Kuhn GF 17012

FAST, UNIFORM CROP DRYING

Fast and Uniform Crop Drying and Distribution

Small-Diameter Rotors
For those whose goal is to harvest the highest quality crop – Small rotors are the key to success! Due to the steep pitch angle, small rotors offer many advantages, including a wide angle of attack while turning all of the crop, fast and uniform drying, complete crop inversion, even crop distribution, exceptional ground adaptation, minimum distance to the center of gravity on mounted tedders for reduced lift requirements, and reduced horsepower requirements.

High-Quality Tines
When it comes to tines that actually engage the crop, KUHN leaves nothing to chance: top-quality raw material has been wound into four coils with long tine fingers, giving you exceptional reliability. A defined attachment system to the arms results in an unmatched design life of at least 180,000 cycles. This provides several hundred hours of work before tine replacement is necessary. Asymmetrical tine finger length means both fingers engage the crop equally for a more consistent pickup. The tine guards prevent accumulation of debris around the coils.

Asymmetrical Tine Length
The asymmetrical tine length with longer outer fingers has several advantage to bring the machine’s tedding quality to perfection. This allows the outer finger to touch the crop earlier compared to symmetrical tines. It also ensures more complete tedding, along borders and between the rotors, where the tines overlap more in this sensitive area. Contacting the crop sooner means that the actual working width of each rotor is expanded and as a result, the entire machine working width is expanded.

Quick Adjustment of Tine Angle
Whether in long or short, wet or dry crop, or different cutting heights, the pitch angle is adjusted without tools near the wheel supports. Always remember a steep pitch angle will decrease drying time and increase the nutritional value of the forage.

Headland Lift Control
Standard Headland Lift Control, on GF 1012 T Series tedders, makes the machine easy to lift and maneuver on headlands while limiting the introduction of foreign materials like dust into the forage. This is beneficial because the headlands do not need to be tedded twice. One hydraulic valve in the cab lifts all the rotors from the ground providing high ground clearance to pass over windrows (approx. 20”) and allows operators to easily turn on headlands or narrow areas.

PROVEN & RELIABLE COMPONENTS

DigiDrive® Coupling System – A Legend in the Making
When a KUHN engineer came up with this drive coupling design, we knew that it would revolutionize the rotary tedder. This patented design made it possible to reliably drive a large number of rotors, yet fold them for unmatched transport ease, all with virtually no maintenance or repairs. Since the DigiDrive coupling’s inception, nearly 20 years have passed and more than 150,000 KUHN tedders are now being used across the world to ted hay with the ultimate reliability.

The DigiDrive contains case-hardened forged steel fingers for improved wear resistance. Synchronization of rotational movement is outstanding both in work and in transport where the components are folded 180° to reduce the machine’s space requirement. The DigiDrive is a highly reliable system requiring very little maintenance – no daily greasing necessary!

Rotor Housings – Made to Last
With rotors driven by DigiDrive couplings and lubed-for-life rotor housings, the greasing points are limited to a relatively few pivot points allowing you to spend more time in the field and less time greasing.

1. They are supported by large diameter, double-row angular ball bearings.

2. The thoroughly sealed rotor housing prevents lubricant leaks or introduction contaminants.

The robust mounting of housings to the edge of the rectangular frame maximizes strength and durability.

Stress-Reducing Straps
The two outer sections of the tedder are held in place by straps. They are used to reduce stress on the main frame and rotor structures. This allows fastening to the rotor ends, keeping the two sections stable without any oscillation. The straps also double as safety guards, replacing the metal guards. When folding for transport, the two straps automatically wind up like a seat belt.

EXCELLENT GROUND ADAPTATION

Excellent Ground Adaptation and Transportability

Border Tedding Along Field Edges
For clean, careful tedding next to fences or neighboring fields, GF 1012 Series tedders are equipped with a border control system. On slopes, the border setting is particularly beneficial for controlling the direction of crop spread and obtaining an optimal spread pattern.

On GF 8712 T and GF 10812 T models, a double-acting cylinder, with pilot-operated valves, ensures safe functioning without risk of unwanted movement. On slopes, the offset border setting is particularly beneficial for controlling the direction of crop spread and obtaining an optimal spread pattern.

An optional hydraulically controlled curtain deflector, on GF 13012 and GF 17012, limits the discharge on the right side to prevent spreading outside of the field.

Innovative Ground Following
The 16 rotors of the GF 17012 follow changes in terrain as well as (2), eight-rotor or (4), four-rotor tedders. The GF 13012 and 17012 come standard with GSC (Ground Save Control) system which allows the rotor gear to train to swing independently of the carrying frame.

These machines have excellent ground following with their small rotors that are each 5’ in diameter, which allows for uniform tedding across the whole field. There is individual articulation between each rotor and equal spacing between the rotors and tires for better ground following.

Intelligent Folding Design Folding System for Narrow Transport
Unfolding or folding operations are quick and easy using the in-cab control box. Time lost when changing fields is reduced to a minimum so you can focus on achieving maximum daily output.

The folding system allows the transport wheels to lower and combine with the rotors tilting forward. While in transport position, height is reduced, load distribution on the tractors is optimal and road transport at high speeds is ideal. The incredibly narrow transport width of 7’10” on GF 13012 and 17012 (9’10” on GF 8712 T and 10812 T), and the wide transport undercarriage combine for easy maneuverability and stable road transport.

Crop Deflectors
Operating in short, sticky crops or long, late season crops can be a challenge when the crop wraps in the wheel column, resulting in frustrating downtime spent clearing the mess. These tedders are fitted with crop deflectors as standard.