Kuhn Knight Service
Regular Maintenance Increases Equipment Service Life
Regular maintenance helps ensure your machine will provide years of trouble-free service. The following is a list of general maintenance steps you should perform on your machine.
- Check the machine’s tire pressures. This step is one of the most important. Overinflated or under-inflated tires can affect machine performance in the field and can cause damage to the machine or the field. NOTE: This is a good time to recheck the wheel mounting hardware as well, if applicable.
- Check lubricant levels on the machine. Lubricant levels can give insight into whether a machine has a leak or if there is contamination from an outside source. Change lubricants and grease the machine according to the schedule in the operator’s manual.
- Check for wear and tear on the machine. Make sure the tractor is turned off, key removed, PTO disconnected, and the machine lowered to the ground (if applicable) before examining it. Failing bearings, bushings, or pins cannot always be seen easily, but by gently rotating shafts by hand, or moving parts back and forth, you can get a good idea of the source of any problem.
- Replace worn or bent parts. Worn or bent parts can cause more damage to your machine over time, as well as affect performance. Bent tines or knives will not allow your machine to operate at its full potential. Remember, if you find bent disc mower knives, DO NOT bend knives straight, as this will cause stress points and may cause the knife to break. Replace a bent knife with a new one.
- Operate the machine at a slow speed initially. This allows the oil to flow to areas that may not have had oil while sitting during the off-season. Running the machine makes it possible to check for proper operation of all the functions by listening and looking for anything out of the ordinary.
Manure Spreader Guide
Choosing The Right Spreader For Your Application
The right spreader simplifies the task of handling your operation's manure and allows you to take full advantage of its value as a fertilizer. Kuhn North America produces a wide range of spreaders to handle anything from slurry to pen pack, as well as poultry litter, compost and a wide range of industrial and municipal waste materials. Below we highlight the four types of Kuhn Knight spreaders available from Kuhn North America: side-discharge spreaders and box spreaders with horizontal beaters, vertical beaters, and spinner discharge options. After reading the descriptions below, use the handy chart to help you choose the right spreader for your operation.
Side Discharge Spreaders
Side discharge spreaders provide excellent material breakup and have the widest spread pattern of the four spreader types. In addition, this type of spreader provides the finest and thinnest application of wet manure. Due to our undershot hammer design, our machines are ideal for topdressing on tender forage crops and spreading manure at low tons-per-acre application rates. These spreaders also have the ability to accurately spread wet and sloppy materials. This makes them a great fit where manure is too solid for a tanker but too fluid for a box spreader, like sand-laden pit manure. Our standard bedder spreader also allows you to control the distance and density of manure as it leaves the hammers. With capacities of 116 to 668 cubic foot, Kuhn Knight has a side discharge spreader to meet your needs. On the bottom end of this size range, we have machines that offer all of the unique spreading features of the ProTwin Slinger in a small overall footprint. Low loading heights make these machines capable of working under most standard barn cleaners and allow easy loading with skid loaders. Their narrow tread widths also provide maneuverability to get in tight gate openings and make them well-suited for laying compost in nursery and vineyard applications. In our commercial line of side discharge spreaders, we offer high-float undercarriages with oversized tires to decrease ground compaction. In addition, optional hydraulically-operated lids decrease leakage and spills between the farm and the field.
Box Spreaders with Vertical Beaters
Box spreaders with vertical beaters provide an excellent spread pattern and exceptional breakup of materials. These characteristics, combined with a fast unloading time, make this type of spreader an ideal choice for producers seeking to take maximum advantage of the nutrient value of their manure, from pen pack to dry yard manure. Kuhn Knight box spreaders with vertical beaters are available in two configurations and seven different sizes. For operators looking for a simple, reliable machine with exceptional spreading ability, the Kuhn Knight ProPush spreaders, available in 440 and 540 heaped cubic foot capacities, are the machines of choice. These machines use piggy-backed hydraulic cylinders to push material out of the box and through the beaters, eliminating the need for apron floor chains. They also offer exceptional cleanout and have virtually no freeze-down issues. Vertical beaters are operated through a simple, straight driveline and the box is built with structural steel tubing, providing an exceptionally strong box for hauling heavy materials. For producers who need a heavy-duty, apron-style spreader, the PS ProSpread spreader models, available in capacities of 500 and 600 cubic feet, offer many features with a low loading height. For those who need even more capacity, the PSC ProSpread Commercial machines, available in truck and trailer models with capacities of 610, 710 and 810 cubic feet, will fit the bill. These commercial models offer a split-apron drive, where each apron is driven separately for even pulling and increased dependability; hydraulically controlled aprons for precise unloading rates; and high-float undercarriages to reduce soil compaction.
Box Spreaders with Horizontal Beaters
A box spreader with horizontal beaters is a great choice for a basic manure spreader. It has a relatively low power requirement and is simple to operate. In addition, the spread pattern of this type of machine is relatively narrow and covers just the width of the spreader to the outside of the tire tracks. This type of spreader is well-suited for producers who have long fields and want to spread a load of manure the entire length of the field. Numerous trips over the same four to six crop rows can be eliminated by spreading a heavier application in one pass, thereby reducing soil compaction. Although this type of manure spreader has been around in its basic form for well over 100 years, modern technology has made this machine a viable tool for today’s producers. Kuhn Knight offers a wide range of box spreaders with horizontal beaters to meet producers’ needs, ranging from compact, 120-cubic-foot machines to large, 810-cubic-foot machines for commercial operations. Features such as a hydraulic apron drive, found in our ProSpread machines, allow producers to accurately control apron speeds for precise application of their manure. Other features, such as double apron chains, split apron drives, high-density poly flooring, and truck-mount capabilities make Kuhn Knight box spreaders a good choice for any producer, no matter the operation's size. Kuhn Knight also offers the ProPush series, a hydraulic push-off type spreader box, which eliminates apron floor chains and gives a consistent unloading rate from beginning to end.
Box Spreaders with Spinner Beaters
The latest addition to the PSC ProSpread Commercial series is the optional AccuSpread® Spinner Discharge. This spinner discharge can handle many dry, flowable, high-value materials such as compost, poultry litter, and industrial materials. A heavy-duty metering endgate, effectively controls the movement of materials to the spinners. Along with the hydraulically adjustable apron, this option allows you to accurately control spread rates down to 1 ton per acre. The horizontal beater and spinner combination breaks up any clumps or clods of material and will spread up to 60-feet wide in a very precise, even spread pattern. This machine gives producers the ability to effectively apply even the most nutrient-dense materials, such as poultry litter.
"For producers who use no-till or minimum-till planting practices, the even spread patterns and good break up of material from the ProTwin Slingers and spreaders with VertiSpread or AccuSpread beaters allow the planter to easily plant through the residue without plugging the row units," says Tim Osterhaus, senior product manager for Kuhn North America. "Also, the microbes in the manure have an easier time breaking down when the material is homogeneous and spread evenly."
Kuhn North America has the right manure spreader to help you make the best use of the nutrients available in manure. Visit your local dealer today to find the right machine for your operation!
Choosing the Right Hay-Gathering Machine for Your Operation
Producers have a wide range of options when deciding what type of hay-gathering tool to buy. Before making a purchase, it’s important to step back and evaluate the needs of your operation. After reviewing the needs of your operation, consider the characteristics of each type of hay-gathering machine: wheel rakes, rotary rakes, belt mergers, rake/tedder combinations, and parallel bar rakes.
Wheel Rakes
Wheel rakes are built for speed and productivity when handling dry hay. Wheel rakes hook up fast with their drawbar attachments and require minimal adjustments for proper operation. The simple and economical ground drive simplifies operation and reduces maintenance requirements to save time. Producers can often operate wheel rakes at higher raking speeds than rotary rakes, which translates into more acres raked per hour. However, the direct contact with the ground increases the ash content of the feed, decreasing overall quality.The combined features of wheel rakes make them perfect for producers who want to quickly and economically rake dry hay.
Rotary Rakes
These powered rotary rakes create a uniform and fluffy windrow, which allows crops to dry faster. The gentle rotary-raking action minimizes leaf loss and provides a more uniform windrow for better bale formation than other rakes. These dual-purpose rakes are capable of handling both wet forage and dry hay, giving them a greater versatility than wheel rakes. A rotary rakes' mechanical drive enables it to move heavy, wet crops. It also keeps the tines from contacting the ground, minimizing the amount of contamination raked into the crop. This results in a higher-quality feed. Kuhn's wide range of rotary rakes have single, double, or quad rotors and come in a wide variety of sizes to work with every mower on the market. These machines are easily maneuverable and closely follow changing field contours for clean raking. Rotary rakes are the right choice for producers who want high-quality forage.
Belt Mergers
Belt Mergers allow producers to quickly merge multiple swaths to make forage harvesting more efficient. High-quality forage is ensured by gentle handling, minimal leaf loss, and a uniform windrow for improved harvesting. Belt mergers lift and convey crop to the windrow, minimizing the risk of soil, stones, and other contaminants. This improves forage quality and reduces the risk of damage to expensive forage harvesters. Mergers are the ideal choice for forage harvesting in wet hay conditions. Belt mergers are the choice for producers who want to efficiently harvest top-quality forage, with the highest possible nutritional value.
Combination Rake/Tedders
Designed for the hobbyist and other small acreage producers of dry hay, combination rake/tedder machines are often the best solution for those who want the functionality of both a rotary rake and tedder without the added expense of two individual machines. HAYBOB combination rake/tedders are ideally suited to working with smaller mowers and mower conditioners of 10 feet and less. However, they may also be used to ted and recombine individual windrows from larger mower conditioners to speed drying.
Parallel Bar Rakes
Parallel bar rakes are relatively simple, with a design that dates back over 100 years. However, this type of rake is being replaced by rotary and wheel rake designs. Rotary rakes are similarly-priced and have additional benefits, such as the ability to produce fluffy windrows in all crop conditions. Wheel rakes are a more economical choice and offer similar raking quality to parallel bar rakes.
Take stock of your needs and then look to Kuhn’s broad range of raking solutions to find the products that are best suited to your operation. Choose from our SpeedRake wheel rakes, our broad range of GA rotary rakes, our efficient Merge Maxx belt mergers, or our versatile HAYBOB combination rake/tedders. You’re sure to find the right machine for your operation.
