2 Dec 2021 Hay & Forage

Optimised for more throughput

“Kuhn is now not only at the forefront when it comes to bale density, but also plays in the premier league when it comes to throughput.”
This is how Profi Magazine summarises the performance of the KUHN SB 1290 iD in dry wheat straw in its December 2021 edition.

In this article a reference is made to the earlier Profi large square baler comparison test that was published in November 2018.

At the time the KUHN LSB 1290 iD stood out from its competition in terms of density. Now, we get to learn what the new SB 1290 iD is capable of in terms of capacity and density.

The driving impression took place in August 2021, Voigstedt, Germany. The moisture averages were between 12% and 13%. A 325 hp Fendt 933 is used to pull the SB 1290 iD.

Some quotes from the article:

"In our comparison test (Profi 11/2018), the Kuhn baler with double plunger system surprised with very high bale densities. Now they have stepped it up in terms of throughput as well."

"With the patented double plunger, Kuhn has a unique selling point. And Kuhn has already proven that the technology works in our comparison test. However, there was potential for optimisation of the intake – for an even higher throughput."

This is exactly where the new SB 1290 iD has been improved:

"’Powerfeed roller’ is the magic word when it comes to increasing throughput. This is an actively driven feed roller positioned directly in front of the familiar Omnicut rotor. The roller features up and down movement and therefore able to optimally adapt to the crop flow."

In addition, the new SB 1290 iD features a 20% increase in torque on the automatic cam clutch of the rotor and a 10% higher torque on the automatic cam clutch of the feeder fork.

"We were all excited to see what the baler was now capable of. Pulled by a Fendt 933 Vario (239 kW/325 hp), we were able to measure bales in dry wheat straw (Table: "Bale density and throughput"). According to this, the Kuhn SB 1290 iD achieved a maximum bale density of 211 kg/m3 at a throughput of 44 t/h - very good! Even when the machine ran at a maximum throughput of 65.6 t/h, the bales still weighed almost 190 kg/m3. Although the results are not directly comparable with the values from our baler comparison test, Kuhn has delivered on its promise to realise 20% more capacity with the new generation balers."

Profi's conclusion is clear:

"With the driven feed roller in front of the rotor, we measured throughput rates of up to 65 t/h with a bale density of almost 190 kg/m3 in dry wheat straw on the Kuhn SB 1290 iD. This means that Kuhn is now not only at the forefront when it comes to bale density, but also plays in the premier league when it comes to throughput.”