KUHN Wins Two AE50 Awards For OptiSense & Optidisc Elite Cutterbar Innovations

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The OptiSense belt stall indicator used in KUHN’s MM 890 Merge MAXX hay merger recently earned KUHN an AE50 Award from the American Society of Agricultural and Biological Engineers. (Photo courtesy of KUHN.)

KUHN has announced that it recently won two of the roughly 50 2020 AE50 Awards that the ASABE (American Society of Agricultural and Biological Engineers) handed out for “best innovations in engineering and technology for agricultural, food, and biological systems.” KUHN’s Optidisc Elite cutterbar (built into numerous KUHN mowers and mower conditioners) was honored, as was the OptiSense belt stall indicator in the MM 890 Merge Maxx hay merger. Other leading ag equipment brands winning AE50 awards included Case IH, CLAAS, CNH Industrial, John Deere, Mac Don, New Holland, and Vermeer.

Best In Innovation

The ASABE has awarded AE50 awards since 1986. An expert panel of engineers selects about 50 products each year that rank “highest in innovation, significant engineering advancement, and impact on the market served.” Winners are featured in a special January/February issue of the organization’s Resource publication and are honored at ASABE’s annual Agricultural Equipment Technology Conference, set this year for mid-February in Louisville, Kentucky. The top 10 winning products are also eligible for the Davidson Prize, selected by the ASABE and the AEM (Association of Equipment Manufacturers) and named for J.B. Davidson, considered the “father of modern agricultural engineering.”

KUHN’s OptiSense belt stall indicator informs operators when belts in the MM 890 Merge MAXX slow down, thus enabling them to take preemptive measures before the merger plugs. If the belts do stop, a sensor stops the merger’s pickup to prevent further plugging and belt damage. “An audible alarm alerts the operator of a stalled conveyor, and the conveyor direction arrow changes to red to identify the stalled conveyor,” says KUHN of the feature.

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An Elite Cutterbar

KUHN says it developed the Optidisc Elite cutterbar with “the perfect combination of farmer insight and engineering.” The device features a low-profile design with a flatter angle, which KUHN says generates a smooth, clean, and overall better cut quality while simultaneously reducing dirt and ash incorporation. Free-floating, quick-release, and 360-degree rotating Fast-Fit knives, meanwhile, help reduce routine maintenance tasks while extending the knives’ lifespan.

Source: KUHN

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