A BELT merger grass rake from Kuhn shown at Grassland UK is aimed squarely at large-scale grassland farms and contractors and promises big increases in productivity.

Its Merge Maxx 950 uses two adjustable, bi-directional merger belts to give a maximum grass pick-up width of 9.50m.

This bi-directional design provides multiple windrow delivery options – forage can be delivered into a single central windrow, a single lateral windrow (left or right side), two lateral windrows (one either side) or a central and left or right lateral windrow.

The machine uses auto-regulating pick-up rollers which self-adjust according to crop thickness to produce a uniform, airy and faster-drying windrow, pointed out Kuhn.

The company reckoned that, depending on crop conditions, it can increase work rates by between 30-100% – with the best savings made when handling wet or heavier crops.

The price is from £65,356.

n Also at Grassland, a Kuhn hosted forage quality clinic focussed on best practice for baled forage.

It cited the importance of bale structure and consistency, film application, elasticity and cling characteristics – including a detailed look at Kuhn’s patented film binding system.

“Unlike other film binding systems which use wide mantle film for binding, the Kuhn system uses two standard 750mm stretch film rolls to fully encapsulate the bale,” said its product specialist, Katie Calcutt. “This not only eliminates

the need for an initial layer

of netting to be placed around the cylindrical

side of the bale, but also improves silage preservation and makes the recycling of waste plastic easier.

“It can also reduce plastic use by up to 30% by pre-stretching the wrapping film by 70% prior to application. Film loading is also quicker and easier as each roll weighs just 27kg, compared to the wider rolls which can weigh between 40-90kg.”