs and skids are essential components
for a high quality cut so they are integrally
manufactured at KUHN. After being shaped
they undergo specifi c treatment to harden
them to abrasion-resistant standards and
to produce the optimum anti-vibration
shape. Knife features (quality of steel
and treatments, shape, resistance to
deformation due to violent impacts and
wear) are also one of our priorities, for both
your safety and profi tability.
Assembly and quality
control (5)Once produced, individual parts undergo
many checks before being sent to the
assembly line. At the end of the line, each
cutter bar is put through a functional
check (operating temperature, bearing
temperature, power requirement,…).
At the end of the assembly line,
powertrains and hydraulic and electric
circuits are controlled on the machines
and large sub-sections.
A fully assembled machine is pulled out of each series produced, to undergo intensive driving tests on the road, on pathways and in the fi eld before being taken apart for appraisal.
09 I 50 years of innovation disc mower
And tomorrow?
The global popluation is ever
increasing.
By 2050, the worldwide
population will have increased
by 2 billion people, therefore
agricultural production will have
to double to keep up with the
world demand.
At the same time, farms will
only get bigger and be using
more advanced technology.
Advances in managment are
already starting to revoutionise
farming businesses.
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www.kuhn.com
Investments will continue in
Research, Development, and
innovative industrial tools.The key to meeting the challenges in
mowing as well as in all other areas of
agricultural production is developing
technologies. Today, a team of atleast
50 people are working on electrical
developments and their progress is
picking up speed.
The KUHN Group will continue to invest
massively in Research and Development
as well as in its industrial infrastructure,
to succeed in the “high-end” and “high-
powered” product sector, especially in
mowers, to meet your requirements more
precisely in terms of quality, performance,
profi tability, precision and connectivity.
To make your investment great!
And retain KUHN’s status as the world’s
best-selling disc mower manufacturer!
You will fi nd all information, fi lms and
animations illustrating KUHN’s mower
innovations on the 50 years mini-site:
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Information given in this document is only for information purposes and is non-contractual. Our machines are in compliance with regulations in force in the country of delivery. In our literature, and for improved illustration of certain details, some safety devices may not be in operating position. When operating these machines,
these devices must be in position in accordance with the requirements indicated in the operator’s manuals and assembly manuals. Respect the tractor gross vehicle weight rating, its lift capacity and maximum load per axle and tyres. The tractor front axle load must always comply with the regulations of the country of delivery (In
Europe, it must reach minimum 20 % of the tractor net weight). We reserve the right to change any designs, specifi cations or materials listed without further notice. Machines and equipment in this document can be covered by at least one patent and/ or registered design. Trademarks cited in this document may be registered in
one or several countries.
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