TILLAGE REVIEWS
1
working the land Brent Lilley headed to New Zealand’s Whakatane region to check out the Kuhn Optimer 4003 in this 2016 review
Kuhn Optimer 4003 Working width
4m
Transport width
3m
Number of discs
32
Diameter of discs
510mm
Power requirement
200hp
Weight
3,390kg
Transport Wheels
400/55 x 22.5
Like most similar machines, the Kuhn Optimer offers a range of rear rollers to suit the intended usage.
W
hile the weather has a big part to play in any cropping situation, getting the ground worked up and then planted in a timely and efficient manner also has a significant effect on the outcome. Nigel Timbs knows this all too well. Starting out as a fencing contractor in New Zealand’s Bay of Plenty region, today he also carries out contract maize grain growing where he crops around 150 hectares of ground every year. With a continual rotation of maize grown on fertile river flats, there is a large amount of stubble and crop residue that needs to be incorporated back into the soil with a disc harrow after harvest, and he bought a Kuhn Optimer to do the job.
DISCS The Kuhn Optimer 4003 is a compact trailing disc harrow that has been designed specifically for cultivating at speed to a shallow depth and to incorporate residues. To do this, it firstly uses large 510mm-diameter scalloped discs set at aggressive opposing angles to cut into the soil. The 32 discs are arranged in two gangs across the 4m width of the machine and run on slim individual carrier arms that give plenty of clearance for soil and stubble movement through the machine. Each disc is mounted to the carrier arm on an individual cast hub that houses a completely sealed bearing unit, which is greased for life, saving time and lowering the maintenance requirements. Fairly common, but still good to see in this machine, is that the carrier arms are mounted with rubber blocks sandwiched in the clamps on the frame. This allows individual movement to prevent damage if a solid object is struck.
The overall working depth of the discs of the machine can be varied anywhere between 30mm and 100mm. This is easily changed without tools, using a screw adjustment stopper that incorporates a clever scale and a simple pin-andhole setup on the rear roller.
TINES Set behind the discs is a row of light and adjustable straight spring tines that further help to level and bury residues. Although they don’t look like much, it was surprising to see how effective they were without blocking up in the large amounts of maize trash. The working height is adjustable, and the tines can be lifted clear of the ground if not required. It uses a simple pin-andhole setup, and the design cleverly incorporates a handle with enough leverage to make it easy to lift the tines up and down when adjusting them with little effort.
CONSTRUCTION All components on the machine are carried on a well-built, robust yet compact mainframe, with large 400/55-22.5 flotation tyres that are used to lift the machine out of the ground when turning on the headlands or for transport. To keep the overall transport width under 3m, there are outer wings on either side that can be hydraulically folded and carried vertically. Cleverly, when the outer wings are in the working position, there is a choice on the folding rams between a fixed position (to keep the machine level and rigid), and a slotted hole (which allows the wings to move up and down follow the ground contours). It seems a good idea to have the choice.
Looking for a disc cultivator? Search for ‘disc cultivator’ on TradeFarmMachinery.com.au or type the TA or DIY code shown here into the keyword search field
$35,200
52 TradeFarmMachinery.com.au FFM 394 TA panels round 3.indd
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