Only 50 products released in a calendar year are recognized by the American Society of Agricultural and Biological Engineers for its AE50 awards. KUHN raked in two of those honors for innovative products that were released in 2018. Both were on display at the 2019 National Farm Machinery Show.
One award was given for KUHN’s IntelliMix advanced mixer control system, which boasts a continuously variable transmission (the first available for a TMR mixer). This ISOBUS-compatible system automatically transitions between multiple auger speed setpoints throughout the mixing and feeding cycles. Farm managers now have full control over optimizing auger speeds to provide the best feed mix quality, without being limited to predetermined gear ratios. Tractor input speed can be reduced while independently maintaining auger speed leading to significant fuel savings (a rep at the machinery show said that KUHN’s research pegs the savings at about two to three gallons of fuel per hour).
The other AE50 winner is the KUHN MM 1300 hay merger, which can do 42 feet of pickup in a single pass, up from 36 feet in previous models. That makes it the largest continuous-pickup merger in the industry. Unique features like the merger’s floating windguard, crop netting, and ISOBUS compatibility create clean, consistent windrows providing maximum efficiency for the harvester while maintaining high feed value and low ash content.
KUHN is one of the rare multiple winners of the AE50 competition, during which companies from around the world submit entries, and up to 50 of the best products are chosen by a panel of international engineering experts. The judges select innovative products that will best advance engineering for the food and agriculture industries.
