Kuhn FBP 3135 v Mc Hale Fusion

Celt83

Member
Livestock Farmer
After spending all day on the rake and then all night on the wrapper there has to be a better way to make round bales!

A combi baler has got to be the way to go, it will have to be a second hand with the prices that have been quoted on here. I have the tractor to pull it.

What would be the best make to look at and what do I need to look for? Any advice would be grateful.
 

kill

Member
Livestock Farmer
Location
South West
After spending all day on the rake and then all night on the wrapper there has to be a better way to make round bales!

A combi baler has got to be the way to go, it will have to be a second hand with the prices that have been quoted on here. I have the tractor to pull it.

What would be the best make to look at and what do I need to look for? Any advice would be grateful.
What's your budget? Whatever you buy go for the newest and cleanest machine you can find.
There's a nice Lely Tornado fixed chamber baler wrapper on eBay at the moment that I believe is John Payne's near Ross on Wye and he's fair enough to deal with as it will be checked and serviced well and that baler would last a long time.


Any older fusion will do you ok but have a decent budget for repairs if overhauling it yourself as tyres will soon eat £1500-£2000 if cracked or damaged, allow a set of chains if unknown when replaced, pickup cam bearings and cam's do wear/ damage and there's a roller at the rear bottom (long shaft with double sprocket) that has a habit of breaking the stub every 20000 bales at around a grand a pop including a chain it will always snap and replacing bearing's. Don't over look brakes either as they are a lump and stopping thousands of times a season will show no mercy on your tractors brakes if not working correctly. Wrap sensors X2 will go every season at around £130 each
 
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Boohoo

Member
Location
Newtownabbey
After spending all day on the rake and then all night on the wrapper there has to be a better way to make round bales!

A combi baler has got to be the way to go, it will have to be a second hand with the prices that have been quoted on here. I have the tractor to pull it.

What would be the best make to look at and what do I need to look for? Any advice would be grateful.
A combi baler doesn't guarantee that you'll get to your bed at night! I baled through the night on Friday/Saturday after the forecast changed.
If you're buying second hand it has to be a Fusion, unless back up is poor from your McHale dealer.
 

Celt83

Member
Livestock Farmer
A combi baler doesn't guarantee that you'll get to your bed at night! I baled through the night on Friday/Saturday after the forecast changed.
If you're buying second hand it has to be a Fusion, unless back up is poor from your McHale dealer.

Just one sensor gone on my hs2000 in 11 years so I don’t really know if after sales are good or not.

One thing I hate on the hs is the crap cut and tie system. I’m constantly jumping off to retie the wrap as it’s come off.
 

Boohoo

Member
Location
Newtownabbey
Just one sensor gone on my hs2000 in 11 years so I don’t really know if after sales are good or not.

One thing I hate on the hs is the crap cut and tie system. I’m constantly jumping off to retie the wrap as it’s come off.
I'm not familiar with the HS 2000, went from the 991 to Fusions in 2006 and haven't used anything else since.
 

Celt83

Member
Livestock Farmer
I'm not familiar with the HS 2000, went from the 991 to Fusions in 2006 and haven't used anything else since.

Don’t get me wrong when it works it’s a great bit of kit and it’s better when the blades are at they’re sharpest.

The new orbital is the fusion wrapper boulted on wheels which properly holds the wrap.

I seen a bio work some years ago which was good but you had to stop the pto to wrap the bale, and at the time with film break sensors on it (which would be a must in my opinion) was the same money as a fusion which you can just keep going.
 

kill

Member
Livestock Farmer
Location
South West
I’d say £25-30k. Would that get a decent one?

I’ve got part ex but it would have to be a good one for me to part from my hs2000
Seriously look on eBay as it's almost the start of that machines life and not the end of another machines life. I'd guess 30k may buy it.
 
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Boohoo

Member
Location
Newtownabbey
Don’t get me wrong when it works it’s a great bit of kit and it’s better when the blades are at they’re sharpest.

The new orbital is the fusion wrapper boulted on wheels which properly holds the wrap.

I seen a bio work some years ago which was good but you had to stop the pto to wrap the bale, and at the time with film break sensors on it (which would be a must in my opinion) was the same money as a fusion which you can just keep going.
A used Bio would be a risk, there doesn't seem to be many people who know their way around them so problem solving ends up being trial and error. Fusion 3 I use now replaced a Vicon Bio that had become temperamental
 

Ted

Member
Location
New Zealand
But are you comparing like for like? I mean a Fusion 3 equipped same as Kuhn With 1000 speed gearbox, same pickup width and camless and are operators applying NRF at same stretch, running on same density etc. Are the bale weights been checked as opposed to perception? I had my kuhn out yesterday and the noise and rattling out of it and it’s only done 17k bales would drive u mad, had the fusion out in the afternoon and played iPhone through radio and chillaxed. I don’t think Mchales have anything to worry about Kuhn. I think Fusion are market leaders for a reason and that is they are designed to handle tough rough terrain with heavy crops. They are not perfect especially in the NRF area but I would not touch anything else unless it was say 40% cheaper. A new Fusion is 94k depending on spec, well that Kuhn would want to be max 60k for me to bother changing from something that works.
I don't have any bias towards either the Kuhn FBP or McHale Fusion, but the Kuhn you refer to is a Bio which is a totally different machine and not even comparable to either of the other two in discussion.
 
2 clear trains of thought from 2 manufacturers. Mchale seem to be purely about output to satisfy contractors whereas Kuhns stuff is all about forage quality surely the reason the machines on farm in the first place? The twin reel film system Kuhn use looks common sense as well. One product to buy and carry.
 

Grassnslurry

Member
Location
Ireland
Personally last year the price to change my old fusion to either the kuhn or a new fusion was the same. Resale value and dealer backup swung it back to mchale - even though it's taken a year for mchale to sort out the bale density despite getting onto the dealer lots of times.
What issues were you having with the bale density?
 

James

Member
Location
Comber, Down
What issues were you having with the bale density?

Density knob screwed right in gauge reading max and bales still too soft slumping very quickly and not pulling the tractor down. Now gauge reading as it should tractor getting pulled down and a proper thump when the bale is transferred to the wrapper. Mchales own technical guy came out to sort it did a software update so the selectable knives now work properly too. Still not sure why the dealer wouldn't do it last year.
 

James

Member
Location
Comber, Down

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Grassnslurry

Member
Location
Ireland
Density knob screwed right in gauge reading max and bales still too soft slumping very quickly and not pulling the tractor down. Now gauge reading as it should tractor getting pulled down and a proper thump when the bale is transferred to the wrapper. Mchales own technical guy came out to sort it did a software update so the selectable knives now work properly too. Still not sure why the dealer wouldn't do it last year.
Is yours a standard or a plus? Were your selectable knives not working properly?
 

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Red Tractor drops launch of green farming scheme amid anger from farmers

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As reported in Independent


quote: “Red Tractor has confirmed it is dropping plans to launch its green farming assurance standard in April“

read the TFF thread here: https://thefarmingforum.co.uk/index.php?threads/gfc-was-to-go-ahead-now-not-going-ahead.405234/
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