KUHN Wins Two ASABE Awards

Brodhead, Wis. – KUHN was recently awarded two AE50 awards from the American Society of Agricultural and Biological Engineers (ASABE).

AE50 awards were given to the KUHN OptiSense™ belt stall indicator on the MM 890 Merge Maxx® hay merger and KUHN Optidisc® Elite cutterbar found on most KUHN mowers and mower conditioners, deeming each one of the year’s most innovative designs in engineering products for the food and agriculture industries. Both machines will be featured in the January/February 2020 special issue of ASABE’s magazine, Resource: Engineering & Technology for a Sustainable World.

The OptiSense belt stall indicator is a new system found on the KUHN MM 890 Merge Maxx hay merger. The indicator alerts the operator when the belts start to slow down when approaching the maximum capacity of the machine. This gives the operator a chance to react before the machine plugs. If the belts stop, the sensor will stop the pickup to avoid damage to the belts and further plugging of the machine. An audible alarm alerts the operator of a stalled conveyor and the conveyor direction arrow changes to red to identify the stalled conveyor. This feature helps operators increase performance, while also keeping the merger moving across the field for improved productivity.

The new Optidisc Elite cutterbar incorporates the perfect combination of farmer insight and engineering to generate valuable solutions. The Optidisc Elite cutterbar provides a lower profile with a flatter angle to improve cut quality in difficult field conditions while also reducing dirt and ash incorporation. Fast-Fit® knives reduce time required for routine maintenance and prolong knife life with the ability to rotate 360 degrees to maintain a high quality cut. These high-end components strengthen the cutterbar to provide a long lasting, high performance cutterbar on mowers or mower conditioners.

Companies from around the world submit entries to the annual AE50 competition 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.

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